World’s largest dinosaur track found in Fujian

Chinese scientists announced on Monday, May 6, that they had discovered very large tracks of a type of two-toed dinosaur in the Lincheng region of China’s southeastern province of Fujian.

The largest known deinonychus footprints in the world were discovered at the Longxian dinosaur track in Longyan, Fujian Province.

Researchers from the Chinese University of Earth Sciences and the Yingliang Museum of Natural Sciences had found at least 8 types of dinosaur tracks in previous years. Twelve of them belonged to a species called the two-toed deinonicosaurus.

The fact that 5 of these 12 fossil tracks were 36.4 cm long and 16.9 cm wide led the researchers to introduce the Fujianipus Yingliangi species into the literature as a new type of dinosaur based on different finger sizes.

Xing Lida, a professor at the Chinese University of Earth Sciences, said that the tracks are the largest deinonicosaur tracks found not only in China but also in the world. According to these tracks, Fujianipus is estimated to have been 5 meters long and about 2 meters high at the hip level.

Niu Kecheng, curator of the Yingliang Stone Natural History Museum, said the Longxian track site is the best preserved, largest and most diverse Late Cretaceous dinosaur track discovered in China to date. At the same time, the discovery of Fujianipus yingliangi significantly expands the size range of deinonychosaur footprints, demonstrating the enormous research potential of the Longxian track site. It is also of great importance for the study of Late Cretaceous dinosaurs in China.

Source: CGTN