Gobioolithus
Fossil bird egg native to Mongolia / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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Gobioolithus is an oogenus of fossil bird egg native to Mongolia. They are small, smooth-shelled, and elongated eggs that were first discovered in the 1960s and early 70s during a series of fossil-hunting expeditions in the Gobi desert. Two oospecies have been described: Gobioolithus minor and G. major. The eggs were probably laid in colonial nesting sites on the banks of rivers and lakes.
Quick Facts Egg fossil classification, Oospecies ...
Gobioolithus | |
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Gobioolithus major (left) compared to G. minor (right) | |
Egg fossil classification | |
Basic shell type: | Ornithoid |
Morphotype: | †Ornithoid-prismatic |
Oofamily: | †Gobioolithidae |
Oogenus: | †Gobioolithus Mikhailov, 1996a |
Oospecies | |
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G. minor is unusual because it frequently is found with embryonic skeletons of the enantiornithine bird Gobipipus. These embryos have well-developed wings, which suggest they would be able to fly very soon after hatching, unlike most modern birds.