Scientific team discovers dinosaur footprints in Jaisalmer desert

Rajasthan: A team of foreign and Indian scientists have discovered the footprints of dinosaurs at Thaiat village in Jaisalmer district, sources said today.

A team of 34 foreign scientists from a number of countries including France and Germany are camping in Jaisalmer to study fossils of dinosaurs that were discovered in sandy desert areas near the city recently.

Dinosaurs’ evolution, extinction, and paleo-bio-genography is the centre of their research related to fossils.

Earlier this week, the team led by Dr Jan Schlogl of Slovakia observed the footprints in one of the basal rocks of Thaiat scarp section and Professor Gregory Pienkowski of Poland identified the footprints as those of Pterosaurs or the flying dinosaur.

“The first footprint was small, only 5 cm long, but perfectly imprinted on the upper surface of a sandstone bed. Its shape and name is clear - it is called Grallator, a specific name given to the footprint, left by a small predatory dinosaur. The footprint maker was no bigger than an hen”, said one of the scientists on the expedition.

However, the second foot print was much bigger - about 30 cms long. Identified as a tridactyl footprint (three toes) it is named Eurontes giganteus and it must have been left by a much bigger creature, the scientist added.

Dr PK Pandey of the Geology Department at University of Rajasthan had already recorded petrosaur bore fragments from the area, earlier.

There is an outcrop of Jurassic rocks Near the Thaiat village on the Jaisalmer-Jodhpur highway. Careful geological observation by the team allowed them to interpret ancient environments in which these rocks (once soft sediments) were deposited, according to Dr Pandey.

It could be imagined that a vast coastal zone of which the Jurassic sea would be encroached some 180 million years ago, he added.

These scientists have come to Rajasthan on the sidelines of the 9th International Congress on The Jurassic System, held between 6-9 January, organised by the Department of Geology, University of Rajasthan in Jaipur.

PTI