One restaurant Chinese has a much longer history than the owner realized. Really long: about 100 million years. The establishment houses the footprints of two sauropods, a type of dinosaur that lived in the early Cretaceous period, which were found along several stones in the patio of the restaurant in Leshan, Sichuan province, in China.
The restaurant sits on land that was once a farm, and the marks were buried by layers of earth, which protected them from weather damage. Sauropod species include the brontosaurus, known for their long necks and tails.
Paleontologist Lida Xing with the dinosaur footprint (Photo: Reproduction/Lida Xing)
Lida Xing, a paleontologist and professor at the China University of Geosciences, told USA TODAY via email that his team confirmed the discovery using a 3D scanner. The researcher also observed that the footprints found in the courtyard indicated that the animal It was about eight meters long.
According to the paleontologist, urban development in China has made the study of fossils a challenge, so the discovery in the restaurant is extremely rare. Another cause for celebration is that the footprint dates back to the Cretaceous period, which many paleontologists believe was an age of glory for dinosaurs.
According to Xing, the restaurant owner has cordoned off the area so people don’t make changes to the footprints.
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