First record of a complete giant theropod egg clutch from Upper Cretaceous deposits, South Korea

Huh, Min; Kim, Bo Seong; Woo, Yeon; Simon, Dragana; Paik, In Sung; Kim, Hyun Joo

doi:10.1080/08912963.2014.894998

Cited by 23 publications

(9 citation statements)

References 33 publications

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“…Combining our pigment analyses with the outcomes of studies on oviraptorid clutch arrangements ( Huh et al, 2014 ; Pu et al, 2017 ), it can be summed up that oviraptorid eggs were most probably laid in overlapping circles, partially stuck in the nesting material, with their blunt ends exposed, pointing upwards in an almost vertical orientation. Partially exposed, blue–green eggs, stacked in circular layers, allow the inference of a similarly colored nesting material.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 92%

Dinosaur origin of egg color: oviraptors laid blue-green eggs

Wiemann

Yang

Sander

et al. 2017

PeerJ

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Protoporphyrin (PP) and biliverdin (BV) give rise to the enormous diversity in avian egg coloration. Egg color serves several ecological purposes, including post-mating signaling and camouflage. Egg camouflage represents a major character of open-nesting birds which accomplish protection of their unhatched offspring against visually oriented predators by cryptic egg coloration. Cryptic coloration evolved to match the predominant shades of color found in the nesting environment. Such a selection pressure for the evolution of colored or cryptic eggs should be present in all open nesting birds and relatives. Many birds are open-nesting, but protect their eggs by continuous brooding, and thus exhibit no or minimal eggshell pigmentation. Their closest extant relatives, crocodiles, protect their eggs by burial and have unpigmented eggs. This phylogenetic pattern led to the assumption that colored eggs evolved within crown birds. The mosaic evolution of supposedly avian traits in non-avian theropod dinosaurs, however, such as the supposed evolution of partially open nesting behavior in oviraptorids, argues against this long-established theory. Using a double-checking liquid chromatography ESI-Q-TOF mass spectrometry routine, we traced the origin of colored eggs to their non-avian dinosaur ancestors by providing the first record of the avian eggshell pigments protoporphyrin and biliverdin in the eggshells of Late Cretaceous oviraptorid dinosaurs. The eggshell parataxon Macroolithus yaotunensis can be assigned to the oviraptor Heyuannia huangi based on exceptionally preserved, late developmental stage embryo remains. The analyzed eggshells are from three Late Cretaceous fluvial deposits ranging from eastern to southernmost China. Reevaluation of these taphonomic settings, and a consideration of patterns in the porosity of completely preserved eggs support an at least partially open nesting behavior for oviraptorosaurs. Such a nest arrangement corresponds with our reconstruction of blue-green eggs for oviraptors. According to the sexual signaling hypothesis, the reconstructed blue-green eggs support the origin of previously hypothesized avian paternal care in oviraptorid dinosaurs. Preserved dinosaur egg color not only pushes the current limits of the vertebrate molecular and associated soft tissue fossil record, but also provides a perspective on the potential application of this unexplored paleontological resource.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 92%

Dinosaur origin of egg color: oviraptors laid blue-green eggs

Wiemann

Yang

Sander

et al. 2017

PeerJ

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“…The single specimen of MT V discovered by thin sectioning lacks shell ornamentation and exhibits the so-called "ratite" type microstructure with a CL that characterizes the eggshell of extant and fossil paleognathous birds and other fossil maniraptoran dinosaurs, such as oviraptorids, the dromaeosaurid Deinonychus, enanthiornithine birds ("laevisoolithid" type), and some other "elongatoolithid" eggshell types of uncertain taxonomic identity but correlated with theropod dinosaurs (Hirsch and Quinn 1990;Norell et al 1994;Zelenitsky et al 1996Zelenitsky et al , 2000Mikhailov 1997;Zelenitsky and Hirsch 1997;Makovicky and Grellet-Tinner 2000;Schweitzer et al 2002;Zelenitsky and Modesto 2003;Grellet-Tinner and Makovicky 2006;Jin et al 2007;Patnaik et al 2009;Kurochkin et al 2013;Huh et al 2014). However, unlike oviraptorids which reveal only two structural layers, a ML and a continuous or squamatic layer (Norell et al 1994;Zelenitsky et al 1996;Weishampel et al 2008), MT V has a trilaminate microstructure with a third, external zone, similar to extant paleognath birds (Zelenitsky et al 1996;Mikhailov 1997;Zelenitsky and Modesto 2003) and fossil enantiornithines (Schweitzer et al 2002;Kurochkin et al 2013).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Collection of the thinnest: A unique eggshell assemblage from the Late Cretaceous vertebrate locality of Iharkút (Hungary)

Prondvai

Botfalvai

Stein

et al. 2017

Central European Geology

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As a result of several years of screen-washing activity, a remarkable assemblage of eggshell fragments has been recovered from the Late Cretaceous vertebrate locality of Iharkút, Hungary. Detailed investigation of the assemblage by multiple visualization techniques (scanning electron microscopy, polarizing light microscopy, X-ray micro-computed tomography), quantitative morphometric analyses, and micro X-ray fluorescence spectrometry revealed a diverse composition of five different eggshell morphotypes (MT I-MT V) and three subcategories within the second morphotype (MT II/a, b, c), with MT I being by far the most abundant (83%) in the assemblage. MT I, MT III, and MT V represent theropod dinosaurian eggshells, whereas MT II and MT IV show characteristics of crocodilian and squamate eggshells, respectively. Hence, despite their fragmentary nature, these eggshells represent the first clear evidence that various sauropsid taxa had nesting sites near the ancient fluvial system of Iharkút. Besides the implied taxonomic diversity, two unique features add to the significance of this eggshell assemblage. First, it contains the thinnest rigid crocodilian (MT II/c) and squamate (MT IV) eggshells ever reported. Moreover, one of the identified theropod morphotypes, MT I, is also among the thinnest fossil dinosaurian eggshells, the thinness of which is only rivalled by the eggshells of the smallest Mesozoic avian eggs known to date. Second, the Iharkút eggshell assemblage consists exclusively of thin eggshells (≤300 μm), a condition unknown from any other fossil eggshell assemblages described to date. Combined with the knowledge acquired from skeletal remains, these peculiarities give additional insights into the paleoecology of the terrestrial sauropsid fauna once inhabiting the ancient island of Iharkút. Finally, the presence of well-preserved eggshells recovered from two different sites representing different depositional environments provides further evidence for previous taphonomic and sedimentological conclusions, and also expands our knowledge of the special conditions that allowed the preservation of these delicate eggshell fragments.

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“…Although giant oviraptorosaurs are known only from this specimen of Beibeilong , a partial skeleton of a single individual of Gigantoraptor 8 from China, and a pair of dentaries from Mongolia52, many occurrences of Macroelongatoolithus egg remains are reported from China293132515354, Korea47, Mongolia55 and North America5657. The geographical distribution and abundant occurrences of Macroelongatoolithus remains reveal that giant oviraptorosaurs were relatively widespread and perhaps even common in the early part of the Late Cretaceous, even though their skeletal remains are scarce and have yet to be identified in many regions.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…), the original clutch of the Beibeilong specimen would have had many more eggs than the 6–8 present in the specimen. Two layers of eggs are present, although other Macroelongatoolithus nests are reported to have only a single layer of eggs324751, whereas oviraptorid nests generally have two or three layers. It is evident that eggs were inclined in the Beibeilong nest as reported for oviraptorid nests, although it is uncertain if they dipped towards or away from the centre of the nest because the original inclination of the block to horizontal is unknown.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Perinate and eggs of a giant caenagnathid dinosaur from the Late Cretaceous of central China

Zelenitsky

Lü

et al. 2017

Nat Commun

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The abundance of dinosaur eggs in Upper Cretaceous strata of Henan Province, China led to the collection and export of countless such fossils. One of these specimens, recently repatriated to China, is a partial clutch of large dinosaur eggs (Macroelongatoolithus) with a closely associated small theropod skeleton. Here we identify the specimen as an embryo and eggs of a new, large caenagnathid oviraptorosaur, Beibeilong sinensis. This specimen is the first known association between skeletal remains and eggs of caenagnathids. Caenagnathids and oviraptorids share similarities in their eggs and clutches, although the eggs of Beibeilong are significantly larger than those of oviraptorids and indicate an adult body size comparable to a gigantic caenagnathid. An abundance of Macroelongatoolithus eggs reported from Asia and North America contrasts with the dearth of giant caenagnathid skeletal remains. Regardless, the large caenagnathid-Macroelongatoolithus association revealed here suggests these dinosaurs were relatively common during the early Late Cretaceous.

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First record of a complete giant theropod egg clutch from Upper Cretaceous deposits, South Korea

Cited by 23 publications

References 33 publications

Dinosaur origin of egg color: oviraptors laid blue-green eggs

Dinosaur origin of egg color: oviraptors laid blue-green eggs

Collection of the thinnest: A unique eggshell assemblage from the Late Cretaceous vertebrate locality of Iharkút (Hungary)

Perinate and eggs of a giant caenagnathid dinosaur from the Late Cretaceous of central China

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