The newly discovered sauropod brood is one of the rarest discoveries in India.
New research published in the journal Plos One on January 18 said at least 92 nests containing 256 fossil dinosaur eggs dating back to about 66 million years ago have been unearthed in the Lameta Formation in Dhar district, state. Madhya Pradesh, central India, makes it one of the largest dinosaur hatcheries in the world.
One of the newly discovered fossil dinosaur egg nests in India. (Photo: Harsha Dhiman).
The eggs, which are 15 to 17 centimeters in diameter, are believed to have belonged to some species of giant herbivorous dinosaurs. The number of eggs in each nest ranged from 1 to 20, many of which were found close together, suggesting that the parent dinosaur did not stay to take care of the eggs.
“We think that sauropods like Titanosaur lived in groups based on footprints and fossil trails. They seem to nest together like some birds. However, egg-laying is thick. Specialization is not usually a strategy regarding the care of the parent dinosaur,” said Dr Susannah Maidment from the Natural History Museum (NHM), a co-author of the study.
Simulate a herd of Titanosaur dinosaurs nesting eggs. (Photo: Ars Technica)
Lead author Guntupalli Prasad, a paleontologist in the Department of Geology at Delhi University, further explained that the nests were located so close together that the giant parent dinosaurs were difficult to move to hatch eggs or give birth to their young. eat, because they easily break the eggs and trample on the young.
Dr Darla Zelenitsky, Associate Professor of Dinosaur Paleontology at the University of Calgary in Canada, stressed that finding such a large number of dinosaur egg nests is very rare, as it requires storage conditions. perfect. The Lameta Formation’s hamlet was most likely buried by lava during a volcanic eruption known as the “Deccan trap”.
Sources:hobbiesall.com
