Egg type
Continuoolithus
Continuoolithus is an egg type: the name is for the fossil eggs themselves. The animal that laid them is not known for certain. Its eggs are found in rocks 100.5–66 million years old in the United States, Canada and Mexico.
Confidence labels are switched off. Facts with low confidence, or where sources disagree, still carry a small dot: tap it for the reason.
At a glance
Data as of 11 October 2026- Named by
- Zelenitsky et al. 1996
medium
medium: Only PBDB gives this; nothing contradicts it.Sources
Given by: Paleobiology Database. How it was chosen: PBDB leads.
- Described in
- D. K. Zelenitsky, L. V. Hills, P. J. Currie (1996). Parataxonomic classification of ornithoid eggshell fragments from the Oldman Formation (Judith River Group; Upper Cretaceous), southern Alberta. Canadian Journal of Earth Sciences 33: 1655–1667. Read it
medium
medium: Only PBDB gives this; its author and year match the naming authority (Zelenitsky et al. 1996).Sources
Given by: Paleobiology Database. The publication the Paleobiology Database gives as the authority for this genus name, usually the one that first named and described it.
- Type species
- Continuoolithus canadensis
medium
medium: Only PBDB gives this; nothing contradicts it.Sources
Given by: Paleobiology Database. How it was chosen: PBDB leads.
- Dated to
- Cenomanian to Maastrichtian, 100.5–66 million years ago
medium
medium: Only PBDB gives this; nothing contradicts it.Omnisaura calculation100.5–66 million years ago, from its dated fossil recordsmedium
medium: Omnisaura's calculation from 27 confirmed PBDB records.Sources
Given by: Paleobiology Database. How it was chosen: PBDB leads.
- Found in
- CanadaMexico
medium
medium: Only PBDB records it (10 records).United Statesmedium
medium: Only PBDB records it (2 records).medium
medium: Only PBDB records it (15 records).Sources
Given by: Paleobiology Database. How it was chosen: Union of all sources (ISO 3166).
- Rock formations
- Cedar MountainDinosaur Park
medium
medium: Only PBDB records it (3 records).El Gallomedium
medium: Only PBDB records it (4 records).North Hornmedium
medium: Only PBDB records it (2 records).Oldmanmedium
medium: Only PBDB records it (6 records).Two Medicinemedium
medium: Only PBDB records it (6 records).Agujamedium
medium: Only PBDB records it (4 records).Fruitlandlow
low: Only one PBDB record.low
low: Only one PBDB record.mixed
mixed: Levels differ between entries; each has its own.Sources
Given by: Paleobiology Database. How it was chosen: Canonical names, automatic and editor-approved matches applied.
- Egg family
- Elongatoolithidae
medium
medium: Only PBDB gives this; nothing contradicts it.Sources
Given by: Paleobiology Database. How it was chosen: PBDB leads.
- Parent group
- Elongatoolithidae
medium
medium: Only PBDB gives this; nothing contradicts it.Sources
Given by: Paleobiology Database. How it was chosen: PBDB leads.
- Species named in its records
- Continuoolithus canadensis
Sources
Given by: Paleobiology Database (the species its fossil records are identified as).
- Known from
- Eggs
Sources
Given by: Paleobiology Database (what the name was based on).
- Laid by
- Not known for certain. Eggs rarely show which animal laid them.
Gaps are answers
What isn't known yet
- The animal that laid them: not known for certain, as for most egg types.
- Order: no source we use gives it yet.
- Common names: no source we use gives it yet.
- What it was named after: no source we use gives it yet.
- Held back: 1 fossil record left out: identified only tentatively (for example "cf.", "?" or the name in quotation marks).
- Resting on one source: 5 facts come from a single source with nothing against them (rated medium): authority (PBDB); type species (PBDB); parent group (PBDB); family (PBDB); age (headline) (PBDB).
Size and appearance aren't covered yet, and diet and way of life only as PBDB infers them for the wider group. Omnisaura leaves the rest out rather than guess.
Where sources disagree
None open. Where our sources overlap, they agree on everything shown here.
Did it meet…?
Yes. Both are found, identified to species, in the same rocks of the same age: Dinosaur Park.
Going by the ages and rock formations of their dated fossils, as on the map. Compare their fossil sites on the map.
Connections
Genera linked to Continuoolithus by where and when their fossils were found, by classification and by who named them. Select a name to open its page.
Found in the same rocks 84
Genera and other fossil types from the same rock units, from rocks of overlapping age, the most shared fossil sites first.
Same family: Elongatoolithidae 7
Other genera in Elongatoolithidae with a full profile.
Named by Zelenitsky 6
Genera whose naming authority includes the same surname. The authority has no initials, so different people who share a surname can appear together.
Found in United States 124
Other genera found in United States, from rocks of overlapping age, the most fossil sites there first.
Credits
Where this page comes from
- Paleobiology DatabaseCC BY 4.0 · fossil records, ages, classification
- WikidataCC0 1.0 · names and identifiers
- OmnisauraOmnisaura editorial · confidence levels and gaps
- PaleoMAP PaleoCoastlines (Kocsis and Scotese 2021)CC BY 4.0 · ancient coastlines on the small map
- Natural EarthPublic domain · today's coastlines