Paleontologists Discover Footprints of Large Hadrosaurid Dinosaurs in Gobi Desert – Sci.News

Paleontologists from Japan and Mongolia have uncovered fossil footprints of massive plant-eating hadrosaurid dinosaurs from the Cretaceous period.The footprints of a massive hadrosaurid dinosaur in the western Gobi Desert, Mongolia. Image credit: Okayama University of Science.The newly-discovered hadrosaurid footprints date back to approximately 70 million years ago (Cretaceous period).One of them is around 92 cm (3 feet) across, making it one of the largest hadrosaurid footprints ever found.“The largest footprint is believed to have belonged to a giant Saurolophus, estimated to exceed 15 m (50 feet) in total body length, surpassing even Tyrannosaurus and Tarbosaurus in size,” team leader Dr. Shinobu Ishigaki, director of the Museum of Dinosaur Research at the Okayama University of Science, and colleagues said in a statement.Saurolophus is a genus of large hadrosaurid dinosaurs known from the Horseshoe Canyon Formation in Canada and the Nemegt Formation in Mongolia.According to the paleontologists, it is one of the few dinosaur genera from multiple continents.“Our discovery suggests that one of the largest bipedal animals ever known lived in Mongolia, raising hopes for the discovery of equally massive skeletal remains,” they said.The researchers also discovered a 24-m- (79-foot) long trackway consisting of 13 fossilized footprints, each around 85 cm (2.8 feet) across.“From June 1 to 15, 2024, we conducted a follow-up investigation in the western Gobi Desert,” they said.“As a result, we discovered new trackways, including three of the largest hadrosaurid footprints ever found and a continuous sequence of 13 fossilized footprints.”“The identification of 14 trackways, including one found before 2018, enables the analysis of posture, walking style, speed, and group behavior — details that cannot be inferred from skeletal fossils.”“Until now, the largest known hadrosaurid skeleton belonged to Shantungosaurus, discovered in Shandong province, China,” they added.“However, the latest discoveries in Mongolia suggest the potential for uncovering similarly massive skeletal remains in the region.”“Our next goal is to uncover the full skeleton of the large Saurolophus responsible for these footprints,” Dr. Ishigaki concluded.

Source: https://www.sci.news/paleontology/gobi-desert-hadrosaurid-footprints-13626.html