Megaloolithidae

Megaloolithidae is an oofamily of fossil egg of the Dinosauroid-spherulitic morphotype. They probably are the eggs of sauropods.[1]

Megaloolithidae Temporal range: 171.6–48.6 Ma PreꞒ Ꞓ O S D C P T J K Pg N
Egg fossil classification
Basic shell type:	†Dinosauroid-spherulitic
Oofamily:	†Megaloolithidae Zhao, 1979
Oogenera
Megaloolithus Pseudomegaloolithus

Paleopathology

Main article: Egg paleopathology

Multilayered shell

Megaloolithid eggs with multiple layers of eggshell have been preserved in the fossil record.[2] Multilayered fossil eggs resemble those of modern forms in sometimes having incomplete extra layers and pore canals that don't properly align.[3] The misalignment of the pore canals can prevent oxygen from getting to the embryo and cause it to suffocate.[2] The term ovum in ovo has been used for multilayered dinosaur eggs although this is inaccurate use of the term.[4] The greater abundance may indicate that these eggs were more prone to such pathologies, but are most likely due to a larger sample size of them.[5] Megaloolithid eggs with a discretispherulitic morphotype account for the majority of dinosaur eggs preserved with this deformity.[3]

Footnotes

1. Mikhailov et al. (1996).
2. "Thick Eggshell," Hirsch (2001); page 382.
3. "Thick Eggshell," Hirsch (2001); page 383.
4. "Thick Eggshell," Hirsch (2001); page 384.
5. "Discussion," Hirsch (2001); page 389.

References

• Kenneth Carpenter, (1999) Eggs, Nests, and Baby Dinosaurs: A Look at Dinosaur Reproduction (Life of the Past), Indiana University Press; ISBN 0-253-33497-7.
• Konstantin E. Mikhailov, Emily S. Bray & Karl E. Hirsch (1996). "Parataxonomy of fossil egg remains (Veterovata): basic principles and applications". Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology. 16 (4): 763–769. doi:10.1080/02724634.1996.10011364. JSTOR 4523773.