SHENYANG, March 16, 2022 (BSS/XINHUA) - After studying a set of dinosaur
track fossils and replicas, an international research team on Wednesday
confirmed the discovery of a diverse fauna that contains at least five
dinosaur species in northeast China more than 100 million years ago.

   The finding was published in an article in the journal Cretaceous
Research.

   The dinosaur track site was located in a coal mine in Fuxin City, Liaoning
Province. It closed in 2005 and has been a national mine park since then. In
2006, an international paleontologist group found dinosaur tracks in the
area.

  The authors of the new article, mainly from China, the United States, and
Australia, launched a study on the Fuxin dinosaur track specimens in 2020.
They identified that these tracks, ranging from 10 cm to 29.5 cm in length,
were left by at least five species, including the theropod and ornithopod.

  The differences between these dinosaur track types and sizes show the
diversity level the dinosaurs had reached by the Upper and Lower Cretaceous,
dating back 100 million years, noted the article.

  The first dinosaur track was discovered in the coal mine area in 1960. The
new study adds to scientists' knowledge of the region by adding a more
diverse dinosaur fauna. It also suggests that Fuxin in northeast China may
have more tracking potential than previously supposed, said lead author Xing
Lida, an associate professor with the China University of Geosciences.