Dinosaur Egg Fossils Found in Spain, Believe long-necked Sauropod Left them Behind Millions of Years Ago

Researchers in northeastern Spain have just uncovered hundreds of dinosaur egg fossils, including four kinds that had never been found before in the region. Reports indicate that the eggs were likely left behind by sauropods, known as dinosaurs with long necks, long tails, small heads (in comparison to the rest of their body), and thick, pillar-like legs, millions of years ago.

According to NBCNews.com, eggs, eggshell fragments and dozens of clutches were nestled in the stratigraphic layers of the Tremp geological formation at the site of Coll de Nargó in the Spanish province of Lleida, which was a marshy region during the Late Cretaceous Period, the researchers said.

"Eggshells, eggs and nests were found in abundance and they all belong to dinosaurs, sauropods in particular," the study's leader, Albert García Sellés from the Miquel Crusafont Catalan Palaeontology Institute, told Spanish news agency SINC this week.

"Up until now, only one type of dinosaur egg had been documented in the region: Megaloolithus siruguei," Sellés added.

The researchers found evidence of at least four other species: Cairanoolithus roussetensis, Megaloolithus aureliensis, Megaloolithus siruguei and Megaloolithus baghensis. Megaloolithus eggs in particular are thought to be associated with sauropods, who are known for their long necks and were some of the largest dinosaurs to have graced the earth.

Researchers note that the Coll de Nargó area is considered one of the most important dinosaur nesting areas in Europe, adding that their study shows it was used by several dinosaurs from the Late Campanian age (around 71 million years ago) to the Late Maastrichtian age (around 67 million years ago).

"We had never found so many nests in the one area before. In addition, the presence of various oospecies (eggs species) at the same level suggests that different types of dinosaurs shared the same nesting area," Sellés said, adding that the dinosaur eggs could help scientists determine the date of future findings at the site.

The findings are published in the March issue of the journal Cretaceous Research.