====== Dinosaur eggshell structure ======

Many of the fossilised dinosaur eggs which have been found have significant surface detail - sometimes called 'decoration'.

The surface texture has been classified into six different types (see [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dinosaur_egg#Ornamentation|Wikipedia]]), which can, in some cases, be used to distinguish the species.

The purpose of the 'decoration' isn't known - and coming to a conclusion is made more difficult by the fact that nearly all eggs seen today (birds, reptiles etc) are smooth-shelled.

One proposal is that the ridges etc. helped to regulate gas exchange (especially CO<sub>2</sub>) with the atmosphere, but this has not yet been generally accepted.

Further detail (with photos) [[https://ucmp.berkeley.edu/science/eggshell/eggshell2.php|Berkeley University]]