Titanosaur nests found further south than ever before
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Paleontologists in Argentina uncovered over 250 fossilized eggshell fragments from titanosaurs, massive dinosaurs, in the Santa Cruz province.
The discovery pushes the southernmost known location of dinosaur nesting closer to the South Pole than any previous find in the southern hemisphere. The site, part of the Chorrillo Formation, was at a paleolatitude of 55 to 60 degrees south roughly 70 million years ago during the Cretaceous period.
Researchers identified the eggshells as belonging to Fusioolithus, an oogenus commonly linked to titanosaurs, and found titanosaur bones and teeth at the same location. They examined the shells using advanced imaging techniques, revealing a high level of porosity similar to eggs from modern animals like crocodiles and megapode birds, which bury their eggs. This suggests the titanosaurs likely built mound-style nests and relied on heat from decaying vegetation to incubate their eggs.
The team notes that nesting at such high latitudes presented challenges due to limited sunlight and cold temperatures. Finding evidence that titanosaurs adapted to these conditions adds to the understanding of dinosaur reproductive strategies. Prior evidence of high-latitude dinosaur nesting mostly came from locations in the northern hemisphere, like Siberia and Alaska. This discovery demonstrates titanosaurs were successfully nesting further south than previously known, expanding the range of where these giant creatures thrived.
