Egg type

Shixingoolithus

Zhao et al. 1991

Shixingoolithus 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 72.2–66 million years old in China.

Confidence labels

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How sure are we?0 high9 medium1 lowHow we rate confidence

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

72.2–66 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: Zhao et al. 1991
medium
medium: Only PBDB gives this; nothing contradicts it.
Sources
Given by: Paleobiology Database. How it was chosen: PBDB leads.
Described in: Z. Zhao, J. Ye, H. Li, Z. Zhao, Z. Yan (1991). Extinction of the dinosaurs across the Cretaceous-Tertiary boundary in Nanxiong Basin, Guangdong Province. Vertebrata PalAsiatica 29(1): 1–20.
medium
medium: Only PBDB gives this; its author and year match the naming authority (Zhao et al. 1991).
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: Shixingoolithus erbeni
medium
medium: Only PBDB gives this; nothing contradicts it.
Sources
Given by: Paleobiology Database. How it was chosen: PBDB leads.
Dated to: Maastrichtian, 72.2–66 million years ago
medium
medium: Only PBDB gives this; nothing contradicts it.
Omnisaura calculation72.2–66 million years ago, from its dated fossil records
medium
medium: Omnisaura's calculation from 5 confirmed PBDB records.
Sources
Given by: Paleobiology Database. How it was chosen: PBDB leads.
Found in: China
medium
medium: Only PBDB records it (5 records).
Sources
Given by: Paleobiology Database. How it was chosen: Union of all sources (ISO 3166).
Rock formations: Pingling
medium
medium: Only PBDB records it (4 records).
Yuanpu
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: Stalicoolithidae
medium
medium: Only PBDB gives this; nothing contradicts it.
Sources
Given by: Paleobiology Database. How it was chosen: PBDB leads.
Parent group: Stalicoolithidae
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: Shixingoolithus erbeni
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), Wikidata (CC0 1.0)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.
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…?

Did Shixingoolithus meet ?

Same time, different places. Their fossils overlap in age, 72.2 to 66 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 Shixingoolithus 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 6

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

Macroolithus Elongatoolithus Nanhsiungoolithus Nanshiungosaurus Prismatoolithus Spheroolithus

Same family: Stalicoolithidae 2

Other genera in Stalicoolithidae with a full profile.

Coralloidoolithus Stalicoolithus

Named by Zhao 14

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

Changdusaurus Chaoyangsaurus Dendroolithus Dictyoolithus Elongatoolithus Faveoloolithus Macroolithus Nanhsiungoolithus Ovaloolithus Paraspheroolithus Placoolithus Prismatoolithus Sinraptor Spheroolithus

Found in China 33

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

Elongatoolithus Macroolithus Nanhsiungoolithus Dendroolithus Tarbosaurus Prismatoolithus Spheroolithus Yulong Alioramus Amurosaurus Asiatyrannus Bactrosaurus Banji Charonosaurus Corythoraptor Euoplocephalusand 17 more

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