Dinosaur eggs found further south than ever before

Paleontologists in Argentina discovered fragments of titanosaur eggshells at latitudes between 55 and 60 degrees south, a location further from the equator than previously known for this type of dinosaur.

Titanosaurs were enormous, plant-eating dinosaurs that lived during the age of dinosaurs and have fossils found on every continent. While titanosaur fossils have appeared in Antarctica, scientists had not found evidence they nested so far south.

The newly discovered eggshell pieces suggest titanosaurs adapted to cooler temperatures and less sunlight during nesting. Researchers believe the dinosaurs built large, covered nests using decaying plants, sunlight, or geothermal heat to incubate their eggs, a method also used by some modern crocodiles and birds. Because of their massive size, reaching over 70 tons, titanosaurs likely could not have sat on their eggs to keep them warm.

Scientists propose titanosaurs may have migrated over long distances across generations, remaining in the same areas for thousands of years. The research team expects to find more dinosaur eggs at similar high latitudes in Argentina, Canada, and other locations, which could reveal more about how dinosaurs incubated eggs in colder climates.