41,000-year-old Ostrich nest found in Andhra Pradesh

Archaeologists have uncovered a 41,000-year-old ostrich nest in Andhra Pradesh, making it the oldest known nest of its kind globally. This significant find was made by a collaborative team from Vadodara's MS University and researchers from Germany, Australia, and the US while examining a fossil-rich site in Prakasam district. The nest originally housed 9-11 ostrich eggs, offering new insights into the region's prehistoric fauna.

An ostrich nest typically spans 9-10 feet and can hold 30-40 eggs. The discovery of nearly 3,500 ostrich eggshell fragments within a 1x1.5 meter area marks the first evidence of ostriches in South India and provides crucial data on the extinction of megafauna—large animals over 40kg, such as horses, elephants, cattle, and hippopotamuses—in India around 40,000 years ago.

Previously, the oldest ostrich eggshells were found in the Siwalik Hills of the Himalayas, dating back over 2 million years, and in Katoti, Rajasthan, dating back 60,000 years. Devara Anilkumar, an assistant professor in the Department of Archaeology and Ancient History at MSU, has been leading this project since April 2023.