A fossilized nest of a theropod dinosaur on Aphae Island off Mokpo, South Jeolla Province, 410 kilometers south of Seoul, has been designated as a natural monument, the Cultural Heritage Administration announced Wednesday.

The three-ton nest is the largest of its kind ever found in Korea with a diameter of 2.3 meters and height of 6 meters. In the nest are fossils of 19 dinosaur eggs of various sizes ranging from

385 millimeters to 430 millimeters in diameter.

The fossil was discovered in September 2009 during the construction of Aphae Bridge, which links the island with the city of Mokpo.

Dinosaurs belonging to the suborder theropoda were primarily carnivorous, although a number of theropod groups eventually evolved into herbivores, omnivores, and insectivores.

The administration said the fossil of the nest and eggs is in very good shape and will be valuable to the study of the carnivorous dinosaurs that existed on the Korean Peninsula in the late Cretaceous period, about 80 million to 90 million years ago.

Most of the dinosaur nest fossils found in Korea are believed to be those of herbivorous dinosaurs, except for a fossil found in Tongyeong, South Gyeongsang Province. 

(Yonhap News)