Fossils are often found in remote and hard-to-reach places, but sometimes finds are found in unexpected places. In this case, it was a Chinese restaurant hiding an incredible find.
The world of paleontology is often associated with dusty excavation sites and remote areas. But a team of scientists made an incredible discovery thanks to a dinner at a Chinese restaurant in 2022. According to IFLScience, after a curious visitor to a Garden restaurant in Sichuan province noticed unusual footprints on the stone floor in the outdoor courtyard, they turned out to be fossilized footprints of a sauropod that lived in the area millions of years ago.
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An accident at the Garden restaurant in Sichuan, China, in 2022, led to the discovery of dinosaur footprints. While dining at a restaurant, a visitor noticed a dozen evenly spaced fingerprints on the stone floor of the outdoor patio. His curiosity led to further research confirming that the footprints were about 100 million years old and belonged to sauropods.
The scars were noticed earlier, in the 1950s, but were not considered significant at the time. However, in recent years, the conversion of this place into a restaurant has found its traces again.
Associate Professor Lidia Xing from the University of Geosciences of China, who worked on the discovery, pointed out that no dinosaur skeletons were found in the area. Therefore, the petrified footprints provide invaluable information about the dinosaur species that lived in this region. Using 3D scanners, the team confirmed that the prints were made by sauropods, herbivorous dinosaurs that grew to enormous sizes.
Dr Anthony Romilio, of the University of Queensland Dinosaur Laboratory, said the footprints were compared to full fossil skeletons, and the team calculated that the wearer must have been around 10 meters tall. While not as tall as the Patagotitan, which grows to about four times its own size, it still has an incredible length.
“Restaurant footprints” have gained worldwide attention and come from the Lower Cretaceous of the Jiaguan Formation and are footprints of a Brontopodus-type sauropod.
This discovery reminds us that we should always be curious and pay attention to the world around us. This is proof that even unexpected places can provide insight into Earth’s history. For some, happy discoveries can happen even while snacking.
Previously Focus He talked about the agate that turned out to be a dinosaur egg. According to research, it is 60 million years old.
We also wrote about an incredible find: Researchers have discovered dinosaurs’ veins that are still filled with blood.
Source: Focus
Ashley Fitzgerald is an accomplished journalist in the field of technology. She currently works as a writer at 24 news breaker. With a deep understanding of the latest technology developments, Ashley’s writing provides readers with insightful analysis and unique perspectives on the industry.