A palaeontologist has identified 66 dinosaur footprints in a large boulder found in a schoolyard in Central Queensland, Australia.
The fossilised tracks are thought to be around 200 million years old and represent one of the highest concentrations of dinosaur footprints per square metre ever recorded in the country.
Originally uncovered in 2002 at Callide Mine near the town of Biloela, the rock was given to the local high school, where it remained for more than two decades, its significance unbeknown to the students, teachers and parents that passed it by almost every day.
But after seeing palaeontologist Dr Anthony Romilio's work on identifying dinosaur tracks in the nearby Mount Morgan gold mine, the community contacted him about the rock.
Romilio's ensuing study, published in the journal Historical Biology, reveals "an unprecedented snapshot of dinosaur abundance, movement and behaviour from a time when no fossilised dinosaur bones have been found in Australia.”
- Dinosaur mass extinction: what caused it and which dinosaurs went extinct?
- Five British dinosaurs you've (probably) never heard of
A Jurassic discovery
“Significant fossils like this can sit unnoticed for years, even in plain sight,” says Romilio, who works at the University of Queensland's Dinosaur Lab.
Romilio explains that the 66 fossilised footprints were left in the Callide Basin in Central Queensland during the Early Jurassic period, around 200 million years ago.
“The footprints are from 47 individual dinosaurs which passed across a patch of wet, white clay, possibly walking along or crossing a waterway.
"Each footprint has 3 toes, indicating they belong to the ichnospecies Anomoepus scambus.
"These dinosaurs were small, with legs ranging from 15 – 50 cm in length and when they left these marks, they were travelling less than 6 km/hr.
"Evidence from skeletal fossils overseas tells us dinosaurs with feet like these were plant eaters with long legs, a chunky body, short arms, and a small head with a beak.
“It’s incredible to think that a piece of history this rich was resting in a schoolyard all this time.”
Using advanced 3D imaging and light filters, Romilio was able to reveal hidden details in the footprints.
- Fossils guide: how they’re formed, where to find them and whether it’s ok to keep them
- Lost photo reveals "surprising" secrets of enormous dinosaur skeleton destroyed by bombs in 1944
And there was more...
It wasn't only the school's rock that had been concealing evidence of dinosaurs, Romilio adds. “Another sample in this study of Callide Basin footprints was also hiding in plain sight – I spotted it being used as a car park entry delineator at Callide Mine.
“This rock is much larger at around 2-tonnes with 2 distinct footprints left by a slightly larger dinosaur walking on 2 legs around 80cm in length.
“Along with a sample from a third rock that is encased in resin and was being used as a bookend, we have gained new insight into the ancient past in this region.”
Find out more about the study: Dinosaur footprints from the Lower Jurassic (Hettangian–Sinemurian) Precipice Sandstone of the Callide Basin, Queensland, Australia
Main image: dinosaur footprints found in rock at school in Biloela, Australia/Dr Anthony Romilio, University of Queensland
More amazing wildlife stories from around the world
- A cute but deadly mammal in Indonesia is about to be saved from extinction – here’s how
- Camera traps reveal formidable animal rampaging through rare monkey puzzle forests in Chile
- Researchers stuck a camera on a baby whale in Hawai'i – they were never expecting to see this
- It lays luminous eggs on the jungle floor and then abandons them with the father – is this nature’s worst mother?
