Latest news with #Anomoepusscambus
CNN
21-03-2025
- Science
- CNN
Over 60 Early Jurassic dinosaur footprints discovered on a rock that's been at an Australian school for two decades
Summary Scientists discovered 66 dinosaur footprints on a rock displayed at an Australian high school for 20 years. The 200 million-year-old slab contains tracks from 47 individual Early Jurassic dinosaurs of the ichnospecies Anomoepus scambus. This discovery represents one of Australia's highest concentrations of dinosaur footprints per square meter ever documented. University of Queensland paleontologist Anthony Romilio used 3D imaging to reveal the tracks of plant-eating dinosaurs that were likely crossing a river. The footprints provide evidence of dinosaurs from a period when no dinosaur bones have been found in Australia. A remarkable Early Jurassic record has been hiding in plain sight for 20 years on a slab of rock displayed at a high school in Biloela, Australia, according to a new study. While researchers knew the 1.5-meter-long (about 5-foot-long) slab was around 200 million years old and home to an abundance of visible dinosaur footprints, the significance of the fossil remained unclear. Now, a team of paleontologists studying the rock's surface has found 66 fossilized footprints from 47 individual dinosaurs belonging to the ichnospecies Anomoepus scambus. Ichnospecies are organisms identified only through trace fossils, or fossils that are of impressions they leave, such as footprints, rather than the actual organisms. The discovery represents one of the highest concentrations of dinosaur footprints per square meter ever documented in the country, and it provides an 'unprecedented snapshot' of the abundance of dinosaurs during the Early Jurassic, a period during which no dinosaur bones have been uncovered in Australia, according to a news release from The University of Queensland. The findings were published in the journal Historical Biology on March 10. The fact that this fossil slipped under the radar for decades isn't surprising, said lead study author Dr. Anthony Romilio, a paleontologist and research associate with the university's Dinosaur Lab. 'Fossil dinosaur footprints tend to be vastly under-rated even by many (paleontologists),' Romilio said in an email. But in Australia, since the oldest fossilized dinosaur bones come from the Middle Jurassic, about 160 million years ago, 'footprint fossils are the only direct evidence our country has of the types of dinosaurs we had here (during earlier times),' Romilio said. What's more, the slab provides a rare glimpse into the behavior and activity of a dinosaur that has only been described by its footprints found in various parts of the world, experts say. Dinosaur footprints from Early Jurassic By using advanced 3D imaging and light filters, Romilio was able to uncover hidden details in the stone slab, revealing the multitude of footprints and other features such as the direction in which the animals that made the tracks were headed. The 66 fossilized footprints, which range in size from about 5 centimeters to 20 centimeters (about 2 to 8 inches) in length, reveal that the dinosaurs had likely been crossing a river or going up and down the length of a river, Romilio said. Since there are no ripple marks on the surface of the rock, it is difficult to tell the river flow's direction, but the tracks clearly show the dinosaurs walking in two directions, he added. Through his analysis, Romilio found a total of 13 sequences of footprints that belonged to 13 dinosaurs that made the trackways. The remaining footprints, coming to a total of 34, were classified as isolated footprints, accounting for the 47 total individuals. The dinosaurs that made the tracks would have had legs ranging from 15 to 50 centimeters (about 6 to 20 inches) in length along with a chunky body and short arms, Romilio said. Although trace fossils are often overlooked because they are more common than dinosaur bones, they can 'provide a huge amount of information when they're properly analyzed,' said Dr. Paul Olsen, a paleontologist and Arthur D. Storke Memorial Professor of Earth & Environmental Sciences at Columbia University. Olsen, who has studied Anomoepus, was not involved with this new study. '(Footprints) provide information about animals that were present even though we don't have the bones … They're really like a parallel dataset that allows us to track, pun intended, what's going on when the bones are rare. That's why they're so important,' Olsen said. From what is known about the other tracks that have been found across parts of the US, Europe, Africa and China, A. scambus was a three-toed, two-legged dinosaur that belonged to the ornithischian family, which includes other plant-eating dinosaurs such as duckbills and triceratops, and had beaks at the front of their mouths with grinding teeth, Olsen said. These new footprints, which preserve a lot of anatomical detail, further support that 'small ornithischian dinosaurs achieved a global distribution by the beginning of the Jurassic Period,' he added. Hidden in plain sight The study authors also analyzed two other instances of trace fossils that were found in unexpected locations. They found that a 2,000-kilogram (about 4,400-pound) boulder used as a parking lot entry marker at the Callide mine near Biloela had two distinct footprints left by a slightly larger dinosaur. And a third rock from a personal collection (in use as a bookend) had a single footprint. The rock slab located at the high school was also originally from the Callide Mine, which is an open-cut mine, meaning that the overlying rock is removed to get to the coal underneath, Romilio explained. During the extraction of the overlying rock, which spans many miles and dates to the Early Jurassic period, fossil footprints such as these can be found. 'There are definitely many more fossils occurring there,' Romilio said. 'Whether they are spotted in time, or whether it is safe to pick them up is another thing entirely. We are just lucky that these and some others have been spotted, recovered and available for people like me to study them and share the findings.'
CNN
21-03-2025
- Science
- CNN
Over 60 Early Jurassic dinosaur footprints discovered on a rock that's been at an Australian school for two decades
Summary Scientists discovered 66 dinosaur footprints on a rock displayed at an Australian high school for 20 years. The 200 million-year-old slab contains tracks from 47 individual Early Jurassic dinosaurs of the ichnospecies Anomoepus scambus. This discovery represents one of Australia's highest concentrations of dinosaur footprints per square meter ever documented. University of Queensland paleontologist Anthony Romilio used 3D imaging to reveal the tracks of plant-eating dinosaurs that were likely crossing a river. The footprints provide evidence of dinosaurs from a period when no dinosaur bones have been found in Australia. A remarkable Early Jurassic record has been hiding in plain sight for 20 years on a slab of rock displayed at a high school in Biloela, Australia, according to a new study. While researchers knew the 1.5-meter-long (about 5-foot-long) slab was around 200 million years old and home to an abundance of visible dinosaur footprints, the significance of the fossil remained unclear. Now, a team of paleontologists studying the rock's surface has found 66 fossilized footprints from 47 individual dinosaurs belonging to the ichnospecies Anomoepus scambus. Ichnospecies are organisms identified only through trace fossils, or fossils that are of impressions they leave, such as footprints, rather than the actual organisms. The discovery represents one of the highest concentrations of dinosaur footprints per square meter ever documented in the country, and it provides an 'unprecedented snapshot' of the abundance of dinosaurs during the Early Jurassic, a period during which no dinosaur bones have been uncovered in Australia, according to a news release from The University of Queensland. The findings were published in the journal Historical Biology on March 10. The fact that this fossil slipped under the radar for decades isn't surprising, said lead study author Dr. Anthony Romilio, a paleontologist and research associate with the university's Dinosaur Lab. 'Fossil dinosaur footprints tend to be vastly under-rated even by many (paleontologists),' Romilio said in an email. But in Australia, since the oldest fossilized dinosaur bones come from the Middle Jurassic, about 160 million years ago, 'footprint fossils are the only direct evidence our country has of the types of dinosaurs we had here (during earlier times),' Romilio said. What's more, the slab provides a rare glimpse into the behavior and activity of a dinosaur that has only been described by its footprints found in various parts of the world, experts say. Dinosaur footprints from Early Jurassic By using advanced 3D imaging and light filters, Romilio was able to uncover hidden details in the stone slab, revealing the multitude of footprints and other features such as the direction in which the animals that made the tracks were headed. The 66 fossilized footprints, which range in size from about 5 centimeters to 20 centimeters (about 2 to 8 inches) in length, reveal that the dinosaurs had likely been crossing a river or going up and down the length of a river, Romilio said. Since there are no ripple marks on the surface of the rock, it is difficult to tell the river flow's direction, but the tracks clearly show the dinosaurs walking in two directions, he added. Through his analysis, Romilio found a total of 13 sequences of footprints that belonged to 13 dinosaurs that made the trackways. The remaining footprints, coming to a total of 34, were classified as isolated footprints, accounting for the 47 total individuals. The dinosaurs that made the tracks would have had legs ranging from 15 to 50 centimeters (about 6 to 20 inches) in length along with a chunky body and short arms, Romilio said. Although trace fossils are often overlooked because they are more common than dinosaur bones, they can 'provide a huge amount of information when they're properly analyzed,' said Dr. Paul Olsen, a paleontologist and Arthur D. Storke Memorial Professor of Earth & Environmental Sciences at Columbia University. Olsen, who has studied Anomoepus, was not involved with this new study. '(Footprints) provide information about animals that were present even though we don't have the bones … They're really like a parallel dataset that allows us to track, pun intended, what's going on when the bones are rare. That's why they're so important,' Olsen said. From what is known about the other tracks that have been found across parts of the US, Europe, Africa and China, A. scambus was a three-toed, two-legged dinosaur that belonged to the ornithischian family, which includes other plant-eating dinosaurs such as duckbills and triceratops, and had beaks at the front of their mouths with grinding teeth, Olsen said. These new footprints, which preserve a lot of anatomical detail, further support that 'small ornithischian dinosaurs achieved a global distribution by the beginning of the Jurassic Period,' he added. Hidden in plain sight The study authors also analyzed two other instances of trace fossils that were found in unexpected locations. They found that a 2,000-kilogram (about 4,400-pound) boulder used as a parking lot entry marker at the Callide mine near Biloela had two distinct footprints left by a slightly larger dinosaur. And a third rock from a personal collection (in use as a bookend) had a single footprint. The rock slab located at the high school was also originally from the Callide Mine, which is an open-cut mine, meaning that the overlying rock is removed to get to the coal underneath, Romilio explained. During the extraction of the overlying rock, which spans many miles and dates to the Early Jurassic period, fossil footprints such as these can be found. 'There are definitely many more fossils occurring there,' Romilio said. 'Whether they are spotted in time, or whether it is safe to pick them up is another thing entirely. We are just lucky that these and some others have been spotted, recovered and available for people like me to study them and share the findings.'
Yahoo
17-03-2025
- Science
- Yahoo
66 Dinosaur Footprints Were Discovered at a School
A single boulder at a regional school in central Queensland was hiding 66 fossilized footprints in plain sight. Researchers that 47 individual dinosaurs made marks on the boulder, which originally came from a nearby mine and was given to a local high school. The boulder sat in the open for 20 years until curious community members contacted experts at the University of Queensland. A boulder siting in a Queensland, Australia, high school foyer turned out to have one of the richest treasure troves of natural history in the entire country. As a University of Queensland (UQ) researcher recently confirmed, that boulder housed one of the highest concentrations of dinosaur footprints ever documented in Australia. The rock—originally pulled from the Callide Mine near Biloela and donated to the school—has sat in the school's foyer for over 20 years. 'The footprints are from 47 individual dinosaurs which passed across a patch of wet, white clay, possibly walking along or crossing a waterway,' Anthony Romilio, paleontologist in UQ's Dinosaur Lab, said in a statement from the university. 'It's an unprecedented snapshot of dinosaur abundance, movement, and behavior from a time when no fossilized dinosaur bones have been found in Australia.' Each of the 66 total prints features three toes, indicating they belong to the ichnospecies Anomoepus scambus—a small dinosaur with legs ranging in length from six to 20 inches. Based on the tracks, Romilio estimates the animals were moving at less than four miles per hour when crossing the area of the boulder. 'Evidence from skeletal fossils overseas tells us dinosaurs with feet like these were plant eaters with long legs, a chunky body, short arms, and small head with a beak,' Romilio said. The community was unknowingly walking the collection of Early Jurassic period fossils every day, until Romilio's work defining dinosaur tracks was made public via a nearby Mount Morgan project. Someone in the community saw similarities in the tracks at the school and contacted him to flag the boulder for further examination. Romilio used advanced 3D imaging and light filters to reveal hidden details in the footprints. The search also led him to discover other fossilized tracks in the area—one on a rock used as a bookend and a set on a 2.2-ton boulder (sitting in the open at the Callide Mine parking lot) that featuring two distinct footprints left by a slightly larger dinosaur. 'As I'm driving into the car park,' Romilio told Agence France-Presse, 'I see one of those car park boulders to stop cars from driving on the lawn. And it's got this clear-as-day dinosaur fossil. My jaw dropped when I saw that.' Romilio published a study in Historical Biology chronicling how, until now, only a single track had been found from the sandstones of the Callide Basin. 'With no dinosaurian osteological record from Australia's Early Jurassic, these footprints provide valuable evidence for the presence, abundance, and behavior of ornithischian dinosaurs in the region,' he wrote in the study. 'Significant fossils like this can sit unnoticed for years, even in plain sight,' Romilio said. 'It's incredible to think that a piece of history this rich was resting in a schoolyard all this time.' You Might Also Like The Do's and Don'ts of Using Painter's Tape The Best Portable BBQ Grills for Cooking Anywhere Can a Smart Watch Prolong Your Life?
Yahoo
12-03-2025
- Science
- Yahoo
Dinosaur footprints unknowingly displayed in a high school for 20 years
A large boulder used as decoration in a rural Australian high school's foyer is actually covered in dinosaur footprints—it just took around 20 years for anyone to notice. After examining the ancient rock, paleontologists at the University of Queensland's Dinosaur Lab believe the stone features one of the country's highest concentrations of fossilized footprints. These tiny tracks were created by dozens of small, two-legged herbivores during the early Jurassic period. The team describes their findings in a study published on March 10 in the journal Historical Biology. Eastern Australia's Biloela State High School is located near the Callide Coal Mine. Workers at this largescale operation often blow up rock formations to reach their payloads. Around 20 years ago, a geologist working at the site took note of a rock formation dotted with what looked like chicken footprints—albeit chickens with three instead of the standard four or five toes. The geologist extracted the rock before the area was slated for mining, and donated it to Bioela State High School where his wife taught. For years, the boulder greeted students and faculty as a symbol of the area's geologic history. However, following local media attention on newly discovered dinosaur fossils in the area in 2021, the school decided to ask for an expert's closer inspection of the rock from the coal mine. University of Queensland paleontologist Anthony Romilio paid a visit to Biloela State High School, where he quickly realized the slab's significance. In the new study, Romilio and colleagues documented a total of 66 fossilized footprints from 47 separate dinosaurs, all within a roughly three-square-foot section of the rock. 'It's a huge number of dinosaurs, and it's the highest number found in a single slab in Australia,' Romilio told NBC News. After analyzing casts made of the footprints, the team determined they belonged to Anomoepus scambus, a plant-eating dinosaur that existed during the early Jurassic period about 200 million years ago. A. scambus was a comparatively small animal, with a leg height ranging from around 10 centimeters to just over one foot. Speaking with the Australian Broadcasting Corporation, Romilio explained discoveries like the one at Bioela State High School serve as a reminder of how important it is for mining operations to proceed carefully in their work. 'When you have an industry like open-pit mining the general assumption is that you won't be able to extract and preserve dinosaur footprints because the process [to mine] is quite destructive,' he said on March 11. 'That's another idea that's been shattered because we can get these amazing fossils.'
