Looters Destroy Dinosaur Nest Sites

Earlier this week I wrote about a spectacular discovery made in Tamil Nadu, India: dozens of dinosaur eggs preserved in what may have been an ancient nesting ground. Word quickly spread about the discovery, but now it looks like scientists may never get to fully study the site. Since the time the discovery hit the news, local villagers and even students have been pillaging the site for dinosaur eggs, many of which will no doubt wind up in the hands of private buyers through the black market.

​According to Mu Ramkumar, one of the geologists who stumbled onto the site last week, people had been taking dinosaur eggs and other fossils out of the area for some time. It was not until last week, though, that the extent of the fossil deposits was known, and now people are digging there full-time. Local scientists are calling on the government to protect the site, but who knows how much damage will be done by time action is taken?

Riley Black | | READ MORE

Riley Black is the author of The Last Days of the Dinosaurs and many other books. She is a science correspondent for Smithsonian magazine covering fossils and natural history, and she writes about the prehistoric past for a variety of publications.