Dinosaur Eggs

Fossilized dinosaur eggs reveal an essential component of existence from millions of years ago and thus signify some of the earliest life on this planet. A rare and special find, fossilized dinosaur eggs are treasured by collectors and passing paleontologists as they tell us about the development of some of the most important dinosaur species.

As the source of much of dinosaur life, dinosaur eggs have an important role in helping modern scientists understand what life was like more than 180 million years ago. The first dinosaur eggs were unearthed in 1859 by French priest Jean- Jacques Poech, but his amateur knowledge of natural history led him to mistake them for rather large bird eggs.

The first correct identification of a fossilized dinosaur egg occurred more than 60 years following Poech's discovery. From that point, scientific understanding of these ova expanded exponentially. Thanks to advances in scanning technology and chemical analysis, expert paleontologists have been able to examine interior contents as well as shell composition to complete our picture of the prehistoric world. From a collector's standpoint, the dearth of fossilized dinosaur eggs on the market is noteworthy: though the number of dinosaur eggs laid was immense, the discovery of fossilized eggs is extremely rare as many fell victim to predation and harsh conditions.

Quick Facts

• All dinosaurs inhabiting the Earth during the Mesozoic era were birthed from eggs
• One of the rarest finds is an intact dinosaur embryo, preserved only due to bacterial causes of death
• The shape of a dinosaur egg can tell something about the species. Elongated eggs, for example, were characteristic of the larger carnivorous dinosaurs, while the eggs of herbivorous species were typically more round