''Bauruoolithus'' is an oogenus of fossilized eggs belonging to an extinct crocodyliform from the Late Cretaceous ( late Campanian- early Maastrichtian) of Brazil. ''Bauruoolithus'' eggs were most likely laid by the notosuchian crocodyliform '' Baurusuchus''. Eggs of ''Bauruoolithus'' were described in 2011 from the Adamantina Formation. The

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oospecies is ''B. fragilis''.

Description

''Bauroolithus'' eggs are elongated, with a width measuring about half that of its height. The ends of the egg are blunt. At 0.15 to 0.25 millimeters in thickness, the shell is thin and somewhat wavy. The eggshell is divided into wedge-shaped shell units, which are pieces of calcareous aggregate. The surface of the shell is covered in small tear-shaped pores.

Paleobiology

''Bauroolithus'' eggs belong to the crocodyloid basic egg type. Overall, their morphology is similar to that of the eggs of living crocodylians. The eggs of living crocodylians undergo degradation over their incubation period so that hatchlings can easily break through the shells. Some fossils of ''Bauroolithus'' in Brazil are most likely from eggs that already hatched, but none show any signs of extensive degradation. This suggests that hatchlings broke through egg shells that were so thin that degradation was not necessary.

References

Egg fossils Reptile trace fossils Campanian life Maastrichtian life Late Cretaceous crocodylomorphs of South America Cretaceous Brazil Fossils of Brazil Adamantina Formation Fossil parataxa described in 2011 {{eggshell-stub