A new discovery has been made in China where a single cat-sized footprint, claimed to be about 100 million years old, was discovered by a team of palaeontologists. The recently found footprint is said to be of a baby stegosaur, the trace of which was initially discovered by Lida Xing.
Lida Xing is an Associate Professor of University of Geosciences (Beijing) in China who originally found its traces after which an investigation was held by the international team of palaeontologists.
The University of Queensland researcher named Dr. Anthony Romilio was part of this team investigating the track of the footprint. He studied the traces and footprint and stated that it was made by a herbivorous, armoured dinosaur which is most commonly known as a stegosaur. Stegosaur belongs to the family of dinosaurs that includes the well-known herbivorous thyreophoran dinosaur “stegosaurus”.
Dr. Romilio along with the other investigating team members have predicted that this dinosaurs may possibly have spikes, particularly on its tail as well as bony plates. As of now, it is the smallest stegosaur footprint that is ever known in the world, said Dr. Romilio.
This single cat-sized footprint is of less than six centimetres, and it is the first time that such small stegosaur footprint has been ever discovered. The similar footprints of the same species that were found in China was very opposite from what they have found recently. Earlier, they have found such footprints that measured 30 centimetres in one of the Chinese track site and another up to 80 centimetres in one of the Western Australia site.
As per to the researchers, this tiny footprint had characteristics that are very similar to the other stegosaur footprints that have three short, wide, and round toe impressions. Dr Romilio said that when Stegosaurs used to walk on the ground, it usually did that with their heels, just like humans do, “but on all fours and that creates long footprints,” he added.
He also mentioned more on the same topic by saying that the tiny track their team found is indicating that this dinosaur was most likely moving with its “heel lifted off the ground,” which bird or a cat does. Dr Romilio added that they have only seen the similar shortened tracks earlier when dinosaurs used to walk on two legs.
On this, Dr Xing who originally found the track said it is possible that young stegosaurus used to be toe-walkers. However, the stegosaur may perhaps also have adapted to heel-walking when it got older, she added her statement.
