In a monumental discovery, paleontologists in northern Spain unearthed a 2-ton nest containing 30 intact Titanosaur eggs, marking a significant breakthrough in dinosaur paleontology.

The fossil gathering project, led by the Aragosaurus-IUCA Group of the University of Zaragoza and the Portuguese NOVA University Lisbon, involved a team of 25 paleontologists and students from Spanish, Portuguese, and German institutions.

The extraction work, completed in September 2021, focused on a large nest conglomerated into a mass of rock weighing over two tons. The nest contained at least 12 spherical eggs, each measuring about 15 centimeters (approx. 6 inches) across.

These eggs, in an optimal state for conservation, were grouped in a way that suggests the possibility of several nests. Preliminary analysis indicates that the eggs probably belonged to a titanosaur sauropod dinosaur, a quadruped herbivore that lived approximately 66 million years ago during the Cretaceous period.

The extraction process was an extensive effort, involving the protection of the rock block with cellulose and plaster and reinforcing it with a metal structure in 2020 for later removal.

In September 2021, a team of five people dedicated eight hours a day for 50 days to excavate the nest, which was finally removed with the assistance of a bulldozer. In addition to the large nest, 10 smaller pieces were extracted in 2021.

After removal from the excavation site, the fossils were transported to a temporary warehouse in the Loarre municipality. These fossils will remain there until the construction of a Laboratory-Museum in the nearby city of Huesca is completed in the spring of 2022.

The museum, featuring two exhibition rooms, will showcase the methodology behind the paleontological campaign. Visitors will have the opportunity to witness live researchers working on actual specimens from the Loarre site, as well as replica dinosaur eggs from other parts of the world.

Miguel Moreno-Azanz, the director of the excavation from NOVA University Lisbon, mentioned that the museum is expected to open its doors to visitors in the spring of 2022, allowing them to follow the process of preparing and studying the fossils from the site.

The museum, donated by the Loarre city council and financed by local municipalities and governments, will also serve as a satellite exhibit for the Museum of Natural Sciences of the University of Zaragoza.