Chinese scientists have discovered fossilised turtle footprints dating back to the Early Cretaceous in Shandong province, leading to the naming of a new turtle group, Zhuchengichnites perfectus.Chinese scientists say they have discovered rare fossilised footprints left during the Early Cretaceous period by turtles living in China’s “dinosaur city”.
The team that uncovered the turtle footprints said they belonged to a previously unknown taxon and named the new turtle group after the city where the footprints were found. Zhucheng, which is home to more than 30 dinosaur fossil sites, is dubbed China’s “dinosaur city”. “The Huanglonggou footprint site in Zhucheng, Shandong province, has preserved a large number of turtle footprints with various forms in the Early Cretaceous,” they wrote.Co-author Chen Shuqing from the Zhucheng centre told a Shandong-based media outlet that the concave footprint with five toes was “among the world’s most well-preserved turtle footprints”.
The earliest scientific report of fossilised turtle footprints was made in 1923. While Mesozoic turtle footprints had since been reported in North America, North Africa and Europe, “many fossils only show more or less obvious claw prints or scratches, and some claw prints are connected by an arched structure”, the team said.
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