Possible egg

[Tenchi]

I'm wondering if anyone can tell me if this is an egg. The outer skin is almost hard as a rock, feels smooth but looks very bumpy under a stereoscope. The inside is soft and can be scathces with a finger nail. 

 

Thanks! 

[Ludwigia]

No. This is a concretion.

[Fossildude19]

Yup. The concentric layers are diagnostic for Concretion.

[Tenchi]

Not to argue. But this was found in Alberta and they find lots of dinosaurs and eggs in Alberta. Also I've looked into concretion and I can't find any evidence as to why it would look this way. It Breaks the Rules of concretion. It doesn't break the rules of an egg. And other than just looking at it and saying it's that. Is anyone capable of scientifically giving me proof that it is what they think it is. I would like a little more than just a half sentence opinion please.

 

Thanks! 

[Tenchi]

The real thing to point out is the thickness of the outer surface and the first inner surface. They both match in thickness all the way around. That is not concretion from what I've looked in to. The inner layer looks very much like you say. But at the same time nature can often take similar shapes. When it works, it works and you can see the exact same thing going on for vastly different reasons. To me it might be unfertilized.... But I would like proof because I don't know. 

[Randyw]

Actually your piece itself shows that it’s a concretion. The outer layer is way too thick to be an eggshell. Even large dinosaur eggs are well…eggshell thin… also the multiple layers are a concretion sign…  definetly a concretion

[Tenchi]

I understand what you are saying. But at the same time shell gets thinner as the baby grows. We find more like what you say because most made it out of the shell. If this was unfertilized it would have a different shell thickness than the others people more commonly find. 

 

Thanks for the opinion

[Fossildude19]

What is the size of this item?  You do not provide pictures with scale or measurements.

[Tenchi]

If you look it it from an unfertilized approach. There are things that match up here and I think taking further consideration on what I'm looking at is worthwhile. This thing is on the small side. It's not more than 2" long

[Kane]

Those details do not fossilize. This is a concretion, as others have stated. Even a quick examination of the "rind" shows that it would be too thick to allow for hatching. The wavy layers would also put paid the diagram you provided.

[Fossildude19]

Then take it to a museum, and have a paleontologist look at it. 

 

 

@CBchiefski

 

I personally am not seeing any  kind of eggshell texture here, only the concentric layers of a concretion.

[Coco]

Hi,

 

I agree with all the interventions above, it is a concretion.

 

And you, are you able to provide scientific proof of what you advance ?

 

We are in a global and scientific forum. Our diagnoses are not given lightly.

 

Coco

[Mahnmut]

Hello and welcome to the forum.

Fossil eggs are relatively rare. So the hypothesis that has to be proven is "its an egg".

No one has to prove to you its no egg.

What do you mean by "it breaks the rules of concretion"?

This specimen is right in the middle of the broad variance of concretions, thick crust, multiple internal layers, irregular shape...

while it does not match the very specific parameters of fossil eggs, fertilized or not. -thin regular shell, specific crystal structure...

By the way, finding eggs that can be IDd as fertilized is the even rarer exception among the rare eggs, so saying yours is different because its unfertilized isnt a convincing argument.

Sorry, its a nice concretion, but I agree its no egg.

Ask more experts if you like, but do not expect to much.

And please let us know what you find out if you do.

Best regards,

J

 

Edited 1 hour ago by Mahnmut
typo, additional info

[Tenchi]

Thanks all for the opinions. The inner layer having such a similar width is what I read means it is not concretion. The picture I took that is circular is from a stereoscope to you are seeing the shell very close up. I have looked at the same shell type under a microscope so I know they are very close to each other. 

 

Also they go into great length on wiki... (Not super smart science I know) but they show you what to look out for if you are looking at an egg or not. As you wouldn't be surprised, they stress far more what is not an egg than what is. Because so many things can be misidentified. 

 

I actually have another thing I found and I will be talking to somebody at my local Museum about it in the next little while. I will definitely be bringing this along and getting their opinion. I just thought it didn't hurt to get more opinions I personally don't have any way of studying it from a more detailed scientific way. I don't have the lab equipment LOL

[Mahnmut]

Great!

Please let us know what you find out in the museum, of course we do not have any way of studying your find in detail either.

If it turns out to be an egg we can all learn something, and if not letting other people know that would be nice also.

Good luck!

J

[Coco]

Here are photos of real fossilized dinosaur eggs and shell pieces, all found and studied by professional paleontologists. You can see that it has nothing to do with your find.

 

https://www.dinosaure.eu/oeufs/

 

Coco

Edited 1 hour ago by Coco

[Fin Lover]

3 minutes ago, Tenchi said:

I personally don't have any way of studying it from a more detailed scientific way. I don't have the lab equipment LOL

Lab equipment is not necessary.  Egg shell texture is very unique, if you read the guide that @Mahnmut linked.  

[Tenchi]

1 minute ago, Coco said:

Here are photos of real fossilized dinosaur eggs and shell pieces, all found and studied by paleontologists. You can see that it has nothing to do with your find.

 

https://www.dinosaure.eu/oeufs/

 

Coco

I don't know if you realize they find only very specific types of shells and they come in either 3 or 4 very specific patterns. Because of the shape of this egg, it would have possibly come from the Raptor family and all more rounder eggs do not share the same look under a microscope. Eggs are a very confusing science and we don't have clear answers on many things other than forms of organization and classification through organization.

[Tenchi]

5 minutes ago, Fin Lover said:

Lab equipment is not necessary.  Egg shell texture is very unique, if you read the guide that @Mahnmut linked.  

Did you mistake someone else with sending a link? I am looking for the one from @Mahnmut but I can't see it in his two comments. I see coco has sent a link but from even simple research I have found that round eggs would not share at all the same appearance as the elongated eggs. You need to be looking at elongated eggs for accurate comparisons.

 

Thanks! 😁

[Coco]

If you want to believe that you have an egg you have the right, but your approach is not very scientific. You ask us to confirm if you have an egg, we tell you no by explaining why and you keep telling us that we are wrong.

 

Now I waste my time answering here, it’s my last word.

 

Coco

[Mahnmut]

 

[Tenchi]

For people who want to say it's only concretion I absolutely agree that's exactly what it looks like. But the more you learn about eggs, the more you learn these things share extremely similar patterns. You can even see in the egg picture I sent that the yolk has concentric circles inside of it. Yes people find unfertilized eggs all around the world but actually really in very sensitive locations known for finding these things. They are finding them more in China right now than anywhere else and to find one in Alberta would be extremely rare and yet Alberta would be one of the top places in the world to find them. I know they are finding them in South America and they have found plenty in the United Kingdom. Location is important and this came from a very probable location to find an egg. Not saying it definitely is an egg, I'm just saying that adds to the balance of finding out what it is.

Edited 39 minutes ago by Tenchi

[Tenchi]

Just now, Mahnmut said:

 

Ohhhh I didn't understand this was a link. Cheers 

[Fossildude19]

Please let us know the results of your visit to the Museum.

[Tenchi]

For people to be upset about me having hypothesis and wanting to work them out feels very strange. I know we live in a very volatile world right now and people can be very rudely opinionated. But I'm not claiming anybody to be absolutely wrong. Everything I am talking about is theory and the only thing I'm asking for is to continue any sort of discussion that could lead to better understanding. I believe this is the heart and nature of science and that it's always a process like this until you get to the true reality of what you're dealing with. I enjoy this ride at least LOL

Edited 1 hour ago by Tenchi