Sauropod Nest

[andrewsaurus rex]

Science can be so fun..with each set of questions you answer it asks a new set to solve..

Boy you said it.......sometimes I find it more frustrating than fun.     I wouldn't mind so much if at the end I could at least find out what the real answer is...this endless wondering is driving me craaazy....lol

Thanks for that link.  I have a couple of others I've saved that i'm going to read as well before I blun...er begin.

Where titanosaurs are concerned at least, there is pretty solid evidence of them scratch digging their nests with one of the hind feet.  Can't speak to the behaviour of all sauropods but it seems at least titanosaurs used a hole in the ground, rather than just trampled vegetation

[amargasaurus cazaui]

Science can be so fun..with each set of questions you answer it asks a new set to solve..

Boy you said it.......sometimes I find it more frustrating than fun.     I wouldn't mind so much if at the end I could at least find out what the real answer is...this endless wondering is driving me craaazy....lol

Thanks for that link.  I have a couple of others I've saved that i'm going to read as well before I blun...er begin.

Where titanosaurs are concerned at least, there is pretty solid evidence of them scratch digging their nests with one of the hind feet.  Can't speak to the behaviour of all sauropods but it seems at least titanosaurs used a hole in the ground, rather than just trampled vegetation

why not both?  Why would it have to be either/or?

[andrewsaurus rex]

After analyzing 7 different methods in which a female titanosaur could lay her eggs, with the help of my model (mattel brachiosaurus), I've come to a conclusion.

First off, the titanosaur eggs were hard-shelled and thus could be subject to breakage more easily than soft-shelled eggs.  Somehow, the female had to deposit large numbers of eggs (up to 25 or even 40 in some nests) in a nest that was between 6 and 7 feet long and roughly wedge shaped, front to back...about 3 feet wide at its widest point.  The eggs were usually distributed fairly evenly along the entire length of the nest.

The 7 ways she could lay her eggs are:

1 Sitting......assuming she could sit and get back up again the problem is the tail...it would have to be impossibly flexible right at the base in order for the female sauropod to sit down at a steep enough angle to bring her cloaca very close to the ground.  Also, the  eggs in the nest are laid in a row.  If sitting there is no way that such fine positional adjustments could be made in order to lay the eggs in a row.  And the eggs would not just conveniently roll in the soft soil and fill the nest, they would tend to cluster and spill out the sides first.

2 Lying on her stomach, knees and elbows.......again assuming she could get down to this position and back up the problem is her abdomen would be covering the  nest, probably crushing the eggs in the process.  If she positioned herself so her cloaca was right at the front of the nest, she would have to raise the very base of the tail off the ground, which is doubtful.......regardless of this, the same problem as above, the lack of distribution of the eggs in the nest would still occur.

3 Kneeling.......this is a variation of the sitting option, with the tail still being in the way and the same problem of egg distribution along the length of the nest.

4 Squatting......while this may well have been possible, a large titanosaur probably could not squat far enough to decrease the risk of breakage   Eggs would have to drop at least 4 plus feet....and there is still the same distribution problem as above, although the female would be more mobile in this position and could vary the location where eggs were deposited, assuming she was somehow capable of judging such fine movements.

5 Laying Eggs on thick Vegetation in order to cushion their fall......while this MAY cushion the fall enough that the eggs don't break, the eggs would still tend to land on top of one another probably causing breakage,...and using foliage does nothing to help the egg distribution problem,

6 Eggs very tough and didn't break despite drop.......no precedent i am aware of for eggs that are like this.  Two ways this could be accomplished.  Either the shells were thick enough to take the force of impact, but then  the hatchlings would not be able to get out of egg.  Or the eggs could initially be rubbery then harden later..... i am not aware of any precedent for eggs with these properties nor have I  ever seen it theorized by anyone.

7 Squatting + Ovipositor......while virtually no precedent (some turtles have ovipositors) this seems the best solution.  Even with squatting the ovipositor would need to be several feet long.  It is probable that the ovipositor would be able to move a bit allowing the female to position the eggs in a row in the nest.  Note: after playing around with mating poses for titanosurs i have concluded that angled doggy style is the best option, with the rearing male resting his front legs across the standing female's back.  This pose would require a penis of around 6 feet or so....not unreasonable.  In fact i would theorize that the organ that became the penis in males would become the ovipositor in females........both being about the same length.

So, it is my conclusion that female titanosaurs would, when laying their eggs squat and then use an ovipositor of roughly 5 to 6 feet length to deposit eggs in the nest, moving the ovipositor in a linear motion as she did so to evenly distribute the eggs along the length of the nest.  It may seem bizarre and there is virtually no precedent in nature (other than insects) but titanosaurs themselves were bizarre (to us) and would have needed to evolve unique solutions to solve their unique problems.