[Explanation] A large area of dinosaur footprint fossils preserved in positive and negative molds (opposite plates) was recently discovered in Shanghang County, Longyan City, Fujian Province.
This is the latest discovery made by the local dinosaur footprint group fossil scientific research.
An expert group composed of personnel from the Institute of Vertebrate Paleontology and Paleoanthropology of the Chinese Academy of Sciences stated that this discovery is relatively rare in the world.
【Text】The newly discovered site is located on the east side of the Late Cretaceous dinosaur footprint group in Longxiang Village, Lincheng Town, Shanghang County, and is adjacent to it.
Due to the collapse of the rock mass, some new fossil specimens were exposed in situ. Among them is a pair of positive and negative mold-to-plate preserved dinosaur footprint fossils.
[Concurrent] Wang Xiaolin, a researcher at the Institute of Vertebrate Paleontology and Paleoanthropology, Chinese Academy of Sciences
You can see this specimen, it is standing upright, and there is another piece below it, which is just split from the middle of the dinosaur footprint. After splitting, it happens to be positive and negative. is a negative model, a specimen positive and negative.
And this specimen is very, very large, you can see at least 15 square meters or a little more, there are dozens of footprints on it, and some traces, traces left by dinosaurs when they were active and walking.
[Explanation] According to Wang Xiaolin, most of the dinosaur footprint fossils discovered at home and abroad belong to the Jurassic and Early Cretaceous. Such a large area of dinosaur footprint fossils preserved at the same time has not been found in other places in China or even in the world.
[Concurrent] Wang Xiaolin, a researcher at the Institute of Vertebrate Paleontology and Paleoanthropology, Chinese Academy of Sciences
Most of the dinosaur footprints discovered all over the world were preserved in the wild, and the ones exhibited in our museum are either a positive model, a pit that it stepped on, just one or two specimens, one or two that stepped on, Either it's overturned mold is convex, and the two are positive and negative together very rarely.
But there are dozens of footprints on it, many types together, almost none in this place, which is a very important one.
And now, judging from the footprints of the whole world, in terms of time, geology, and historical time, there are many in the Jurassic period, and there are also many in the Early Cretaceous period, except for the late Cretaceous. Footprint fossils from this period of extinction are rare.
The batch of materials we discovered in Shanghang, Fujian Province filled a gap.
[Explanation] According to preliminary statistics, more than 30 footprints of six types of dinosaurs are concentrated on the relevant fossils. The number and clarity of preservation are relatively rare, which is of great significance to the study of the living habits and living environment of dinosaurs in the Late Cretaceous.
[Concurrent] Wang Baopeng, associate researcher of Beijing Museum of Natural History
As far as our footprint research is concerned, the clarity of its preservation is also world-class, because it is rare to preserve this footprint pad, each toe, including its toe pad.
This helps us understand many habits of dinosaurs. This is what it left when it was alive, and there are many differences from bone specimens. We can learn a lot about it, that is, its way of life, whether it lived in groups, etc., these things about it The way of walking, we can all understand these laws.
[Explanation] The reporter learned that the fossils of the Shanghang dinosaur footprint group were discovered for the first time in November 2020. According to the field investigation of relevant experts from the National Paleontological Fossil Expert Committee, this is one of the most diverse Late Cretaceous dinosaur footprint groups discovered in China. First, it is also the first discovery of dinosaur-related fossils in Fujian Province.
Up to now, in the fossil scientific research of the dinosaur footprint group in Shanghang, a variety of dinosaur footprints and at least 4 layers have been discovered, which proves that dinosaurs have a long life history in this area.
[Explanation] For the newly discovered important dinosaur footprint fossils, including rare positive and negative specimens, experts suggest that they should be protected in situ as soon as possible and included in the protection planning and construction of the original dinosaur footprint fossils.
Reported by Wu Shengwei, Lin Sigan, Yang Guoxin, Fujian Longyan
Responsible editor: [Ye Pan]