In 2020, Yang Zherui, a 5-year-old boy in Sichuan, accidentally discovered the footprints of dinosaurs and became the youngest dinosaur discoverer in China.

In the eyes of ordinary people, looking for dinosaur fossils is a untold thing.

But Yang Zherui's deeds made people realize that as long as they have enough knowledge and skills, it is entirely possible for ordinary people to find ancient dinosaur remains.

A reporter from Chinanews.com interviewed two "dinosaur hunters" and guided them by hand, so that you can also "follow the picture" to find dinosaur tracks.

Dinosaur footprints discovered by Yang Zherui.

Photo courtesy of Xing Lida

The first step of "Follow the picture": Where can the dinosaur footprints be found?

  Dinosaur fossils generally include dinosaur bones, dinosaur eggs, and dinosaur footprints.

These fossils are widely distributed around the world, and are distributed on all continents of the world, including the North and South Pole.

Most people are familiar with these two types of dinosaur fossils, dinosaur bones and dinosaur eggs. With the deepening of research and the addition of more professional scholars, the fossils of dinosaur footprints have gradually become familiar to the public.

Chongqing Yunyang Pu'an Dinosaur Fossil Wall.

Photo by Peng Guangzhao

  In recent years, research on dinosaurs in China has been in full swing. Scholars such as Peng Guangzhao, member of the National Paleontological Fossil Expert Committee and former curator of the Sichuan Zigong Dinosaur Museum, and Xing Lida, associate professor of China University of Geosciences (Beijing), have successively discovered many dinosaur footprints across the country and are working hard to rebuild China The pedigree of dinosaur footprints.

Netizens also affectionately call them "dinosaur hunters".

  Where is it easier to find dinosaur footprint fossils?

Peng Guangzhao gave the answer: "In China, it is more difficult for dinosaur researchers to actively find dinosaur footprints. It is more difficult to find dinosaur footprints in the southern region than in the northern region, because the southern region is covered with more vegetation, and there are farmland, farmland, and surface rocks everywhere. There are relatively few outcrops. In northern Gobi areas such as Gansu and Xinjiang, it is relatively easy to find dinosaur footprints."

  Over the years, Xing Lida traveled in Sichuan, Yunnan, Fujian and other places and found hundreds of dinosaur tracks.

In January this year, he and a group of scholars also discovered the late Cretaceous dinosaur footprints in Shanghang, Fujian, ending the history of "no dinosaurs" in Fujian Province.

Footprints of carnivorous theropods found in Shanghang, Fujian.

Photo courtesy of Xing Lida team

  Xing Lida, who has 5.57 million followers on Weibo, has been active in popular science for a long time. He has translated and published dozens of popular science books on paleontology.

It is precisely because he usually likes to watch Xing Lida's dinosaur science class, Yang Zherui can keenly perceive that the imprints of those outsiders that look like "chicken footprints" are dinosaur footprints.

Xing Lida said that some special provinces, such as Sichuan, Liaoning, Inner Mongolia, and Xinjiang, have more dinosaur footprints.

Many layers of fossils in these places are exposed on the ground, and people are more likely to find dinosaur fossils.

Group photo of Yang Zherui and Xing Lida.

Photo courtesy of Xing Lida

"According to the picture" the second step: folklore or clue?

  Years of searching for dinosaurs have also allowed Xing Lida to sum up some effective experiences.

He told reporters that some folklore may be related to dinosaur footprints. Place names such as "Luofengpo" and "Tianji Stone" often imply the possibility of dinosaur footprints in the area.

  In September 2013, Xing Lida's team discovered a place called "Luofengpo" in Chicheng County, Zhangjiakou City, Hebei Province.

A large number of footprints similar to "chicken footprints" remain here.

According to research, these footprints are the footprints of the theropod dinosaurs, which have a history of more than 100 million years.

Xing Lida said that the dinosaur footprints in this area are relatively well-preserved in North China, and are characterized by many types and clear tracks.

After research, scholars discovered that there are about 170 dinosaur footprints in "Luofengpo".

The local residents mistakenly regarded the dinosaur footprints as the legendary phoenix footprints and took a blessed place name.

Relevant facilities have been established to protect the footprints of dinosaurs.

The picture shows the dinosaur footprints found in Luofengpo, Xiangtian Township, Chicheng County, Hebei Province.

Photo by Song Jinfeng

  The following year, Xing Lida and Professor Zhang Jianping from China University of Geosciences (Beijing) discovered dinosaur footprints in Qiyun Mountain, a famous Taoist mountain in Anhui.

Based on the history of Taoist famous mountains, local people associate dinosaur tracks with Taoist celebrity Zhang Sanfeng.

Because these footprints are similar in size to the palm of a human hand, some local people believe that these are the handprints left by Zhang Sanfeng or other Taoist priests during their exercises.

In this regard, Xing Lida explained that “the footprints of theropods are generally three-toed, but there are individual footprints overlapping, which gives people the illusion of five-finger palm prints, so this legend has it.”

  There are more than these dinosaur footprints related to myths and legends. In 2019, Chinese and foreign scholars discovered dinosaur footprints in Baxiangang Village, Lanxi City, Zhejiang Province. This time, the relationship with dinosaur footprints is "Eight Immortals Crossing the Sea".

Most of these footprints are close to a circle, similar to people's traditional perception of one of the Eight Immortals, the "Tieguai Li". The round footprints are imagined as the crutch marks and hip marks of the Eight Immortals.

According to expert research, these footprints should actually be left by sauropods.

This discovery is of great significance to the study of the distribution and evolution of dinosaur fauna in the middle of the Cretaceous in China, and the influence of folklore on paleontology.

Close-up of dinosaur footprints in Baxiangang.

Photo courtesy of Xing Lida

  In addition to Xing Lida, many scholars also believe that folklore may inspire the study of dinosaur footprints.

In an interview with the media, Chen Yu, an archaeological expert at the Capital Museum, said that from "Tropical Chicken Footprints" to "Stone Lotus" to "King Gesar Footprints", these cases show that more and more folklore is closely related to dinosaur footprints. relationship.

If you have similar place names and legends around you, you might as well take a camera to find out.

"According to the picture" the third step: how to distinguish true from false?

  Since the start of dinosaur research in 2007, the Xing Lida team has received more valuable dinosaur clues from the folks in 14 years. In recent years, there are 3-5 cases of clues from folks every year, and nearly half of them are confirmed as dinosaur footprints after inspection by experts.

How can ordinary people tell the authenticity of dinosaur footprints?

Dinosaur skeleton displayed at the Sichuan Zigong Dinosaur Museum.

Photo by Peng Guangzhao

  Xing Lida said that dinosaur footprints generally have two characteristics.

First, the dinosaur footprints are arranged in a regular pattern. Most of them appear continuously and can form trails instead of appearing on the ground alone. Second, dinosaur footprints generally have sharp claw marks, which cannot be formed due to non-biological reasons.

If these two characteristics are met, the probability of being a dinosaur footprint is very high.

  After discovering dinosaur footprints, how should we conduct research and protection?

Xing Lida said: "Dinosaur footprints have obvious territoriality. Dinosaur bones and eggs can generally be protected off-site; but for dinosaur footprints, most of them are protected in situ after research."

  In Peng Guangzhao's view, the protection of dinosaur fossils is mainly to prevent the fossils from being weathered.

Generally speaking, all dinosaur fossils must be excavated after they are discovered. After careful repairs, the surrounding rocks are removed, and then burial studies and other research are carried out.

After the research is over, relatively complete fossils will be protected on site, and those limited by local conditions will also be transported to museums for offsite protection.

  In the early years, Peng Guangzhao participated in the preparation of the Sichuan Zigong Dinosaur Museum.

This dinosaur site museum, together with the Utah National Dinosaur Monument and the Alberta Provincial Dinosaur Park in Canada, is collectively known as the world's three largest dinosaur museums, and is famous in the world.

“The discovery and research of the dinosaur fossils in Dashanpu, Zigong, Sichuan in the 1970s filled the gap in the world’s lack of dinosaur fossils in the mid-Jurassic period. Zigong is still considered to be the world’s most discovered and best-preserved Jurassic dinosaur fossils. The place of origin. The completion of the Zigong Dinosaur Museum allows the public to see the most primitive buried state of dinosaur fossils up close.” Peng Guangzhao said.

Dinosaur site of Zigong Dinosaur Museum.

Photo by Peng Guangzhao

  In recent years, with the development and popularization of dinosaur science work, more and more people have participated in the protection of dinosaur footprints, which also provides more possibilities for future dinosaur fossil protection and research.

  Author: Guochao Kai Hao Lingyu