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Fossil
of Dinosaur Footmarks Found in Inner Mongolia
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????China, for the first
time, has discovered footmarks of saurian-foot herbivorous dinosaurs
in the Zhabu area of Ih Ju League in the Inner Mongolia Autonomous
Region. Also found were footmarks of carnivore dinosaurs. This is
the first time the footmarks of these two kinds of dinosaurs have
been found in the same spot.
????Experts said that dinosaur footmarks in Zhabu cover hundreds of
square km. Along the river banks, or on the river bed in the desert,
experts found the fossilized footprints of saurian-foot dinosaurs.
The stratum was formed in the Cretaceous period, about 130 million
years ago.
????The saurian-foot dinosaur footmarks are round in shape, with diameters
ranging from 30 to 90 cm. One of them measured 30 cm long, with
one step covering 2.8 meters. According to calculation, the dinosaur
is the fastest one discovered to date, capable of reaching a speed
of 41 kph.
????Experts have long accepted that herbivorous dinosaurs lived near
water or swampland, where they could readily obtain enough food,
while the carnivore dinosaurs had to prey on the herbivorous dinosaurs
for food. While the latter could escape to the water, the former
wandered up and down along the bank, consequently leaving a large
number of footmarks.
????Experts say the presence of dinosaur footprints, bird footmarks
and fossils of other living things found in the Zhabu area demonstrated
it was once a place much frequented by dinosaurs in the Cretaceous
period.
????A favorable ecological environment, the layer of lakes and swamps
and well-distributed sand and earth provide important conditions
for the formation and preservation of dinosaur footmarks. Their
study is of great value to establishing the condition of the ancient
ecological environment in the area.
(CIIC)
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