Egg type
Macroelongatoolithus
Macroelongatoolithus 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 143.1–72.2 million years old in 4 countries, most often the United States and China.
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
- Li et al. 1995
medium
medium: Only PBDB gives this; nothing contradicts it.Sources
Given by: Paleobiology Database. How it was chosen: PBDB leads.
- Described in
- Y. Li, Z. Yin, Y. Liu (1995). [The discovery of a new genus of dinosaur egg from Xixia, Henan, China]. Journal of Wuhan Institute of Chemical Technology 17(1): 38–41.
medium
medium: Only PBDB gives this; its author and year match the naming authority (Li et al. 1995).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.
- Dated to
- Albian to Campanian, 113.2–72.2 million years ago
medium
medium: Only PBDB gives this; nothing contradicts it.Omnisaura calculation143.1–72.2 million years ago, from its dated fossil recordsmedium
medium: Omnisaura's calculation from 28 confirmed PBDB records.Sources
Given by: Paleobiology Database. How it was chosen: PBDB leads.
- Found in
- ChinaSouth Korea
medium
medium: Only PBDB records it (9 records).United Statesmedium
medium: Only PBDB records it (2 records).Mongoliamedium
medium: Only PBDB records it (16 records).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: Union of all sources (ISO 3166).
- Rock formations
- Cedar MountainChichengshan
medium
medium: Only PBDB records it (13 records).Gaogoumedium
medium: Only PBDB records it (2 records).Wayanmedium
medium: Only PBDB records it (3 records).Baynshiremedium
medium: Only PBDB records it (2 records).Goseonglow
low: Only one PBDB record.Ilseongsanlow
low: Only one PBDB record.Liangtoutanglow
low: Only one PBDB record.Nanchaolow
low: Only one PBDB record.Naturitalow
low: Only one PBDB record.Zhaoyinglow
low: Only one PBDB record.Zoumaganglow
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
- Macroelongatoolithus carlylei, Macroelongatoolithus goseongensis, Macroelongatoolithus xixiaensis, Macroelongatoolithus zhangi
Sources
Given by: Paleobiology Database (the species its fossil records are identified as).
- Older or other names
- Boletuoolithus (a junior synonym); Longiteresoolithus (a junior synonym); Megafusoolithus (a junior synonym)
Sources
Given by: Paleobiology Database (names it treats as this genus).
- 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.
- Type species: no source we use gives it yet.
- 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: 4 facts come from a single source with nothing against them (rated medium): authority (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…?
Same time, different places. Their fossils overlap in age, 83.6 to 72.2 million years ago, but no rock formation holds both.
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 Macroelongatoolithus 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 38
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 Li 8
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 39
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