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Discovery of 100 million-year-old bones of sauropods in Meghalaya

  • Posted By
    10Pointer
  • Categories
    Science & Technology
  • Published
    5th May, 2021

Researchers have identified fossil bone fragments of long-necked dinosaurs called sauropods from an area around West Khasi Hills District in Meghalaya.which dates back to about 100-million-years.

Context

Researchers have identified fossil bone fragments of long-necked dinosaurs called sauropods from an area around West Khasi Hills District in Meghalaya.which dates back to about 100-million-years.

Key findings

  • The findings are made by the Geological Survey of India's Palaeontology division in North-East.
  • This is the first record of sauropods of probable Titanosaurian origin discovery in the region.
    • Titanosaurs were a diverse group of sauropod dinosaurs, which includes genera from Africa, Asia, South America, North America, Europe, Australia and Antarctica.
    • The fossils are presumably of Late Cretaceous that is about 100 million years ago.
    • In India, the Late Cretaceous sauropod dinosaur generally belongs to the titanosaurian clade.
  • Discovered parts: The partially preserved limb bone of 55 centimetres (cm) long, an incomplete limb bone measuring 45cm in length and an incomplete chevron of caudal vertebrae and also cervical vertebrae.

Sauropods:

  • Titanosaurian sauropod dinosaurs were the most diverse and abundant large-bodied terrestrial herbivores in the Southern Hemisphere landmasses during the Cretaceous Period.
  • They were not endemic to the Gondwana landmasses.
  • They are notable for enormous sizes attained by some of the species, and the group includes the largest animals to have ever lived on land.
  • They had very long necks, long tails, small heads with respect to the rest of their body, and four thick, pillar-like legs.

Other States in India with similar findings

  • The finding makes Meghalaya the fifth state in India and the only state in Nort-East:
    • Gujarat
    • Madhya Pradesh
    • Maharashtra
    • Tamil Nadu
  • Region: The discovery in India has extensively been taken place in Gondwana.
    • Gondwana is the southern half of the Pangaean supercontinent which existed some 300 million years ago.
    • It is composed of the major continental blocks of the South America, Africa, Arabia, Madagascar, Sri Lanka, India, Antarctica, and Australia.

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