This photo taken on June 28, 2022, in the southwestern city of Gwangju, shows a fossil specimen of what is believed to be a new pterosaur footprint assemblage dating back 90 million years that has been moved from the Seoyuri dinosaur fossil site in Hwasun, South Jeolla Province, southwestern South Korea. (Yonhap)
SEOUL, June 30 (Korea Bizwire) — Chonnam National University announced that its team of researchers had discovered the world’s first fossil that proves pterosaurs lived in a herd environment.
The research team discovered fossils with some 350 footprints left by pterosaurs, each 2 to 6 centimeters long, at the Seoyuri dinosaur fossil site in Hwasun, South Jeolla Province. The fossils are from the Cretaceous period.
The footprints were placed as if the pterosaurs were closely packed together and were well-preserved so that the team could differentiate the front and back feet.
The research team argued that pterosaurs lived in herds, regardless of young and old, based on the fact that the sizes of each footprint varied from small to large.
“We were only able to assume based on nest fossils and others that pterosaurs had lived in herds. Now, with the discovery of the footprints, there is evidence that proves for the very first time that pterosaurs lived in herds,” the research team said.
The discovery was published in last week’s edition of the journal ”Scientific Reports.”.
M. H. Lee (mhlee@koreabizwire.com)
