Artículo
A large accumulation of avian eggs from the Late Cretaceous of Patagonia (Argentina) reveals a novel nesting strategy in Mesozoic birds
Fernández, Mariela
; Garcia, Rodolfo Andres
; Fiorelli, Lucas Ernesto
; Scolaro, Jose Alejandro
; Salvador, Rodrigo B.; Cotaro, Carlos N.; Kaiser, Gary W.; Dyke, Gareth J.
Fecha de publicación:
01/2013
Editorial:
Public Library Of Science
Revista:
Plos One
ISSN:
1932-6203
Idioma:
Inglés
Tipo de recurso:
Artículo publicado
Clasificación temática:
Resumen
We report the first evidence for a nesting colony of Mesozoic birds on Gondwana: a fossil accumulation in Late Cretaceous rocks mapped and collected from within the campus of the National University of Comahue, Neuquén City, Patagonia (Argentina). Here, Cretaceous ornithothoracine birds, almost certainly Enanthiornithes, nested in an arid, shallow basinal environment among sand dunes close to an ephemeral water-course. We mapped and collected 65 complete, near-complete, and broken eggs across an area of more than 55 m2. These eggs were laid either singly, or occasionally in pairs, onto a sandy substrate. All eggs were found apparently in, or close to, their original nest site; they all occur within the same bedding plane and may represent the product of a single nesting season or a short series of nesting attempts. Although there is no evidence for nesting structures, all but one of the Comahue eggs were half-buried upright in the sand with their pointed end downwards, a position that would have exposed the pole containing the air cell and precluded egg turning. This egg position is not seen in living birds, with the exception of the basal galliform megapodes who place their eggs within mounds of vegetation or burrows. This accumulation reveals a novel nesting behaviour in Mesozoic Aves that was perhaps shared with the non-avian and phylogenetically more basal troodontid theropods.
Archivos asociados
Licencia
Identificadores
Colecciones
Articulos(CCT - PATAGONIA NORTE)
Articulos de CTRO.CIENTIFICO TECNOL.CONICET - PATAGONIA NORTE
Articulos de CTRO.CIENTIFICO TECNOL.CONICET - PATAGONIA NORTE
Articulos(CCT-CENPAT)
Articulos de CTRO.CIENTIFICO TECNOL.CONICET - CENPAT
Articulos de CTRO.CIENTIFICO TECNOL.CONICET - CENPAT
Articulos(CRILAR)
Articulos de CENTRO REGIONAL DE INV. CIENTIFICAS Y TRANSFERENCIA TECNOLOGICA DE ANILLACO
Articulos de CENTRO REGIONAL DE INV. CIENTIFICAS Y TRANSFERENCIA TECNOLOGICA DE ANILLACO
Articulos(INIBIOMA)
Articulos de INST. DE INVEST.EN BIODIVERSIDAD Y MEDIOAMBIENTE
Articulos de INST. DE INVEST.EN BIODIVERSIDAD Y MEDIOAMBIENTE
Citación
Fernández, Mariela; Garcia, Rodolfo Andres; Fiorelli, Lucas Ernesto; Scolaro, Jose Alejandro; Salvador, Rodrigo B.; et al.; A large accumulation of avian eggs from the Late Cretaceous of Patagonia (Argentina) reveals a novel nesting strategy in Mesozoic birds; Public Library Of Science; Plos One; 8; 4; 1-2013; 1-22
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