About 100 million years ago, in the early Late Cretaceous period, a dinosaur lived in a hot, humid and lush water net area. The string of 9 footprints it stepped on turned into precious dinosaur footprint fossils.
Recently, Zhejiang Natural History Museum Jin Yukisheng's team and colleagues from Fukui Prefecture Dinosaur Museum in Japan published their research results on this fossil online in the international professional journal "Cretaceous Research". One of their jobs is to "test speed" for the dinosaur.
The picture shows the footprint of dinosaurs discovered fossil
"The traffic police can infer the speed of the vehicle from the friction marks of the tires when braked, and the detective can infer the height of the suspect from the footprints. We can also calculate whether the dinosaurs were running or walking at that time based on the footprints, and how fast it was." Researcher Jin Xingsheng said.
Jin Xingsheng's team discovered this fossil in , Yiwu, Zhejiang, in 2019, and its footprints coincide with the footprints of Sichuan Jewelry Dragon. Velociraptor belongs to terror claw . The claws on the second toe of their hind feet are particularly large and raised high, usually not touching the ground. Therefore, when the Dinosaur walks, only the third and fourth toes on the hind feet are on the ground, and the footprints are a very typical two-toe structure.
footprints visible. The two-toe structure can be seen. Photos, 3D scans and line drawings of some footprints of
. Researchers measured the length and width of dinosaur footprints, angle between the two toes, single step length and complex step length. Jin Xingsheng said that although dinosaurs cannot be resurrected, by studying the walking methods of existing animals, the academic community has a more mature mathematical model: use the length of the footprint to calculate the height, and then use the height and compound step length to calculate the walking speed.
To answer the speed test "application questions", you must also do the "multiple-multiple-choice questions". The Dinosaur is divided into two categories: scattered dragon and scattered dragon . The ratio of the two hind limbs to body shape is different, and the calculated height is also different. Although the footprints are consistent with the Velociraptor, the "original deity" cannot be simply classified as a Velociraptor, and scientists must fully consider known conditions.
If it is a dragon, the calculated height is 51.8 cm and the walking speed is 6.1 kilometers per hour; if it is a dragon, the calculated height is 65.6 cm and the walking speed is 4.6 kilometers per hour. In short, it was strolling in the garden at that time, neither preying on nor running for life.
Chilong Recovery Picture
Trouble Dragon Recovery Picture
In recent years, the Zhejiang Museum of Natural History, in conjunction with the provincial county and municipal museums and the Fukui Prefecture Dinosaur Museum in Japan, has carried out a large number of field investigations in Zhejiang, and discovered and protected a batch of paleontological fossils . Jin Xingsheng said that footprint fossils such as sauropods, birds, non-desauropods and pterosaurs have been discovered in Zhejiang. This is the first time that footprint fossils of dinosaurs of dinosaurs have been discovered in Zhejiang.
Paleontology experts from Zhejiang Natural History Museum conducted field investigations in Yiwu in 2019
Reporter: Feng Yuan
Poster design: Jindi
Photos and pictures provided by Researcher Jin Xingsheng of Zhejiang Natural History Museum
Source: Xinhua News Agency
