India scientists discover dinosaur nesting site

Former director of geological survey of India Arun Sonakia shows fossilised eggs to the media in Kukshi Bagh area, southwest from Bhopal, February 5, 2007.

KUKSHI BAGH, India Feb 8 (Reuters Life!) - Call it a dinosaur nursery in the making. Indian explorers have discovered what they say is a major nesting site for dinosaurs on a riverbed in the country's central region, complete with more than 100 fossilized eggs.

The eggs are believed to be from the prehistoric "Cretaceous" era, which was about 144 to 65 million years ago. They were discovered from the Kukshi Bagh area of Madhya Pradesh state, about 320 km (200 miles) southwest of the state capital, Bhopal.

"In barely 18 hours of exploration, more than 100 dinosaur eggs have been discovered by us," explorer Rajesh Chauhan said.

Most of the eggs are spherical and measure about 16 centimeters (5.5 inches) across. The team said the dinosaurs that had laid them could have possibly been between 40 and 90 feet long.

The find appears to be one of the largest in India. More than 2,000 dinosaur eggs have been found over the years on the Indian subcontinent, along with nesting sites and bones.

News of the find has already started attracting visitors to the remote area.

"We read in the newspaper that dinosaur eggs and nests have been found here. Curiosity gained the better of us and we wanted to see what we have till now only seen in comics, magazines and movies," said Suresh, one of the visitors to the area.

The scientists said the discovery would help better the understanding about the role dinosaurs played in the region.