View source for Earth:Megaloolithus

{{Short description|Dinosaur egg}}
{{Oobox
| fossil_range = {{fossil range|99.6|66|[[Earth:Late Cretaceous|Late Cretaceous]]}}
| image = Megaloolithus.JPG
| image_caption = ''Megaloolithus'' at the Museum d'Histoire Naturelle Aix-en-Provence.<br />Eggs of titanosaurid, possibly ''Hypselosaurus priscus''
| taxon = Megaloolithus
| authority = Mikhailov, 1991
| subdivision_ranks = Oospecies
| subdivision = [[Earth:Megaloolithus#Species|See text]]
}}

'''''Megaloolithus''''' is an oogenus of [[Biology:Dinosaur egg|dinosaur egg]].<ref>Carpenter, K. 1999. Eggs, Nests, and Baby Dinosaurs: A Look at Dinosaur Reproduction (Life of the Past). Indiana University Press, Bloomington, Indiana.</ref> They are thought to have been laid by [[Biology:Sauropoda|sauropod]] dinosaurs. They are known for having thick eggshells, at least {{convert|1.5|mm|in}} thick, and the nearly spherical shape of the eggs.<ref>K. E. Mikhailov. 1991. Classification of fossil eggshells of amniotic vertebrates. Acta Palaeontologica Polonica 36(2):193-238</ref> They are primarily found in {{wipe|India}} and [[Earth:Europe|Europe]], but some specimens have been found in [[Earth:South America|South America]].<ref>[http://paleodb.org/cgi-bin/bridge.pl Paleobiology Database]</ref>

==Species==
{{div col|colwidth=22em}}
* ''M. aureliensis''
* ''M. baghensis''
* ''M. cylindricus''
* ''M. dhoridungriensis'' 
* ''M. jabalpurensis'' 
* ''M. khempurensis'' 
* ''M. mamillare'' 
* ''M. megadermus'' 
* ''M. microtuberculata'' 
* ''M. mohabeyi''
* ''M. petralta''
* ''M. problematica''
* ''M. siruguei''
* ''M. trempii''
* ''M. patagonicus''
{{div col end}}

==Distribution==
Fossils of ''Megaloolithus'' have been found in:<ref name=FWMegaloolithus>[http://www.fossilworks.org/cgi-bin/bridge.pl?a=taxonInfo&taxon_no=65584 ''Megaloolithus''] at [[Biology:Fossilworks|Fossilworks]].org</ref>
* [[Earth:Anacleto Formation|Anacleto Formation]] - {{wipe|Argentina}}
* Argiles et Grés à Reptiles, Rognacian, [[Earth:Marnes Rouges Inférieures Formation|Marnes Rouges Inférieures]] & Marnes Rouges de Roquelongue Formation - {{wipe|France}}
* [[Earth:Lameta Formation|Lameta Formation]] - {{wipe|India}}
* [[Earth:Sânpetru Formation|Sânpetru Formation]] - Romania
* Figuerola, La Maçana & [[Earth:Tremp Formation|Tremp Formation]]s - {{wipe|Spain}}

{{clear}}

==Gallery==
<gallery mode=packed heights=180px>
File:Hypselosaurus eggs.jpg|''Hypselosaurus'' eggs, Muséum national d'histoire naturelle, Paris 
File:Hypselosaurus egg 2.jpg|A ''Hypselosaurus'' egg (Dinosaurland, Lyme Regis)
File:Underside of a clutch of Megaloolithus siruguei at Pinyes locality - Tremp Formation.jpg|''Megaloolithus siruguei'' of the [[Earth:Tremp Formation|Tremp Formation]]
</gallery>

== See also ==
* List of dinosaur oogenera

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==Further reading==
* {{cite LSA |last=Bravo |first=Ana María |last2=Vila |first2=Bernat |last3=Galobart |first3=Àngel |last4=Oms |first4=Oriol |year=2005 |title=Restos de huevos de dinosaurio en el Cretácico Superior del sinclinal de Vallcebre (Berguedà, provincia de Barcelona) - Remains of dinosaur eggs in the Upper Cretaceous of the Vellcebre syncline (Berguedà, Barcelona province) |url=http://www.sepaleontologia.es/revista/anteriores/REP%20(2005)%20vol.%2020/extra/04.%20Bravo%20et%20al.pdf |journal=Revista Española de Paleontología |volume=10 |pages=49–57 |accessdate=2018-05-24}} {{in lang|es}}
* {{cite LSA |last=Vila |first=Bernat |last2=Jackson |first2=Frankie D. |last3=Fortuny |first3=Josep |last4=Sellés |first4=Albert G. |last5=Galobart |first5=Àngel |year=2010 |title=3-D Modelling of Megaloolithid Clutches: Insights about Nest Construction and Dinosaur Behaviour |url=http://journals.plos.org/plosone/article/file?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0010362&type=printable |journal=PLoS One |volume=5 |pages=1–13 |accessdate=2018-05-24}}

{{Taxonbar|from=Q6808516}}

[[Category:Dinosaur reproduction]]
[[Category:Anacleto Formation]]
[[Category:Tremp Formation]]



{{Sourceattribution|Megaloolithus}}