BEIJING, Nov. 1 (Xinhua) -- Over 20 new fossils of turtle footprints were recently found at the Huanglonggou fossil site in Zhucheng, east China's Shandong Province, during a field survey carried out by Zhucheng Dinosaur Culture Research Center.
The footprints were found in the middle and upper part of the dinosaur tracks, among which a well-preserved one is identified as a new type of turtle footprint, and is named "Zhuchengichnites perfectus", which means the complete footprint found in Zhucheng City.
It's introduced that the Zhuchengichnites perfectus is a concave footprint with 5 toes, with the length larger than the width and its rock formation can be dated back to the Early Cretaceous Period.
According to the researchers, fewer turtle footprints have been discovered in China than those of dinosaurs, and the study on them is still in the starting stage. Zhuchengichnites perfectus is the most well-preserved turtle footprint fossils found by now, which reflects the biological characteristics of the tracer's feet in a comprehensive manner, providing new references for the study of footprint formation mechanism.
Rich in dinosaur fossil resources, Zhucheng is known as the dinosaur city of China. Since the 1960s, more than 30 dinosaur fossil burial sites have been discovered there, with a burial area of nearly 1,000 square kilometers.
The discovery of the fossils of new turtle footprints was published in the latest issue of Geological Review, one of China's leading geological journals.
(Edited by Gao Jingyan with Xinhua Silk Road, gaojingyan@xinhua.org)
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