Fossilized Dinosaur Footprint Sets Record With Massive 3.5ft Length

Researchers have discovered one of the largest fossilized dinosaur footprints in existence, with it measuring about 42-inches in length and 30-inches in width. The discovery was made in Mongolia's Gobi Desert by researchers from Mongolian and Japanese institutions who were on a joint project. According to these researchers, the footprint may have come from a herbivorous long-necked titanosaur, a massive dinosaur that may have been more than sixty feet tall and nearly one hundred feet long.

Given its measurements, the footprint is a record-breaker inside of Mongolia, being the largest thus far discovered dinosaur footprint in the Gobi Desert. As you can tell from the photo above, the footprint exists in the form of a cast rather than the indentation we tend to think of in regards to footprints; this is due to sand having filled in the indentation left by the dinosaur.

In a statement to The Japan Times, Okayama University's Shinobu Ishigaki said the team — which includes researchers with the Mongolian Academy of Sciences — is on the hunt for any dinosaur remains that may be located in this general region.

Researchers are particularly excited about the discovery because of the level of detail it offers — while other large footprints have been found preserved in other countries, this one in the Gobi Desert features nail indentations. Thanks to that extra detail, the fossilized cast will help paleontologists determine how these massive dinosaurs walked.