In the Dhar area of the Narmada Valley in Madhya Pradesh, 256 fossilised eggs and 92 nests of the herbivorous Titanosaurs were discovered. The most recent discoveries also show that central and western India have tremendous potential for dinosaur fossils. It also provides crucial details on the diversity of the dinosaur species, nesting behaviour, etc. Read more to find out what palaeontologists found in Madhya Pradesh!
Palaeontologists Discover Dinosaur Eggs In Madhya Pradesh
The Narmada Valley was a hotspot for dinosaur breeding millions of years ago, according to the most recent discovery. A group of scientists from the Indian Institute of Science Education and Research (IISER) and Delhi University (DU) carried out the study. It provides raw data about the surroundings as well as the lives of titanosaurs in the Indian subcontinent.
The titanosaurs, among the largest dinosaurs to ever walk the earth, have 92 nesting sites in the Lameta Formation in the Narmada Valley, and a total of 256 fossil eggs. The researchers faced numerous obstacles, including angry villagers in Akhada who barred the team from finishing their fieldwork.
What Does The Discovery In Madhya Pradesh Tell Us?
From the five locations, Akhada, Dholiya Raipuriya, Jhabua, Jamniapura, and Padlya, a total of 92 nests of eggs were found. The scientists discovered six different egg species or oospecies. It shows a greater diversity of titanosaurs in the area than the previous assumptions on the skeleton remains found here. The Upper Cretaceous Lametta Formation, which covers 5,000 km in West and Central India, contains dinosaur remains.
As part of her PhD dissertation, University of Delhi scholar Harsha Dhiman conducted research. An unusual instance of “egg-in-egg” development suggests that titanosaurs have a reproductive system similar to birds. Additionally, they may lay their eggs as modern birds do. The scientists theorise that the region may have once been home to a river channel based on additional research done on the rocks and some eggs, that appeared to have become buried too deeply to ever hatch.
According to reports, the nests in the Narmada Valley were near to one another and had eggs with a diameter of between 15 cm and 17 cm. The report claims that no bones had been found and that additional research would require a CT scan.
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