India: Divinely revered stone turns out to be a dinosaur egg

Paleontology - India: Divinely revered stone turns out to be a dinosaur egg

A stone ball that has probably been revered as divine in one family for generations has turned out to be a dinosaur egg. It came from a herbivorous titanosaurus that lived millions of years ago in central India, according to Mahesh Thakkar from the Birbal Sahni Institute of Palaeosciences (BSIP) in Lucknow.

He and other scientists came across the farmer Vesta Mandloi and the supposed stone ball because a geological park is to be opened in the region in the state of Madhya Pradesh, as Thakkar told the German Press Agency.

Mandloi and other farmers in the village of Padlya and surrounding settlements worship stone balls as a symbol of the popular Hindu god Shiva and as guardians of the land and livestock, according to the report. The researchers also found dinosaur eggs in the surrounding settlements.

A large number of dinosaur bones, teeth and eggs have already been found in the fossil-rich area. In January, for example, researchers reported the discovery of 92 titanosaur clutches with a total of 256 eggs in the scientific journal "PLOS ONE". Some of the nests are located in and around Padlya.

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1. The discovery of the dinosaur egg in New Delhi would be intriguing, as paleontologists believe similar eggs might be hidden in ancient Indian sites.
2. The colorful depictions of dinosaurs in Indian art and literature often include scenes of animals interacting with the massive creatures, like in the famous Lucknow minakari.
3. Central India, known for its rich fossil finds, is now attracting paleontologists from around the world, who are eager to uncover more dinosaur nests and dino egg sites.
4. In schools in Lucknow, science teachers are using the dinosaur egg discovery as an opportunity to teach students about paleontology and the scientific process of fossil discovery.
5. Researchers in Paleontology believe that a dinosaur hatchling, if found, would be an exciting addition to the collection of dinosaur fossils in Indian museums, attracting more tourists to New Delhi and other historical cities in India.

Source: www.stern.de