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Dinosaur eggs found in Tamil Nadu, say geologists
The discovery of hundreds of fossilised dinosaur eggs in Tamil Nadu at a nesting site by a Periyar University team triggered excitement on Thursday among Indian geologists who called it an "exciting find".
The discovery of hundreds of fossilised dinosaur eggs in Tamil Nadu at a nesting site by a Periyar University team triggered excitement on Thursday among Indian geologists who called it an "exciting find".
The find -- probably the first in South India -- underneath a stream in the Cauvery river basin region in a tiny village in Ariyalur district near Tiruchirapalli has taken geologists by surprise since the vicinity of Jabalpur in MP is generally considered the richest dinosaur field in the country.
The samples of the fossilised eggs which may be 65 million years old and found from what is believed to be the country's laragest dinosaur nesting site have been sent to Germany for further research and further verification.
"We went to Ariyalur district based on the information we had. Upon investigation we found these dinosaur eggs in holes. Soon we found them in clusters and realised that these might have been nests," Ramkumar, head of the Geology Department, Periyar University, told reporters . Research scholars, archaeologists and geologists of the Salem-based University were involved in the hunt for India's largest Jurassic nest.
Each egg was about 13 to 20 cm in diameter and they were lying in sandy nests which were of the size of 1.25 metres, Ramkumar said, adding, the spherical eggs in clusters of seven to eight were strewn all over a 2 sq km area.
"It is an exciting find and opens up several exciting possibilities," said Prof. A D Ahluwalia of Punjab University, Chandigarh. He did not doubt the genuiness of the find since it was traced by geologists from the area. He however said it is for the scientists to confirm they were dinosaur eggs.
The researchers have requested the Ariyalur district administration to cordon off the site since a similar discovery in Jabalpur led to a plunder of the fossilized treasure.
