A team of researchers from the University of Delhi has discovered a unique set of fossilised dinosaur eggs, with one egg nesting within the other.
- The findings, published in the journal Scientific Reports, talk about the “egg-in-egg” phenomenon in a titanosaurid dinosaur egg found at Bagh in Madhya Pradesh’s Dhar district .
Key findings
- Eggs-within-eggs are a rare phenomenon, they are so far known to occur only in birds and never known in reptiles.
- Fossils of Dinosaurs have been found in Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh and Meghalaya.
- The Upper Cretaceous Lameta Formation of Central India is long known for its dinosaur fossils (both skeletal and egg remains).
- The latest findings, documented 52 titanosaurid sauropod nests near Padlya village close to Bagh town in Madhya Pradesh.
- One of these nests had 10 eggs, one of which was the “abnormal” egg.
- The egg has two continuous and circular eggshell layers separated by a wide gap like that observed in birds.
- Until this discovery, no egg-in-egg fossil egg was found in dinosaurs and other reptiles such as turtles, lizards and crocodiles.
Differences between reptile and bird eggs
- Crocodiles ovulate and release all the eggs simultaneously like turtles and other reptiles.
- In birds, ovulation is sequenced and eggs are laid one at a time.
(Source: The Hindu)
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