Decades-Old Stepping Stones In China Turn Out To Be 190-Million-Year-Old Dinosaur Footprints

Two brothers in southwestern China were recently surprised to discover that rocks they had been using as stepping stones for decades are actually 190-million-year-old dinosaur footprint fossils. The discovery was confirmed after researchers completed a study of dinosaur tracks found in Wuli village, Sichuan province, on November 29, reported South China Morning Post.

In 1998, while the Ding brothers were quarrying stones, they noticed strange "chicken paw"-like markings on some of the stones. They thought they were just interesting shapes and used the stones to walk around their home in Wuli Village. Wuli Village, which falls within Zigong City, is famous for its dinosaur fossils and is known as the "home of Chinese dinosaurs" in the southern Sichuan Basin.

In the 1970s and 1980s, Zigong City was known for the Dashanpu Middle Jurassic Dinosaur Fossil Site, where more than 200 dinosaur and other vertebrate fossils were found, including rare pterosaurs and dinosaur skin. A dinosaur museum was also built to display the discoveries at the site.

In 2017, the daughter of one of the Ding brothers shared photos of these flat stones online, raising awareness of their true significance. The photographs revealed sharp claw marks, circular impressions, and some linear markings, which caught the attention of museum researchers.

A month later, these stones were confirmed to be dinosaur footprints. With the Ding family's permission, they were transferred to the museum for further study.

Recently, Chinese scientists published their findings on the Wuli Village fossils in the Journal of Paleogeography. The study analysed eight stone slabs, revealing 413 footprints dating back approximately 180 to 190 million years. Most of the footprints belonged to dinosaurs called Grallatores and Eubrontes.

The researchers found that these dinosaurs walked with a "ground-running" gait, similar to modern birds, at speeds of 5.8 to 8.6 kilometers per hour. They also observed rare tail drag marks, which were likely made when the dinosaur was moving slowly, looking around or displaying aggressive behavior, according to Xing Lida, associate professor at the China University of Geosciences in Beijing.