Anyone ever seen one of these before?

[AlbertaWanderer]

I think it's a ceritops. The egg looks a bit squished. And the skin has a blue hue in places. I can see skin. Bone. The face, and eye socket. The right shoulder socket. Limbs. A placenta type skin covering separating the body from other parts of the egg. It's rubbery, or waxy feeling to the touch.  The shell is fragile, but it was leathery what I found it. Somebody say to me. " oh my God, your rite. That's a ceritops fetus. In the egg. " . I bet there is DNA in this thing hey ,)

[Raggedy Man]

Did you find this, if so where? It looks a lot like specimens that are preserved in formaldehyde.

[AlbertaWanderer]

I found it on the shore of the north Saskatchewan river. In Edmonton Alberta Cananda. Last Friday the 4th. It looks mummified. But almost preserved like it would be if it was preserved in formaldehyde, I can see the resemblance. Do you see the blue skin pigment second pic is the bottom of the egg. 

[jpc]

I agree... It has a certain modern, soft tissue look to it.  Certainly not a ceratopsian.  And yes, it probably has DNA in it. 

[AlbertaWanderer]

It's a BIG EGG. 14" and it's not all there. Could it be a longneck ?, looking at it again here   I wish I could add a video but it does look like the end of the tail is all the way around to the head.. I'll add more pics try to get an all around for you all. 

 

[fifbrindacier]

Sure, you have something in this, but if you don't have find it in a frozen ground, you won't have a lot of DNA in it (none if it had been a fossilized fetus of dinosaur), because it is a protein and so very fragile. Another thing is that the placenta is an organ and so it is slack and very rarely preserved, but if it is a fossilized one you won't find a lot of DNA in it as well.

Non the less, if you have a placenta it is a mammal, because only the placental mammals have a placenta. As say @jpc i do not think you have a ceratopsian here.

This say, could you point us the elements (face, eyes sockets, right shoulder socket, tail, placenta) that make you see a ceratops and also an egg ? Could you try a bit of vinegar on the outside of the "shell" and see if it fizzes ?

It could be a worn nodule with something more modern else inside.

[Ludwigia]

Can you get the "eggshell" material analysed? I'd take this straight to the Royal Alberta Museum to get an opinion. They have a large Life Sciences department and also  specialize in Quarternary Palaeontology.

[AlbertaWanderer]

Ok. I went back to the river on Saturday. And I found more eggshell. The first pic is a piece of the shell beside a regular egg shell. Look at the breakage pattern. very similar. I'll try to get a close-up. The second pic is more of the eggshell that I found with it. The black pieces look a little different, like skin. And they were rubbery in texture. I planned in taking it to the university today. But the Royal Alberta Museam may indeed be a good option as well. They are moving though. So they may not be open until the move is done.  I again wish i could upload more pics at a time or a video. Make it a bit easier to see. 

[LordTrilobite]

Well that certainly is interesting. It does indeed look kinda mummified. But is it fossilised? You say it feels leathery. But does it give? Or is the surface hard. For it to be any dinosaur it needs to be fossilised. And if it's a fossil the blue colouration would only be due to preservation. It wouldn't be any original colour.

[AlbertaWanderer]

It does not give. The head skin was soft. I could bend it slightly by putting a small amount of pressure on it. Did that again yesterday and the tip broke off. Other pieces seem to be the same.,a bit bendy even the egg was a bit soft while it was wet. It was hurried in sand and river muck with just the top partially exposed. Totally filled up with sand and tar / crude smelling dirt and squishy stuff that was puke green / yellow. I saved what I took from the inside in case this becomes important in the future. It is fossilized, Mineralised, or mummified. because it's hard but the eggshell is still eggshell.  

[Plax]

It looks like some congealed partially hardened paint or some kind of mastic or filler. The can would have rusted away or the contents may have solidified laying in a depression on the ground. Any flexibility would indicate something modern. Please keep in mind that we are all guessing and none of the answers are given with any authority. Interesting object!

[AlbertaWanderer]

Ok. I went back to the river on Saturday. And I found more eggshell. The first pic is a piece of the shell beside a regular egg shell. Look at the breakage pattern. very similar. I'll try to get a close-up. The second pic is more of the eggshell that I found with it. The black pieces look a little different, like skin. And they were rubbery in texture. I planned in taking it to the university today. But the Royal Alberta Museam may indeed be a good option as well. They are moving though. So they may not be open until the move is done.  I again wish i could upload more pics at a time or a video. Make it a bit easier to see. 

[RJB]

Maybe its just me, but there seems to be something not right here?

 

RB

[ynot]

I agree that the "egg shells" look like paint chips from inside a bucket. I suspect that the "egg and embryo" are from the same mass of paint from inside a bucket.

The fact that it is pliable (bends) indicates it is not a fossil. 

The only other possibility would be an aborted fetus that was preserved in permafrost, but it would smell like rotten meat and would have decomposed rapidly when exposed.

 

Tony

[Fossildude19]

I'm in the non fossil, non egg camp.  

A good case could be made for hardened paint.

Regards, 

[AlbertaWanderer]

  Sorry people's. Not paint ,) 

I use to paint professionally. I can see the resemblance.. But yea. Nope. And yea. I do think something is weird about this. That is what I am on here posting pics and talking. I love all the feedback. Its been informative to say the least.  Made me question some things. Like for example.,I no longer think that it's a ceritops. Looking closer it may be a long neck. Or not of those ones that is like a long neck but smaller and bipedal. More pics ? Ok ,) 

[AlbertaWanderer]

[AlbertaWanderer]

[Raggedy Man]

I think you should take it to a university or museum for a proper examination. 

[AlbertaWanderer]

I've been working on that for 4 days. But other than messages I have received no reply. Today I am planning to just take it possibly to the u of a campus or the Royal Alberta Museum . That's my Thursday. 

[tmaier]

I'll just add a side bar note here:

A "construction midden" is when the workmen dump all the contents of their buckets and mixers into a hole, after the work is done. Then you find paint, tar, mortar, spackle, wallpaper glue, and other stuff all dumped together. It makes an interesting abstract art sculpture and lasts for many decades.

There are other middens for brick, block, and for wood. Modern code laws often forbid this now.

I don't know if that is what this is, but I'm just saying these are a common construction practice, and sounds like what people are describing.

[AlbertaWanderer]

Guy who asked if the shell fizzes in vinegar.. yes. It does. Not as quickly or voluptuous Like as regular eggshell until I ground it up.  it is fizzing more than the chicken eggshell ,) this image.. below. Left regular eggshell from chicken. Middle crushed " supposed " dinosaur shell. Right unground dinosaur egg.

Paint.. doesn't fizz btw. People's; stop suggesting that it's paint or spackle mud or discarded man made material. It is most clearly not

[doushantuo]

It resembles those fossils from Yakutia,the ones which were defrosted out of the permafrost.

Might indeed be mummified.

Ok,far out call: very young mammuth juvenile?

Mammal,in any case?

[AlbertaWanderer]

I took some of the black (I assumed) skin. And ground it up as well and put it in vinegar. Very different reaction from the eggshell. Not fizzing nearly as intense like. I still believe that this is indeed skin. The specimens shell and the "skin" are reacting but the individual pieces are heavy. So they raise to the surface with the gasses and drop  back down when the bubbles hit the surface. Not like the. Chicken eggshell that is more permeable and softer so it weighs less and is held aloft by the gasses quickly escaping from the shell. I expect it Wil break down much quicker than the other samples. When you tap the table The more intact samples of the dino eggshell release gasses trapped under the pieces. 

[AlbertaWanderer]

fossils from Yakutia... just looked that up. There is a pic of a horse head ? It looks similar in preservation. Mummified almost. The wrinkles.. . From losing moisture over a long time, then hardened because decay was stalled / stopped  with No oxygen or bacterial growth.