Elongatoolithus elongatus

† Elongatoolithus elongatus is the type oospecies of Elongatoolithus, a Late Cretaceous oviraptorosaurian egg from China. As the nominotypical species of the genus, it establishes the morphological standard for the elongatoolithid egg form. These highly elongated eggs, up to 18 cm long with a length-to-width ratio exceeding 2.5, represent the characteristic form of oviraptorid clutches. They are among the most commonly collected fossil eggs in Cretaceous red-bed sequences of southern China.

Diet & Feeding

Carnivore

Elongatoolithus elongatus was a meat-eating predator. Carnivorous dinosaurs were active hunters or scavengers, equipped with sharp teeth and claws for catching and consuming prey. They occupied the top of the food chain in their ecosystems.

Time Period

Cretaceous Late Mesozoic Era

Elongatoolithus elongatus lived during the Cretaceous Late period of the Mesozoic Era, approximately 100.5 to 66.0 million years ago.

The final age of dinosaurs, featuring iconic species like Tyrannosaurus rex, Triceratops, and Velociraptor. Dinosaurs reached their peak diversity before the catastrophic asteroid impact at the Chicxulub crater ended the Mesozoic Era.