Giant Footprints Discovered in China

Various, mysterious "death pits" have been discovered by archaeologists and studied by scientists in a present day location known as the Gobi desert. The original "death pit" was initially discovered nearly a decade ago, and more recently, an additional two have been unearthed. The expeditionary teams involved have distinguished the skeletal remains that once belonged to a small species of dinosaur, or genus known as theropod. However, recent studies curiously attempt to determine whether these "death pits" were naturally positioned in the landscape, or if the pits are actually giant footprints.

Assuming the giant footprints theory is accurate, what species of dinosaur is capable of imprinting the earth accordingly? A sauropod known as Mamenchisaurus existed relatively close to the era and has been estimated to succeed 12 tons in weight, and 80 feet in length. Naturally, this amount of mass proves more than enough to imprint the region that was previously characterized as a marshy wetland during the Jurassic period. The theropods discovered within were merely 3-4 feet tall raptors. An imprint imposed upon the earth, and leaving a depth of roughly 7 feet, would prove excessively difficult to escape considering the size. For those interested in obtaining a picture to determine the size of the Mamenchisaurus, I have included a link directly below.

http://www.enchantedlearning.com/subjects/dinosaurs/dinos/Mamenchisaurus.shtml

At 160 million years old, the skeletal remains of nearly two dozen species were discovered within. Luckily, for the respective scientists conducting the research, the discovery remains extremely beneficial. The small raptor remains found inside the supposed foot prints are extremely difficult to find and research. Naturally, various small species resided near the bottom of the food chain and the corpses were typically dismantled piece by piece. Additionally, small bone fragments are less likely to exist 160 million years later. The associated discoveries will allow further studies regarding the species and enable a more accurate interpretation of their lifestyle and roles in the ecosystem.

National Geographic News (2010). Dinosaur "death pits" created by giant footprints? Retrieved Jan 21, 2010 from http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2010/01/100119-dinosaur-fossil-death-pits-footprints/

Enchanted Learning. All about dinosaurs (2009). Retrieved Jan 21, 2010