More than a dozen fossilised
dinosaur eggs have been discovered at a construction site in the eastern province of Zhejiang
According to local newspaper
Zhezhong News, the giant eggs were uncovered when a construction crew was
digging around in the city of Yiwu
The eggs were sent to the
Zhejiang Museum of Natural History on Friday where geologist Du Tianming said
they dated from the Cretaceous period, between 145.5 million to 66 million
years ago.
“We have found 15 intact dinosaur
eggs so far,” said Du.
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| Construction crew stumbles on fossilised nest identified as belonging to the Cretaceous period. |
The Cretaceous period followed
the Jurassic period, which most people think of as the age of the dinosaurs. In
fact most animals and plants which lived in the Cretaceous period – including
dinosaurs – went extinct, after which mammals began to rule the world.
Yiwu is famous as a manufacturing
and exporting hub for wholesale merchandise such as socks or plastic flowers, but
it is also capitalising on its association with dinosaurs.
Last year a dinosaur-themed water
park opened in Yiwu and another one is currently under construction at
Guanyintang, the part of Yiwu where, coincidentally, the latest clutch of
dinosaur eggs was discovered.
Since dinosaur eggs were first
discovered in the area in 1993, scientists have found more than 100 in Yiwu, according
to the local authorities. Footprints of the reptiles were also found in the
area last year.
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