In a recent discovery, a team of researchers from Delhi University discovered 10 dinosaur eggs in the Dhar district of Madhya Pradesh.
Among the 10 found eggs, was one unique egg which indicates that the species which existed in India used to reproduce like birds. The eggs were discovered in Dinosaur Fossil National Park of the district and are said to belong to a species of titanosaurs, a group of sauropod dinosaurs. The eggs were found to be one within one another, a condition that is known as ovum-in-ovo or multi-shelled eggs.
The discovery has been mentioned in the journal Scientific Reports. Researchers in the paper said, “The discovery of ovum-in-ovo egg from a Titanosaurus dinosaur nest suggests that their oviduct morphology was similar to that of birds, opening up the possibility for sequential laying of eggs in this group of sauropod dinosaurs.”
52 nests of titanosaur sauropods near the national park were also discovered during the time. The findings highlight that central and western India holds great potential for dinosaur fossils which may offer important information on dinosaur species’ diversity, nesting behavior, etc. “The finding of an ovum-in-ovo egg from a titanosaurid nest opens up the possibility that sauropod dinosaurs had an oviduct morphology similar to those of crocodiles or birds and they may have adapted to a mode of the egg-laying characteristic of birds,” said DU researcher Dr. Harsha Dhiman, lead author of the paper.
Ms Kalinga