These fossil tracks indicate the existence of a species of giant predator 90 million years ago.

Only two fingers were imprinted on the stone. Without a doubt for paleontologistspaleontologists, fossilized footprints discovered at the Longxiang site in China clearly belong to members of the family of birds of prey, those bird-like dinosaurs, the most famous of which is, of course, Velociraptor. These theropods have three long toes on their hind feet, but only two rest on the ground, with the third, located on the inside of the foot, raised to prevent its impressive curved claw from rubbing against the ground.

Traces more than 30 cm long.

Among the 240 tracks found on the site, several have this feature. If certain fingerprints have been assigned velociraptorvelociraptorThe disproportionate size of the five other footprints made paleontologists jump. Because at 36 centimeters long, these are the largest tracks left by a predator known to date. Their analysis made it possible to estimate the extraordinary size of the animal and thus identify a new species called Fujianipus inlangi. Its dimensions would be 1.80 meters high and 4.5 meters long.

What… is that all? Thus, this so-called megaraptor will only reach the size of velociraptors, stars Jurassic Park ? Okay, let’s clear something up. It seems that Steven Spielberg “slightly” exaggerated the size of his velociraptors in his film. In fact, they wouldn’t be much bigger than… a large turkey. Therefore, we better understand the director’s choice and forgive him (almost) for it sprainsprain science because, despite their ferocity, the visual effect would certainly be less impressive.

Dimensions awaiting confirmation by the discovery of fossil bones

If we change our position in the real world, a new Fujianipus inlangi would therefore serve as a monster, thus putting itself on equal footing with a Utahraptor of the same size. Now all that remains is to find fossils of this new species to confirm its size and perhaps reveal its speed capabilities. But researchers are already suggesting that it must have been a fast and agile predator. Dating the geological layer bearing the imprints has already made it possible to date a species that lived about 90 million years ago, at the end Cretaceous periodCretaceous period. These results were published in the journal iScience.