In a serendipitous discovery, scientists from the Geological Survey of India’s Palaeontology division stumbled upon fossil bone fragments of sauropods, long-necked dinosaurs, in Meghalaya, India.

The yet-to-be-published findings reveal sauropod bones dating back around 100 million years, making Meghalaya the fifth state in India and the only one in the North-East to report sauropod bones with titanosaurian affinity.

Sauropods, characterized by their long necks, tails, small heads, and robust legs, were colossal creatures, including some of the largest animals to have ever lived on land. The recent findings in Meghalaya represent the first record of sauropods of probable Titanosaurian origin in the region.

The bone fragments were discovered in the West Khasi Hills District during a field trip. Researchers note that while dinosaur bones from Meghalaya were previously reported in 2001, they were too fragmentary for taxonomic identification.

The recent discovery, made during fieldwork in 2019-2020 and 2020-21, provides better-preserved fossils, particularly limb bones, which indicate the titanosaurid affinity of sauropods.

The scientists collected more than twenty-five disarticulated, mostly fragmentary bone specimens of different sizes.

The preliminary studies suggest that the best-preserved bones are limb bones, with one of them being a partially preserved humerus bone, approximately 55 centimeters long. The robustness of the bone, along with morphological characteristics, hints at the titanosaurid affinity of the discovered sauropods.

This unexpected finding adds a significant chapter to India’s paleontological record, enriching our understanding of sauropods and their presence in different regions during the Late Cretaceous period. Detailed research is ongoing to unravel more insights into the ancient ecosystems and the unique sauropod species that once roamed the landscapes of Meghalaya.