Bauruoolithus is an oogenus of fossilized eggs belonging to an extinct crocodyliform from the Late Cretaceous

Late Cretaceous

The Late Cretaceous is the younger of two epochs into which the Cretaceous period is divided in the geologic timescale. Rock strata from this epoch form the Upper Cretaceous series...

 of Brazil

Brazil

Brazil , officially the Federative Republic of Brazil , is the largest country in South America. It is the world's fifth largest country, both by geographical area and by population with over 192 million people...

. Bauruoolithus eggs were most likely laid by the notosuchia

Notosuchia

Notosuchia is a suborder of primarily Gondwanan mesoeucrocodylian crocodylomorphs that lived during the Cretaceous. Fossils have been found from South America, Africa, and Asia...

n crocodyliform Baurusuchus

Baurusuchus

Baurusuchus is an extinct genus of baurusuchid mesoeucrocodylian from the Late Cretaceous of Brazil. It was a terrestrial predator and scavenger, about 3.5 to 4 meters long. Baurusuchus lived during the Turonian to Santonian stages of the Late Cretaceous Period, in Adamantina Formation, Brazil...

. Eggs of Bauruoolithus were described in 2011 from the Adamantina Formation

Adamantina Formation

The Adamantina Formation is a geological formation in Brazil whose strata date back to the Late Cretaceous. Dinosaur remains are among the fossils that have been recovered from the formation...

. The type

Type species

In biological nomenclature, a type species is both a concept and a practical system which is used in the classification and nomenclature of animals and plants. The value of a "type species" lies in the fact that it makes clear what is meant by a particular genus name. A type species is the species...

 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

Calcareous

Calcareous is an adjective meaning mostly or partly composed of calcium carbonate, in other words, containing lime or being chalky. The term is used in a wide variety of scientific disciplines.-In zoology:...

 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.