A new study revealed that over 250 fossilised eggs from Titanosaurs, which lived in India, provide valuable information about the animals’ lives. The Lametta Formation in Central India’s Narmada Valley contains 92 nesting sites for these massive animals.
The researchers were able to identify six egg species from Titanosaurs that lived during the Late Cretaceous period. This suggests that the region’s Titanosaurs had a wider variety of species than previously believed. The study is published in Plos One journal.
According to Harsha Dhriman, the study’s lead author, the presence of a large hatchery for Titanosaurs in the study area provides valuable information about the animals’ reproductive strategies and nest preservation.
The nesting sites of Titanosaurs were designed to have shallow pits. The characteristics of the eggs, such as the unusual case of an egg-in-egg, suggest that these animals had a reproductive system similar to that of modern birds. Also, the proximity of the nests to one another prevented the adults from raising the hatchlings.
The study’s co-author, Guntupalli V R. Prasad, noted that the nesting sites of Titanosaurs are regarded as some of the largest hatcheries in the world. The data they provide about the life of these massive animals, which lived during the Late Cretaceous period, will help scientists understand the evolution of their species.