Egg type

Paradictyoolithus

Wang et al. 2012

Paradictyoolithus 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 100.5–89.8 million years old in China.

Confidence labels

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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

100.5–89.8 Ma

Triassic

Jurassic

Cretaceous

252 million years ago20114366

The last non-bird dinosaurs died out 66 million years ago. That's as far from us as the end of this bar.

Named by: Wang et al. 2012
medium
medium: Only PBDB gives this; nothing contradicts it.
Sources
Given by: Paleobiology Database. How it was chosen: PBDB leads.
Described in: X.-l. Wang, Q. Wang, S.-x. Jiang, X. Cheng, J.-l. Zhang, Z.-k. Zhao, Y.-g. Jiang (2012). Dinosaur egg faunas of the Upper Cretaceous terrestrial red beds of China and their stratigraphical significance. Journal of Stratigraphy 36(2): 400–416.
medium
medium: Only PBDB gives this; its author and year match the naming authority (Wang et al. 2012).
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: Paradictyoolithus zhuangqianensis
medium
medium: Only PBDB gives this; nothing contradicts it.
Sources
Given by: Paleobiology Database. How it was chosen: PBDB leads.
Dated to: Cenomanian to Turonian, 100.5–89.8 million years ago
medium
medium: Only PBDB gives this; nothing contradicts it.
Omnisaura calculation100.5–89.8 million years ago, from its dated fossil records
low
low: Omnisaura's calculation from only 2 dated record(s).
Sources
Given by: Paleobiology Database. How it was chosen: PBDB leads.
Found in: China
medium
medium: Only PBDB records it (2 records).
Sources
Given by: Paleobiology Database. How it was chosen: Union of all sources (ISO 3166).
Rock formations: Chichengshan
medium
medium: Only PBDB records it (2 records).
Sources
Given by: Paleobiology Database. How it was chosen: Canonical names, automatic and editor-approved matches applied.
Egg family: Dictyoolithidae
medium
medium: Only PBDB gives this; nothing contradicts it.
Sources
Given by: Paleobiology Database. How it was chosen: PBDB leads.
Parent group: Dictyoolithidae
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: Paradictyoolithus xiaxishanensis, Paradictyoolithus zhuangqianensis
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.

Sources: Paleobiology Database (CC BY 4.0)Confidence levels and gaps are Omnisaura's own assessment.

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.
Resting on one source: 6 facts come from a single source with nothing against them (rated medium): name (PBDB); 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…?

Did Paradictyoolithus meet ?

No. Paradictyoolithus had gone at least 6.2 million years before Tyrannosaurus appears in the fossil record.

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 Paradictyoolithus 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 11

Genera and other fossil types from the same rock units, from rocks of overlapping age, the most shared fossil sites first.

Prismatoolithus Parafaveoloolithus Similifaveoloolithus Elongatoolithus Macroelongatoolithus Mosaicoolithus Coralloidoolithus Dictyoolithus Ovaloolithus Spheroolithus Stalicoolithus

Same family: Dictyoolithidae 2

Other genera in Dictyoolithidae with a full profile.

Dictyoolithus Protodictyoolithus

Named by Wang 8

Genera whose naming authority includes the same surname. The authority has no initials, so different people who share a surname can appear together.

Ambopteryx Coralloidoolithus Mosaicoolithus Protodictyoolithus Similifaveoloolithus Stalicoolithus Undulatoolithus Xingxiulong

Found in China 32

Other genera found in China, from rocks of overlapping age, the most fossil sites there first.

Elongatoolithus Macroelongatoolithus Parafaveoloolithus Paraspheroolithus Prismatoolithus Brontopodus Similifaveoloolithus Spheroolithus Dendroolithus Faveoloolithus Mosaicoolithus Ovaloolithus Saichania Stalicoolithus Bactrosaurus Baotianmansaurusand 16 more

Credits

Where this page comes from

Paleobiology DatabaseCC BY 4.0 · fossil records, ages, classification
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