Hey there, dino enthusiasts! 🦕 Guess what? A set of five teeny-tiny dinosaur footprints, dating back to the Cretaceous period, has been discovered in Gansu Province, northwest China! These could be some of the smallest dinosaur tracks ever found! 😲
The footprints, each measuring just one to three centimeters in length (that's about the size of a coin!), were uncovered by workers at a dinosaur museum in the Linxia Global Geopark. Heavy rains in early August washed away layers of rock, revealing these ancient treasures on a weathered rock surface. Talk about a lucky find! 🌧️🪨
Xing Lida, an associate professor at the China University of Geosciences (Beijing), shared that similar tiny footprints were first discovered in the country's Sichuan Basin, then in Shandong Province, and even in the Republic of Korea. The latest discovery suggests these mini dinos roamed a much wider area than previously thought! 🌍
This finding is a big deal for scientists studying biostratigraphy, geological ages, and dinosaur diversity in these regions. Xing highlighted that it offers new insights into dinosaur miniaturization—a crucial step in the evolution of birds. 🦖➡️🐦 How cool is that?
Since the late 1990s, more than 2,000 dinosaur footprints have been found in Linxia's Yongjing County, earning it the nickname 'Liujiaxia dinosaur footprint cluster.' 🐾 You Wenze, the museum's curator, mentioned that ongoing discoveries and enhanced protection efforts have not only expanded the footprint cluster but also boosted the area's cultural and tourism value. Sounds like a must-visit destination for your next adventure! 🧳
Xing also explained that these new footprints indicate the dinosaurs weren't moving very fast. 'The rock surface shows clear ripple marks, suggesting that the small dinosaurs were active near water, with many waterbird footprints found alongside them, forming a typical combination consistent with findings in other regions,' he said. This helps scientists understand not just how dinosaurs behaved but also how they interacted with their environment. 🌊🦕
The discovery of these tiny footprints opens up a whole new window into the lives of some of the smallest dinosaurs that ever walked the Earth. Who knows what other secrets are waiting to be uncovered beneath our feet? 🌍✨
Reference(s):
cgtn.com
