''Preprismatoolithus'' is a
Late Jurassic oogenus. The species ''P. coloradensis'' is described by John Foster as being "of the prismatic basic type,"
with subspherical eggs about 10 cm (4 inches) in diameter.
["Eggs," Foster (2007) page 125.] This oospecies has been initially attributed to "
hypsilophodont
Hypsilophodontidae (or Hypsilophodontia) is a traditionally used family of ornithopod dinosaurs, generally considered invalid today. It historically included many small bodied bipedal neornithischian taxa from around the world, and spanning from ...
id" dinosaurs, although a lack of associated embryo material currently makes confirming the egg-layer's identity impossible,
["Another Generation: The Eggs," Foster (2007) page 239.] but now is known to be theropod after the finding in Portugal,
[Ribeiro, V., Mateus O., Holwerda F., Araújo R., & Castanhinha R. (2013). Two new theropod egg sites from the Late Jurassic Lourinhã Formation, Portugal. Historical Biology. (ahead-of-print), 1-12.] associated with the embryos.
Eggshell present in great abundance at the so-called "Young Egg Locality" which seems to have been a dinosaur nesting ground.
Congeneric eggshell fossils are found at additional Colorado sites including the Fruita Paleontological Area, the Uravan Locality and Garden Park.
See also
*
Dinosaurs of the Morrison Formation
The Morrison Formation is a distinctive sequence of Upper Jurassic sedimentary rock that is found in the western United States, which has been the most fertile source of dinosaur fossils in North America. It is composed of mudstone, sandstone, ...
Footnotes
References
* Foster, J. (2007). ''Jurassic West: The Dinosaurs of the Morrison Formation and Their World.'' Indiana University Press. 389pp. .
Dinosaur trace fossils
Fossil parataxa described in 1996
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