China is one of the most prolific countries for dinosaur material in the world, from skeletons to footprints and eggs. At present, China has documented more than 160 kinds of dinosaur, 35 genera and 39 ichnospecies of...China is one of the most prolific countries for dinosaur material in the world, from skeletons to footprints and eggs. At present, China has documented more than 160 kinds of dinosaur, 35 genera and 39 ichnospecies of dinosaur footprints, and 17 genera and 44 oospecies of dinosaur eggs. The dinosaur eggs in China are mainly distributed in Xinjiang, Inner Mongolia, Ningxia, Gansu, Henan, Hunan, Hubei, Jilin, Liaoning, Shandong, Zhejiang, Jiangxi and Guangdong （Fig. 1）, especially in Xixia of Henan, Nanxiong of Guangdong and Yunxian County of Hubei, which have the widest distribution, the best preservation and the most diversity.展开更多
The Zhutian and Dafeng formations （Upper Cretaceous） of the Heyuan Basin in northeastern Guangdong Province, China, have produced thousands of dinosaur eggs. Macromorphological features （egg diameter, egg shape, ou...The Zhutian and Dafeng formations （Upper Cretaceous） of the Heyuan Basin in northeastern Guangdong Province, China, have produced thousands of dinosaur eggs. Macromorphological features （egg diameter, egg shape, outer surface texture, and shell thickness） of 461 eggs were analyzed using non-destructive techniques and subjected to statistical analyses in order to assess their diversity and taxonomic affinities. Three types （1, 2 and 3） of eggs were discerned based on shape and outer surface morphology. Type 1 eggs are spherical to ellipsoidal in shape and have a rough surface. Three subtypes （Type 1-A-l, l-A-2, and l-B） are apparent from scatter plots and cluster analyses of egg diameters and shell thickness. Type 2 eggs are elongate with linear ornamentation on the surface, and are comparable to eggs that belong to the oofamily Elongatoolithidae. Type 3 eggs are elongate with a smooth surface, and are assigned to the oofamily Prismatoolithidae. Macromorphological features of the various egg types suggest that Type 1 could have been laid by ornithischian, sauropod or therizinosaur dinosaurs, Type 2 by oviraptorids, and Type 3 by troodontids. This study represents the first comprehensive statistical analysis of macrofeatures of dinosaur eggs, and reveals taxonomic diversity in the dinosaurs that were laying eggs in the Upper Cretaceous Heyuan area heretofore unrecognized in skeletal remains.展开更多
A new ootype collected from the Upper Cretaceous Lijiacun Formation in the Shangdan Basin,Shaanxi Province is described in this paper. Based on general external shape, size, eggshell thickness and honeycomb-like eggsh...A new ootype collected from the Upper Cretaceous Lijiacun Formation in the Shangdan Basin,Shaanxi Province is described in this paper. Based on general external shape, size, eggshell thickness and honeycomb-like eggshell microstructure, eggs are referable to the oofamily Faveoloolithidae. Compared with other members of Faveoloolithidae, specimens described in this paper show special characteristics:adjacent pores are usually separated by two eggshell units between which often develop interspaces;columnar eggshell units are relatively closely arranged in radial view. According to these characteristics,we erect a new oogenus and a new oospecies: Duovallumoolithus shangdanensis oogen. et oosp. nov. The new discovery expands the diversity of Faveoloolithidae.展开更多
1 Dinosaur Eggs in Yiwu City, Zhejiang Province In February 2017, dinosaur egg fossils were discovered in China Town part of Yiwu City, Zhejiang Province. They were confirmed by dinosaur experts from the Zhejiang Muse...1 Dinosaur Eggs in Yiwu City, Zhejiang Province In February 2017, dinosaur egg fossils were discovered in China Town part of Yiwu City, Zhejiang Province. They were confirmed by dinosaur experts from the Zhejiang Museum of Natural History to be those of Mesozoic herbivorous dinosaurs （Fig. 1）. Not long before, Yiwu Museum staff had discovered dinosaur eggs close by this place.展开更多
On 28 February 2012, under the close judiciary of and diplomatic cooperation between the United States and China for five years, a fossilized nest containing 22 dinosaur eggs, which was smuggled to America, finally ma...On 28 February 2012, under the close judiciary of and diplomatic cooperation between the United States and China for five years, a fossilized nest containing 22 dinosaur eggs, which was smuggled to America, finally made its way home.展开更多
The red beds of the northern Heyuan Basin （Guangdong Province, China） are more than 4,000 m thick. Based on the lithological characters, in ascending order these beds are divided into the Dafeng Formation, Zhutian F...The red beds of the northern Heyuan Basin （Guangdong Province, China） are more than 4,000 m thick. Based on the lithological characters, in ascending order these beds are divided into the Dafeng Formation, Zhutian Formation, and Zhenshui Formation of the Nanxiong Group, Shanghu Formation and Danxia Formation. The Nanxiong Group with relatively mature coarse clastic rocks attains about 2940 m in thickness. The Dafeng Formation is 837 m thick, consisting of conglomerates and sandy conglomerates; the Zhutian Formation, which is 1.200 m thick, consists of purplish red sandstone with gravels, poorly sorted sandstone, feldspathic quartzose sandstone banded granular conglomerate, siltstone, and sandy mudstone. The Zhutian Formation is rich in calcareous concretions. Heyuannia （Oviraptoridae） and turtle fossils were found in this formation. The Zhenshui Formation deposited to a thickness of 900 m consists of coarse sediments, including granular conglomerate, and gravelly sandstone with well developed cross-beddings; the Shanghu Formation, which is 820 m thick, consists of purplish red granular conglomerate coarse sandstone intercalated with fine si^tstone; the Danxia Formation characterized by the Danxia ~andform is composed of coarse c^astic gravels and sandy gravels. The lower part of the Nanxiong Group whence dinosaur eggs and derived oviraptorosaurs come, belongs to the Late Cretaceous. No fossils are found in the Shanghu Formation or the Danxia Formation, but their stratigraphic order of superposition on the Nanxiong Group clearly shows their younger age.展开更多
Here we describe two newly discovered dinosaur eggs from the Upper Cretaceous Chishan Formation in the Qianshan Basin,Anhui Province,East China.These dinosaur eggs can be assigned to a new oospecies of Stalicoolithida...Here we describe two newly discovered dinosaur eggs from the Upper Cretaceous Chishan Formation in the Qianshan Basin,Anhui Province,East China.These dinosaur eggs can be assigned to a new oospecies of Stalicoolithidae,Shixingoolithus qianshanensis,based on the following combined features:the larger size of eggs,the uniform eggshell microstructure in the radial section,the smaller height and the larger density of radial microstructures at the inner surface of the eggshell.Radial sections of S.qianshanensis show closely arranged columnar eggshell units forming relatively uniform and dense microstructure;some secondary eggshell units and numerous sub-circular radial microstructures appear separately in the middle and inner parts of the tangential sections,respectively.The discovery of S.qianshanensis provides new fossil types of Stalicoolithidae and represents the first dinosaur relative record in the Qianshan Basin,which offer accurate paleontological evidence of Late Cretaceous-Early Paleocene stratigraphic classification in the Qianshan Basin,Anhui Province.展开更多
文摘China is one of the most prolific countries for dinosaur material in the world, from skeletons to footprints and eggs. At present, China has documented more than 160 kinds of dinosaur, 35 genera and 39 ichnospecies of dinosaur footprints, and 17 genera and 44 oospecies of dinosaur eggs. The dinosaur eggs in China are mainly distributed in Xinjiang, Inner Mongolia, Ningxia, Gansu, Henan, Hunan, Hubei, Jilin, Liaoning, Shandong, Zhejiang, Jiangxi and Guangdong （Fig. 1）, especially in Xixia of Henan, Nanxiong of Guangdong and Yunxian County of Hubei, which have the widest distribution, the best preservation and the most diversity.
基金supported by agrant from the National Natural Science Foundation of China (40872017)
文摘The Zhutian and Dafeng formations （Upper Cretaceous） of the Heyuan Basin in northeastern Guangdong Province, China, have produced thousands of dinosaur eggs. Macromorphological features （egg diameter, egg shape, outer surface texture, and shell thickness） of 461 eggs were analyzed using non-destructive techniques and subjected to statistical analyses in order to assess their diversity and taxonomic affinities. Three types （1, 2 and 3） of eggs were discerned based on shape and outer surface morphology. Type 1 eggs are spherical to ellipsoidal in shape and have a rough surface. Three subtypes （Type 1-A-l, l-A-2, and l-B） are apparent from scatter plots and cluster analyses of egg diameters and shell thickness. Type 2 eggs are elongate with linear ornamentation on the surface, and are comparable to eggs that belong to the oofamily Elongatoolithidae. Type 3 eggs are elongate with a smooth surface, and are assigned to the oofamily Prismatoolithidae. Macromorphological features of the various egg types suggest that Type 1 could have been laid by ornithischian, sauropod or therizinosaur dinosaurs, Type 2 by oviraptorids, and Type 3 by troodontids. This study represents the first comprehensive statistical analysis of macrofeatures of dinosaur eggs, and reveals taxonomic diversity in the dinosaurs that were laying eggs in the Upper Cretaceous Heyuan area heretofore unrecognized in skeletal remains.
基金supported by the national natural science foundation (41672012, 41688103)
文摘A new ootype collected from the Upper Cretaceous Lijiacun Formation in the Shangdan Basin,Shaanxi Province is described in this paper. Based on general external shape, size, eggshell thickness and honeycomb-like eggshell microstructure, eggs are referable to the oofamily Faveoloolithidae. Compared with other members of Faveoloolithidae, specimens described in this paper show special characteristics:adjacent pores are usually separated by two eggshell units between which often develop interspaces;columnar eggshell units are relatively closely arranged in radial view. According to these characteristics,we erect a new oogenus and a new oospecies: Duovallumoolithus shangdanensis oogen. et oosp. nov. The new discovery expands the diversity of Faveoloolithidae.
文摘1 Dinosaur Eggs in Yiwu City, Zhejiang Province In February 2017, dinosaur egg fossils were discovered in China Town part of Yiwu City, Zhejiang Province. They were confirmed by dinosaur experts from the Zhejiang Museum of Natural History to be those of Mesozoic herbivorous dinosaurs （Fig. 1）. Not long before, Yiwu Museum staff had discovered dinosaur eggs close by this place.
文摘On 28 February 2012, under the close judiciary of and diplomatic cooperation between the United States and China for five years, a fossilized nest containing 22 dinosaur eggs, which was smuggled to America, finally made its way home.
文摘The red beds of the northern Heyuan Basin （Guangdong Province, China） are more than 4,000 m thick. Based on the lithological characters, in ascending order these beds are divided into the Dafeng Formation, Zhutian Formation, and Zhenshui Formation of the Nanxiong Group, Shanghu Formation and Danxia Formation. The Nanxiong Group with relatively mature coarse clastic rocks attains about 2940 m in thickness. The Dafeng Formation is 837 m thick, consisting of conglomerates and sandy conglomerates; the Zhutian Formation, which is 1.200 m thick, consists of purplish red sandstone with gravels, poorly sorted sandstone, feldspathic quartzose sandstone banded granular conglomerate, siltstone, and sandy mudstone. The Zhutian Formation is rich in calcareous concretions. Heyuannia （Oviraptoridae） and turtle fossils were found in this formation. The Zhenshui Formation deposited to a thickness of 900 m consists of coarse sediments, including granular conglomerate, and gravelly sandstone with well developed cross-beddings; the Shanghu Formation, which is 820 m thick, consists of purplish red granular conglomerate coarse sandstone intercalated with fine si^tstone; the Danxia Formation characterized by the Danxia ~andform is composed of coarse c^astic gravels and sandy gravels. The lower part of the Nanxiong Group whence dinosaur eggs and derived oviraptorosaurs come, belongs to the Late Cretaceous. No fossils are found in the Shanghu Formation or the Danxia Formation, but their stratigraphic order of superposition on the Nanxiong Group clearly shows their younger age.
基金supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China(Grant No.41802006)the University Natural Science Research Project of Anhui Province(Grant No.KJ2021A0086)+1 种基金the Foundation from the State Key Laboratory of Paleobiology and Stratigraphy,Nanjing Institute of Geology and Paleontology,Chinese Academy of Sciences(Grant No.213104)the Innovation and Entrepreneurship Training Program for College Students of Anhui University(Grant Nos.S202110357128and S202110357129)。
文摘Here we describe two newly discovered dinosaur eggs from the Upper Cretaceous Chishan Formation in the Qianshan Basin,Anhui Province,East China.These dinosaur eggs can be assigned to a new oospecies of Stalicoolithidae,Shixingoolithus qianshanensis,based on the following combined features:the larger size of eggs,the uniform eggshell microstructure in the radial section,the smaller height and the larger density of radial microstructures at the inner surface of the eggshell.Radial sections of S.qianshanensis show closely arranged columnar eggshell units forming relatively uniform and dense microstructure;some secondary eggshell units and numerous sub-circular radial microstructures appear separately in the middle and inner parts of the tangential sections,respectively.The discovery of S.qianshanensis provides new fossil types of Stalicoolithidae and represents the first dinosaur relative record in the Qianshan Basin,which offer accurate paleontological evidence of Late Cretaceous-Early Paleocene stratigraphic classification in the Qianshan Basin,Anhui Province.
