Re: Dinosaur Eggs

[kferrant@llnj.pppl.gov (Kenneth Ferrante)]

In response to SUM... and the Dinosaur Egg question...

Although not positive, I believe that there have been more egg finds
attributed to herbivore than those of carnivores.
Dino eggs, unlike those of many turtles, appear to have been hard-shelled. 
They were generally oval shaped and elongated.  

It IS hard to imagine a T-Rex sitting on a nest of eggs, but I've often 
wondered about the quantity of body heat given off by a dino (or more)
while resting in "just" close proximity to a nest of eggs. (Just a thought...) 

Some Dinos appear to have laid their eggs in a shallow hole in the ground 
and covered the eggs with sand. Others created large bowl-shaped nests
of mud which were covered with vegetation that probably kept the eggs warm
by means of decomposition.

It seems that a lot of nest evidence tends to indicate that some dinos 
laid many eggs at one time, like a turtle  (most probably increasing 
survival chances, and possibly providing nest warmth due 
to clustering & decomposition of "failed eggs").

The whole Dino-egg debate is fascinating!

-= Ken =- 
-- 
      .................................
      .         Ken Ferrante          .
      . Technology Coordinator - WTSD .
      .    kferrant@llnj.pppl.gov     .
      .................................