When dinos roamed the earth
SANA SYED
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Be sure to visit the Dino zones in Hyderabad.
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The world as we see today has not always been like this. It requires us to know the theory of evolution and a great deal of imagination to visualise the life and time that existed million of years ago. Among the innumerable life forms that inhabited the earth during the period was, the Dinosaur.
In Tamil Nadu
Dinosaurs were an extremely varied group with more than 500 distinct varieties and over 1000 different species inhabiting the continents for almost 160 million years. While opinions vary on what erased the entire population, the fossil remains of these magnanimous creatures are vital for studying the different aspects of their existence and extinction. Recently, during an excavation at Ariyalur district in Tamil Nadu, dinosaur eggs were found that once again stirred a host of intriguing assumptions relating to them.
Interestingly, the Nehru Zoological Park has erected an exclusive dinosaur park. It has three life size fibre models of the Brontosaurus, Titanosaurus and Triceratops. And what if you could see the original skeleton of these mammoth creatures? A visit to the B.M. Birla Science Centre, Hyderabad would definitely satiate your curiosity. The dinosaur skeleton found in the museum has been erected through 70 per cent of the original fossil found in 1974 at Adilabad. It took 10 years of excavation to complete the structure and measures 47 feet in length and 14 feet in height.
Apart from the skeleton, the museum also has a fossil specimens like dinosaur egg nest, fossil tree-trunk and giant ammonite and oil colour paintings tracing their life from evolution to extinction.
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Meet Dr. Yadagiri (Senior Geologist (Retd.), Geological Survey of India, B.M. Birla Science Centre, Hyderabad) who would tell you how significant is this specific skeleton in tracing the evolution cycle of dinosaurs.
“Earlier, the origin of Sauropod dinosaurs was conjectural, because there was no fossil evidence from Lower Jurassic horizon (200 million years old) sediments. This skeleton is described as that of new species Kotasaurus, a missing link in the evolution of Sauropod dinosaurs from Prosauropod dinosaurs”, says he.
· Only two original skeletons of Dinosaurs are found in India, the other one is placed at Science City, Kolkata
· The skeleton found at B.M. Birla Science Centre is 260 million years old
· Dinosaurs are herbivorous and carnivorous while others were bipedal or quadrupedal.
· Dinosaur eggs found in Tamil Nadu are 65 million years old.
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