Early Cretaceous fossil eggshells from Gifu Prefecture, the oldest ever found in Japan, reveal a new egg species from an unknown small theropod dinosaur.

Tsukuba, Japan—Giant skeletons aren't the only evidence that dinosaurs left behind. Tiny eggshell fragments can reveal aspects of Mesozoic ecosystems that fossilized bones and teeth fail to capture, especially because the skeletons of smaller animals were less likely to be preserved. Early Cretaceous fragments have been found—the oldest eggshell fossils ever found in Japan—and provide an important window into this dinosaur ecosystem.