The footprints of large carnivorous dinosaurs in the late Jurassic period first appeared in the Sichuan Basin
Experts say the footprints are rarely "running" or formed during dinosaur hunting
Dinosaur footprints were found in Baihua Town, Cuiping District, Yibin City.
In mid-October, an Yibin "Internet celebrity" posted a video on Weibo saying that "dinosaur footprints" had been found in Baihua Town, Cuiping District, Yibin City. Subsequently, Peng Guangzhao and Ye Yong, research librarians of the Jurassic Stratigraphic Paleontology Research Center of Zigong Dinosaur Museum, Jiang Shan, deputy research librarians, and Xing Lida, Ph.D. of China University of Geosciences (Beijing), and his team formed an investigation team and rushed to the scene to investigate.
It is reported that these "big footprints" were eventually identified as fossil footprints of carnivorous dinosaurs in the late Late Jurassic. This is the first time that large carnivorous dinosaur footprints of the late Jurassic have been found in the Sichuan Basin.
The investigation team suggested that the method of specimen collection and off-site protection should be adopted for the footprints, and then exhibited to the outside world after scientific research and protection treatment, so as to give full play to their scientific education value on the basis of effective protection.
Influencers broke the news
A trail of dinosaur footprints was found in the backyard
In mid-October, an Yibin "internet celebrity" named Rural Chaowa posted several videos on Weibo, saying that his parents had found some strange marks in their backyard, which he thought were very similar to dinosaur footprints.
"The place was called 'Pheasant Slope' by local elders, and the footprints found were strange marks with three fingers. The old people all know that there are 'chicken footprints' here, and there are people in the village who run to see it. "Our place is very close to Zigong, and these marks are likely to be dinosaur footprints." ”
After that, the microblog of the rural chaowa was concerned by many netizens and also attracted the attention of geological experts. A netizen also left a message on Weibo and @ Dr. Xing Lida, asking him to distinguish between true and false.
Soon after, Peng Guangzhao and Ye Yong, research librarians of the Jurassic Strata Paleontology Research Center of Zigong Dinosaur Museum, Jiang Shan, deputy research librarians, and Xing Lida, Ph.D. of China University of Geosciences (Beijing), and his team formed an investigation team and rushed to the scene to investigate.
On the evening of October 18, the investigation team arrived at the Xianyuan Group of Huangba Village in Baihua Town and went to the fossil dew point the next day to investigate.
Site survey
Discover 5 large dinosaur footprints
During the site survey, experts cleared the dirt from the ground. After ripping open the grass, a dinosaur footprint was found. According to reports, the scene revealed a trail composed of 5 large theropod dinosaur footprints, and 3 scattered small ornithischian dinosaur footprints.
According to the characteristics of footprint size and shape, the preliminary judgment is that the 5 large theropod footprints are the footprints of Therapiosaurus, 2 of the small three-toed footprints are the footprints of the cockpits, and the footprints of 1 ornithischian dinosaur are the footprints of Xenophora.
In the mold making process, experts have to "apply masks" to dinosaur footprints. They first brushed the dinosaur footprints with a thin layer of white coating with special materials, and then cured them with gauze sheets. After several hours of curing, the mold is finally made.
Expert judgment
It is rare for footprints to be "running"
"In one of the sets of footprints, the distance between the two footprints is nearly 4 meters, indicating that the dinosaur was in a state of brisk walking and running at that time, which is very rare among the carnivorous dinosaur footprints found." Xing Lida introduced that most of the carnivorous dinosaurs found in general are in a walking state, and there are indeed very few running like this, "Maybe it is frightened, or hunting." ”
It is understood that a large number of dinosaur footprints previously found in the Sichuan Basin are mainly produced in the Artesian well formation of the Lower Jurassic, the Xintiangou Formation of the Middle Jurassic, the Lower Shaxi Temple Formation and the Upper Shaxi Temple Formation, and the Jiaguan Formation of the Lower Cretaceous. In the Suining and Penglai formations of the Upper Jurassic, only a small number of dinosaur skeleton fossils have been found, and no dinosaur footprint fossils have been found.
It is understood that the dinosaur footprints of Baihua Town are the first late Jurassic dinosaur footprints found in the Sichuan Basin, which has certain scientific significance and scientific value for studying the evolution, distribution, fauna combination characteristics of dinosaurs in the Sichuan Basin, as well as the paleogeography and paleoecology of the late Jurassic in the southern Sichuan region.
Li Yi Huaxi Metropolis Daily - Cover News reporter Liu Kesheng