Are Mongolian Oviraptor eggshells truly from Mongolia?

[-Andy-]

 

Hi all, I have come across numerous theropod eggshells sold as "Oviraptor from Mongolia" through the years. Mostly, I pay them no heed. As I am aware, whole Oviraptor eggs from Mongolia are in fact Elongatoolithus sp. eggs from Guangdong or other parts of China. True Mongolian eggs are very rare.

 

What about these eggshells though? My guess is that thousands of them come out of China, the same way as the eggs and egg nests. But then again, eggshells are more common, and is it that implausible for some of them to be Mongolian in origin?

 

I label mine as being from China, but I'd like to hear your thoughts on this.

[Troodon]

I see them lately on eBay all of the time.  Mongolia has a rich record of dinosaur eggs with their red matrix so there is nothing to say that those are not from Mongolia.  Would the seller have anything to gain if he called Chinese eggshells Mongolian?  I don't know, doubt it because most buyers are not that sensitive or care if they are Chinese or Mongolian, only specialists.    Now identifying a family like Oviraptorid is a bit of a stretch, looks likes there are a  couple different types of ornimation in those jars. They may be rare from a commercial side but that's it.  Carpenter's book Dino Eggs has a lot on Mongolian eggs.   Now with your shells anything is possible and depends on the source but I would not dismiss that they are from Mongolia.

[-Andy-]

10 minutes ago, Troodon said:

I see them lately on eBay all of the time.  Mongolia has a rich record of dinosaur eggs with their red matrix so there is nothing to say they are not from Mongolia.  Would the seller have anything to gain if he called Chinese eggshells Mongolian?  I don't know, doubt it because most buyers are not that sensitive or care if they are Chinese or Mongolian, only specialists.  They may be rare from a commercial side but that's it.   Now identifying a family like Oviraptorid is a bit of a stretch.  Carpenter's book Dino Eggs has a lot on Mongolian eggs. 

 

 

 

I can only answer for this type of egg we are so familiar with.

 

They came out of China in the hundreds, if not thousands. Professionals compared them to Oviraptor eggs from Mongolia, and dealers just rolled with it. After all, it's better to sell this as an "Oviraptor from Mongolia" than "Indeterminate theropod from China". And we were getting tiny Oviraptor eggs, big Oviraptor eggs, and giant Tarbosaurus eggs. If it had a confirmed ID, it sold better. (Kinda like how dealers love to label Abelisaurid teeth from Kem Kem as 'raptor')

 

These days thankfully, buyers are better informed.

 

I am wondering if this same rule applies to the numerous eggshells we see online.

[Troodon]

I think that all sellers like to put a name on something versus indeterminate just look at the Kem Kem material it makes it more sellable.   Remember, its not about accuracy but about the sale.    Conversely buyers especially a casual collector wants to see a name on what they purchase.    

 

Edit: let me also add that I think this site as raised awareness with a number of Dealers and eBay sellers and you do not see the flagrant abuse of throwing a name at a tooth.