RT Journal Article
T1 Large dinosaur egg accumulations and their significance for understanding nesting behaviour
A1 Ezquerro Ruiz, Lope
A1 Coimbra, R.
A1 Bauluz, Blanca
A1 Nuñez Lahuerta, Carmen
A1 Román Berdiel, Teresa
A1 Moreno Azanza, M.
AB The accurate identification of dinosaur egg accumulations as nests or clutches is crucial for understanding the reproductive behaviour of these extinct species. However, existing methods often rely on the presence of complete eggs and embryo remains, and sedimentological criteria that are only applicable to well-structured sediments. In this study, we introduce an innovative approach to characterize egg accumulations in structureless sediments, where traditional nest structures may not be preserved. Our methodology employs a unique combination of sedimentological, taphonomic, geochemical, and geophysical proxies for the study of egg accumulations. We applied this approach to the egg accumulation from Paimogo (Jurassic, Portugal), traditionally interpreted as a nest. Our findings reveal that the Paimogo egg assemblage is a secondary deposit, resulting from a flooding event in a fluvial plain that dismantled several allosauroid and crocodylomorph clutches. The eggshell vapor conductance results, coupled with sedimentological evidence, suggest that allosauroid dinosaurs buried their eggs in the dry terrain of overbank areas close to a main channel during the breeding season, likely during the dry season to prevent the embryos from drowning. This research underscores the necessity of multidisciplinary approaches in interpreting egg accumulations and offers a novel methodology for studying these accumulations in structureless sediments. Our findings provide new insights into the breeding behaviour and nesting preferences of these extinct organisms, contributing to our understanding of dinosaur ecology.
PB Elsevier
SN 1674-9871
YR 2024
FD 2024-09
LK https://hdl.handle.net/20.500.14352/105144
UL https://hdl.handle.net/20.500.14352/105144
LA eng
NO Ezquerro, L., et al. «Large Dinosaur Egg Accumulations and Their Significance for Understanding Nesting Behaviour». Geoscience Frontiers, vol. 15, n.o 5, septiembre de 2024, p. 101872, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.gsf.2024.101872
NO MCIN/AEI/10.13039/501100011033
NO European Union
NO Fundação para a Ciência e Tecnologia
NO Research Unit GeoBioTec
NO Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovación
NO NextGeneration EU/PRTR
DS Docta Complutense
RD 14 jun 2025