Fossil eggshells from the Upper Cretaceous (Campanian) Fruitland Formation, New Mexico

A rare and diverse collection of fossil eggshells from the late Campanian Fruitland Formation in New Mexico has been identified, representing one of the few southern occurrences of such fossils in North America. The study describes six distinct eggshell types—attributable to dinosaurs, crocodilians, and turtles—with theropod dinosaur eggshells being the most abundant (85%), mirroring the taxonomic diversity seen in skeletal remains at the site. Notably, while hadrosaur and ceratopsian bones are well-represented, their eggshells remain unidentified. This finding parallels the relative abundance of taxa observed in more northern late Campanian sites like Dinosaur Provincial Park, Alberta, suggesting consistent ecological patterns across regions during this period.

Tanaka, K., Zelenitsky, D. K., Williamson, T., Weil, A., & Therrien, F. (2011). Fossil eggshells from the Upper Cretaceous (Campanian) Fruitland Formation, New Mexico. Historical Biology, 23(1), 41–55. https://doi.org/10.1080/08912963.2010.499171