Traces of unique duck-billed dinosaur found in Mongolia

Paleontologists have discovered a huge dinosaur footprint, 92 centimeters in diameter, indicating the existence of a creature larger than Tyrannosaurus rex. The footprint belongs to a Hadrosaurus, a dinosaur with flat, duck-billed jaws that is part of the bird family.

According to Interesting Engineering, the discovery was made by researchers from Okayama University of Science in collaboration with the Institute of Paleontology of the Mongolian Academy of Sciences in the Gobi Desert. It was probably a saurolophus, a giant duck-billed dinosaur over 15 meters long that outclassed even predators such as Tyrannosaurus rex and Tarbosaurus. Although footprints have been found, no skeletal remains of this creature have yet been found.

The researchers also found a fossilized path of 13 tracks, each of which is 85 centimeters wide, and the total length of the tracks is 24 meters.

Dr. Shinobu Ishigaki, director of the Dinosaur Research Museum at Okayama University, explained that such tracks provide valuable information about the posture, walking style, speed, and group behavior of dinosaurs - aspects that cannot be determined from skeletons.

The excavations took place from June 1 to 15, 2024, in the western part of the Gobi Desert. This area was first explored in 2018 and is recognized as an important place for the discovery of large tracks of Hadrosaurus.

Experts suggest that the skeletons of these giant creatures may be preserved in this region. The discovery will allow for a deeper study of the anatomy, behavior, and ecology of the Hadrosaurus.

Until now, the largest known representative of the Hadrosauridae was Shantungosaurus, found in China. The discovery in Mongolia suggests that there may be no less impressive finds.

"Our main goal is to find the complete skeleton of the saurolophus that left these tracks," Dr. Ishigaki emphasized.

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