Dinosaur eggs found in India; Exciting find, say geologists

Salem(TN)/Chandigarh, Oct 1 (PTI) The discovery of
hundreds of fossilised dinosaur eggs in India's southern state
of Tamil Nadu at a nesting site by a Periyar University team
triggered excitement Thursday among 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 largest 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. (MORE) PTI