fossils

How Large Was Palaeoloxodon namadicus? India’s Giant Prehistoric Elephant

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During the Pleistocene, the Indian subcontinent was inhabited by an elephant considerably larger than any living elephant.Known as Palaeoloxodon namadicus, it belonged to an extinct group commonly called straight-tusked elephants. Fossils attributed to the species have been reported from river valleys and sedimentary deposits across northern and central India.Its enormous size has produced eye-catching claims … Read more

Did Deccan Volcanism Kill Ariyalur’s Dinosaurs? What the Evidence Shows

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Ariyalur in Tamil Nadu preserves one of southern India’s most important records of the Cretaceous Period. Its sedimentary rocks contain marine fossils, petrified wood and fragmentary evidence of dinosaurs that lived near the end of the age of reptiles. At approximately the same time, enormous volcanic eruptions were transforming western and central India. These eruptions … Read more