A dinosaur footprint found in Mongolia’s Gobi Desert is among the largest ever discovered, researchers say.

The 106 centimetre-long, 77 centimetre-wide footprint was from a herbivorous dinosaur’s left hind leg, Japan’s Okayama University of Science said in a statement.

The well-preserved fossil is estimated to be 70 to 90 million years old.

A cast of the print was naturally made when the dinosaur’s deep mud tracks filled with sand and silt, which solidified over time like plaster, the university said.

Large dinosaur footprints have previously been found in Morocco and France, but researchers said the Mongolian footprint’s preservation with imprints of claws was “very rare”.

The researchers estimated the dinosaur could have been more than 30 metres long and 20 metres tall.

The discovery was made in August, when the university joined with the Mongolian Academy of Sciences’ Institute of Palaeontology and Geology to survey the desert.

http://www.abc.net.au/news/2016-10-05/dinosaur-footprint-found-in-mongolia-‘among-world’s-largest’/7904714

It weighed about 70 tons.

mollwollfumble said:

It weighed about 70 tons.

I haven’t read the back story but the original would weigh way less than that wouldn’t it?

How do they know it was a herbivorous dinosaur?

Divine Angel said:

How do they know it was a herbivorous dinosaur?

Because it’s a typical sauropod footprint and they are known to have been herbivores (based on their dentition and general morphology).

This illustration shows which foot was responsible:

Bubblecar said:

Divine Angel said:

How do they know it was a herbivorous dinosaur?

Because it’s a typical sauropod footprint and they are known to have been herbivores (based on their dentition and general morphology).

This illustration shows which foot was responsible:

!http://www.abc.net.au/news/image/7904632-3×2-700×467.jpg

I sometimes think there people should be working for the BOM.

Tamb said:

Bubblecar said:

Divine Angel said:

How do they know it was a herbivorous dinosaur?

Because it’s a typical sauropod footprint and they are known to have been herbivores (based on their dentition and general morphology).

This illustration shows which foot was responsible:

!http://www.abc.net.au/news/image/7904632-3×2-700×467.jpg

I sometimes think there people should be working for the BOM.

there = these

Tamb said:

mollwollfumble said:

It weighed about 70 tons.

I haven’t read the back story but the original would weigh way less than that wouldn’t it?

All they’ve found of this one is a footprint :)

But judging by its size it would have been one of the larger sauropods which would have weighed more than 50 tons in real life.

Bubblecar said:

Tamb said:

mollwollfumble said:

It weighed about 70 tons.

I haven’t read the back story but the original would weigh way less than that wouldn’t it?

All they’ve found of this one is a footprint :)

But judging by its size it would have been one of the larger sauropods which would have weighed more than 50 tons in real life.

50, 70 OK. Near enough.

Tamb said:

Bubblecar said:

Tamb said:

I haven’t read the back story but the original would weigh way less than that wouldn’t it?

All they’ve found of this one is a footprint :)

But judging by its size it would have been one of the larger sauropods which would have weighed more than 50 tons in real life.

50, 70 OK. Near enough.

What’s 20 tons between friends eh.

70 is more than 50 :)

poikilotherm said:

Tamb said:

Bubblecar said:

All they’ve found of this one is a footprint :)

But judging by its size it would have been one of the larger sauropods which would have weighed more than 50 tons in real life.

50, 70 OK. Near enough.

What’s 20 tons between friends eh.

In this case, not much. Well within the statistical range.

We might find a VLD when we start construction of the VFT.

That’s still only about as much as a Tiger II tank.

Divine Angel said:

How do they know it was a herbivorous dinosaur?

there was kale in between the toes

Arts said:

Divine Angel said:

How do they know it was a herbivorous dinosaur?

there was kale in between the toes

They found some of its poos which are basically the same composition as vegan sausages.

Bubblecar said:

Arts said:

Divine Angel said:

How do they know it was a herbivorous dinosaur?

there was kale in between the toes

They found some of its poos which are basically the same composition as vegan sausages.

!http://veggies.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2013/02/IMG_0264.jpg

snigger

Bubblecar said:

Arts said:

Divine Angel said:

How do they know it was a herbivorous dinosaur?

there was kale in between the toes

They found some of its poos which are basically the same composition as vegan sausages.

!http://veggies.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2013/02/IMG_0264.jpg

pfft, no wonder they all died

Arts said:

Bubblecar said:

Arts said:

there was kale in between the toes

They found some of its poos which are basically the same composition as vegan sausages.

!http://veggies.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2013/02/IMG_0264.jpg

pfft, no wonder they all died

beaten to death for constantly reminding the other dinosaurs that they were vegan…

I read the header is Very Large Dingo Footprint.

It certainly would be a very large dingo.

Peak Warming Man said:

We might find a VLD when we start construction of the VFT.

I think we’ll have gone the way of the VLDs before they start construction on the VFT.

poikilotherm said:

Tamb said:

Bubblecar said:

All they’ve found of this one is a footprint :)

But judging by its size it would have been one of the larger sauropods which would have weighed more than 50 tons in real life.

50, 70 OK. Near enough.

What’s 20 tons between friends eh.

Another web source says “less than 90 tons”. So yes, “What’s 20 tons between friends”.

I mentioned the weight because it ought to be far easier to calculate the weight of a sauropod from the size of its footprint than to calculate the length or height. The displaced volume will be proportional to the weight, everything else being equal.

mollwollfumble said:

poikilotherm said:

Tamb said:

50, 70 OK. Near enough.

What’s 20 tons between friends eh.

Another web source says “less than 90 tons”. So yes, “What’s 20 tons between friends”.

I mentioned the weight because it ought to be far easier to calculate the weight of a sauropod from the size of its footprint than to calculate the length or height. The displaced volume will be proportional to the weight, everything else being equal.

?

“less than 90 tons”, “more than 50 tons” and “about 70 tons” are all completely consistent answers.