A fossilised dinosaur egg, which lay unnoticed on the premises of a private mine at Periyakuruchi village in Ariyalur district, was unearthed and was handed over to the District Collector.
A cannon ball like object, measuring approximately 11 cm in radius and 11 cm in height and weighing 12.50 kilograms, was noticed by R Sankar, secretary of India Makkal Mandram, a service organisation, who secured it and handed it over to Ariyalur District Collector E Saravanavelraj along with his team members on Wednesday.
Speaking to Express Sankar said when he was on a tour a few days back, he heard about a round object lying in the lime stone mines belonging to Ramco cement factory at Periyakurichi village.
“At first sight I came to the conclusion that the object was a dinosaur egg,” he said.
Geologists in Tamil Nadu have found many fossilised dinosaur eggs under a stream in a village in the district, he said. All of them are kept at various places across the State. “So we appealed the Collector to establish a museum exclusively for fossils in Ariyalur,” he said. He also handed over the fossilised jaw of a whale to the Collector.
When contacted, E Saravanavelraj, who himself is a Geology graduate, said, “Members of India Makkal Mandram handed over the object which is probably a dinosaur egg. It will be sent for geological test.”
After identifying a proper location a separate museum will be established in Ariyalur, he added.