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Name:
Oviraptor Egg
Age: Cretaceous
Formation: Nanxiong Formation
Location: Guangdong Province, China
Size: Egg is 6.3 inches long
This specimen is not for sale
Click here for similar specimens that are for sale
Most raptors laid their eggs in nests of a dozen or more eggs. Occasionally, some eggs survived predators and the elements, and eventually became fossils. Another point of interest relating to our raptor eggs is the overall comparison of eggshell thickness of these eggs. The raptor eggs found in deepest deposits (older) have very thick eggshell. As you examine eggs higher in the formation (younger), you see a gradual thinning of the eggshell over time. Gradual changes in vegetation (determined from pollen samples), changes in climate from a humid subtropic to an arid temperate region, and less oxygen in the air (determined from examining air trapped in amber) could have weakened the dinosaurs ability to produce healthy eggs, thus leading to their inevitable extinction. Environmental stresses in modern birds have been shown to reduce the thickness of eggshells and the results on the species are similar. Because of their delicate nature, recognizable eggs are very rare in the fossil record. Dinosaur eggs that retain their original shape and eggshell are among the most collectible fossils in the world.
This is a beautiful fossil Raptor dinosaur egg. This specimen was acquired from the Richard Busch Collection, who was the Preparator/Asst. Curator at the North Museum in Lancaster, PA from 1965-1992. This distinct egg is large (over six inches long) with extremely nice form - the oval shape of the egg is easily seen. The egg is well preserved - not totally crushed like some dinosaur eggs. The egg is well exposed and displays beautifully on the small, natural block of matrix. But the most collectible feature is the fact that you can see where the baby dinosaur hatched from the egg! The one end of the egg displays the distinct missing part where the baby dinosaur crawled out millions of years ago! This is a very displayable raptor egg with an extremely rare story to tell.
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