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05/03/2024 10:23:39 am

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World's Biggest Dinosaur Footprint Uncovered in Mongolian Desert

Titanosaur are known as herbivore dinosaurs.

(Photo : Twitter) Titanosaur are known as herbivore dinosaurs.

Researchers have unearthed world's largest dinosaur footprint in Mongolia's Gobi Desert, providing clues about the giant creatures that wandered the earth millions of years ago.

The group of researchers from Japan's Okayama University of Science and the Mongolian Academy of Science carried out a joint expedition that led to the discovery of the giant print, which measures 106cm long and 77cm wide. The animal is believed to have lived on Earth approximately 70 to 90 million years ago. The Titanosaur discovery is the largest dinosaur footprint found to date, according to Natural World News. 

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In August, researchers discovered the huge fossil footprint in a geologic layer that formed between 70 million and 90 million years ago in the late Cretaceous Period. The fossil was naturally cast because the sand flowed into dents, leaving a stomp print on muddy ground. They believe that the footprint belonged to Titanosaur, a long-necked dinosaur and could have been more than 30m long and 20m tall.

“This is a very rare discovery as it's a well-preserved fossil footprint that is more than a metre long with imprints of its claws,” said the Okayama University of Science in a statement.

The name Titanosaur comes from the mythological deities of ancient Greece, the Titans, and it means “titanic lizard.” This species of dinosaur belongs to the sauropods which were first described in 1877. They are known as herbivore dinosaurs. Their babies weigh 3 to 4 kg at the time of birth and grow quickly in weeks with a weight amounting to 30kgs. To become a full grown dinosaur, Titanosaur baby needs 20 years to develop.

Dr. Shinobu Ishigaki, a paleontology professor at Okayama University, said the team is searching the area for dinosaur remains. He said that the latest discovery could help scientists to understand how dinosaurs walked, The Strait Times reported. 

Similar-sized dinosaur footprints have been found in Morocco and France. However, this latest discovery shows clear signs of the dinosaur's nails.

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