A team of Chinese researchers has discovered a huge concentration of dinosaur footprints, also scientifically referred to as “dinosaur dance floor.” The discovery was made in Shanghang County in east China’s Fujian Province.
The dance floor is said to be 100 square meters and close to 200 dinosaur tracks have been unearthed there. Xing Lida, a paleontologist at the China University of Geosciences, told Xinhua, “The “dance floor” was an excavation site measuring 100 square meters and approximately 200 dinosaur tracks have been identified there.”
These footprints point that the concentration could have been a pathway for dinosaurs in that area. They were first spotted in November last year when more than 240 dinosaur footprints matched from the fossils. While another 364 dinosaur tracks were spotted in April, reports Xinhua.
Until now, more than 600 footprints have been spotted in the excavation site that covers an area close to 1,600 square meters in the Longxiang village. Besides, the number of footprints is believed to grow more than 1,000 as the excavation continues, told Xing. He also said that at least eight species of dinosaurs left these footprints more than 80 million years ago.
The new footprints are believed to be left behind by large herbivorous dinosaurs that had long necks and tails, while their bodies could span up to 20 meters. The dance floor also showed that footprints measuring less than 10 centimeters in length belonged to bird-footed dinosaurs that were only one meter long.
Researchers believe the new site is the biggest and the most diverse one discovered in China to date. The new site also has more geological sedimentary structures, hinting that it was a water source for dinosaurs, said Chen Runsheng, deputy director of Fujian Geological Survey. He also added that there’s a possibility of discovering more footprints in the same area as the research continues.
