Scientists Find Titanosaurs Buried 68-Million-Year-Old Eggs in Rotting Vegetation for Warmth
Updated
Updated · CBC Sports · Sep 9
Scientists Find Titanosaurs Buried 68-Million-Year-Old Eggs in Rotting Vegetation for Warmth
3 articles · Updated · CBC Sports · Sep 9
Summary
Microscopic pores in 68-million-year-old titanosaur eggshells from Argentina’s Chorrillo Formation show the giant dinosaurs likely buried their volleyball-sized eggs in rotting vegetation to incubate them.
Electron-microscope analysis found the shells were highly porous, a trait seen in buried eggs because embryos need more oxygen underground than in open-air nests.
The strategy would have solved a basic problem: titanosaurs, which could weigh up to 75 tonnes, were too large to sit on eggs without crushing them, while cool southern conditions made sun-warmed burial unlikely.
The site lay at a latitude comparable to Red Deer, Alberta, and marks reproduction far from the equator, underscoring how adaptable titanosaurs were in spreading across diverse Late Cretaceous environments.