About 200 million years ago, dinosaurs were making their mark on Earth during the early Jurassic period. Surprisingly, even though no dinosaur bones have been found in Australia from this time, a group of paleontologists made a fascinating discovery.
They found an incredible number of dinosaur footprints on a boulder that had been sitting in a high school yard for years! This rock holds the highest concentration of dinosaur footprints per square meter ever recorded in Australia, revealing a hidden piece of history. Their findings were shared in a study published on March 20 in the journal Historical Biology.
These footprints, preserved in the rock, belong to 47 individual dinosaurs. According to Anthony Romilio, the lead author and a paleontologist from the University of Queensland, these dinosaurs walked across wet clay, possibly near a waterway. This remarkable finding offers a rare glimpse into the past when no bones from this era were previously discovered in Australia.
Romilio used advanced techniques like 3D imaging and light filters to document 66 distinct footprints. Each footprint has three toes, identifying the creatures as Anomoepus scambus, small herbivores that moved at less than 4 miles per hour. It’s interesting to note that these creatures had a beak and stocky bodies, a striking image of life millions of years ago.
The boulder was first noticed at a coal mine near Biloela, Queensland, two decades ago. After being given to a high school, it remained largely overlooked until the community recognized its significance. “Significant fossils can sit unnoticed for years, even in plain sight,” Romilio noted. He also uncovered other footprints in the same region, including those preserved as part of a carpark entry at Callide Mine.
The discoveries don’t just shed light on the past; they emphasize how easy it is for significant artifacts to go unnoticed in everyday locations. Imagine the treasures hidden in your own backyard! To learn more about the impact of these discoveries, you can check out recent research on the evolving understanding of dinosaur behavior and environment via sources like the Scientific American.
In essence, the footprints found in Australia offer not just a snapshot of ancient life but also a reminder to keep our eyes open for history in unexpected places. You never know what stories old stones might tell.
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