Large dinosaur egg accumulations and their significance for understanding nesting behaviour

Ezquerro, L. ; Coimbra, R. ; Bauluz, B. (Universidad de Zaragoza) ; Núñez-Lahuerta, C. ; Román-Berdiel, T. (Universidad de Zaragoza) ; Moreno-Azanza, M. (Universidad de Zaragoza)

Resumen: 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.

Idioma: Inglés

DOI: 10.1016/j.gsf.2024.101872

Año: 2024

Publicado en: Geoscience Frontiers 15, 5 (2024), 101872 [22 pp.]
ISSN: 1674-9871

Financiación: info:eu-repo/grantAgreement/ES/MICINN/FJCI-2020-044561-I
Financiación: info:eu-repo/grantAgreement/ES/MICINN/PLEC2021-008203/AEI/10.13039/501100011033
Financiación: info:eu-repo/grantAgreement/ES/MICINN/RYC2021-034473-I

Tipo y forma: Article (Published version)

Área (Departamento): Área Paleontología (Dpto. Ciencias de la Tierra)
Área (Departamento): Área Geodinámica Interna (Dpto. Ciencias de la Tierra)
Área (Departamento): Área Cristalografía Mineralog. (Dpto. Ciencias de la Tierra)