In a remarkable feat, three amateur explorers have stumbled upon more than 100 fossilised eggs of dinosaurs in Madhya Pradesh. The eggs, belonging to the Cretaceous Era (approximately 144 to 65 million years ago), have been discovered in Kukshi-Bagh area of Dhar district, some 150 kms south-west of Indore.I find the idea of dinosaurs interesting from an ecological point of view. Think of the ecosystem thatwould be required to support animals that were 90 feet long and traveling in herds. Unless the population was very sparse, it would imply a growing season to be measured in days, weeks at the outside: warmer than today, but also more moisture. Otherwise, a herd of 90 footers grazing continuously would make a plague of locusts look benign.
The rare find is a significant step in the study of the pre-historic life in Narmada Valley. "All the eggs were discovered from a single nesting site in a start to end exploration for 18 hours at the site in Kukshi-Bagh area, 40 kms from Manavar. As many as 6-8 eggs were found per nests," an excited Vishal Verma of the Mangal Panchayatan Parishad, a group of amateur explorers, told Hindustan Times from near the site. "The eggs are from upper cretaceous era when the dinosaurs were yet to be extinct. These eggs can be categorised in three types of soropaud dinosaurs, which were herbivorous. These animals used to come from far away areas to lay eggs on the sandy banks of the rivers in this area, identified scientifically as Lameta bed," Verma said. The dinosaurs were 40-90 feet in length, he added.
Along with the fossilised eggs, the team - comprising two other members Rajesh Chouhan and Govind Verma - also discovered footprints of the dinosaurs through which they could also trace the 'track way' of the heavy animals now extinct.