14 May 2025 The Future is the Product of the Past

World’s Smallest Stegosaurus Track Found

The smallest trace of stegosaurus in the world that lived 155 million years ago was found. Stegosaurus, a herbivorous dinosaur, draws attention with its large and slow size. The smallest stegosaurus fossil track in the world will provide new information about this dinosaur species.

The most complete stegosaurus skeleton ever found was displayed in the World Hall of the Natural History Museum in December 2014. The world’s smallest stegosaurus fossil found in China’s Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region will renew information about this dinosaur species.

A group of international paleontologists said in a newly published article that they found the smallest stegosaurus trace in the world in the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region. The track measures 5.7 cm long.

This discovery will help scientists better understand the diversity of dinosaur fauna from 145 million to 66 million years ago in Xinjiang from the Cretaceous period, as well as the growth of stegosaurus and related ancient environmental information.

A track left by a juvenille stegosaurus discovered in Xinjiang Ugyur autonomous region. The track measures 5.7 centimeters. [Photo: China Daily]
A track left by a juvenile stegosaurus discovered in Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region. The track measures 5.7 centimeters. [Photo: China Daily]
The stegosaurus that made this track smaller was estimated to be about 1 meter long, the size of a typical juvenile. The track is only 15 percent the size of common footprints made by stegosaurus that lived in Xinjiang tens of millions of years ago.

Scientists such as Xing Lida, associate professor at the China University of Geosciences, and Martin Lockley from the University of Colorado reported on the fossil trail in an essay published in the Palaios sedimentary geology journal.

A track left by an adult stegosaurus. [Photo provided to China Daily]
A track left by an adult stegosaurus. [Photo: China Daily]

Stegosaurus’s brain was as big as a sausage

Stegosaurus was seen especially in western North America in the late Jurassic period about 150.8 to 155.7 million years ago. Stegosaurus is a large herbivorous dinosaur. Its size is about the size of a bus. It had two rows of bony plates on its back, making the stegosaurus even bigger.

Despite its huge size, Stegosaurus has a very small brain. So, Kenneth Carpenter, an armored dinosaur expert, director of the USU Eastern Prehistoric Museum in Utah, said about the stegosaurus’s brain, “it was long thought to be the size of a walnut, but it actually had the size and shape of a bent hot dog.”

Related Articles

Two mysterious stone balls were found buried in a tomb dating to 3500 BC in Orkney

2 September 2021

2 September 2021

In Orkney, archaeologists discovered two carved stone balls in a tomb dating from 3500 BC. Archaeologists are on-site at Tresness,...

Sacred Hill of Moon God Sin “Sogmatar”

23 June 2022

23 June 2022

Sogmatar, Şanlıurfa is 53 kilometers from Harran. It is located in Yağmurlu village, where there are important springs in the...

4,000-Year-Old Lion Jaw Bone Unearthed in Kültepe

14 September 2021

14 September 2021

Excavations continue in Kültepe, the starting point of Anatolian written history. During the excavations, a 4,000-year-old lion jawbone was unearthed....

The Latest Surprises Revealed by Investigations Inside the Tomb of Cerberus in Giugliano

24 July 2024

24 July 2024

The latest surprise revealed by investigations at the Tomb of Cerberus in Giugliano: The remains of a corpse covered with...

Rare Hittite bracelet, 3300 years old, found by a farmer

28 March 2022

28 March 2022

A farmer in Turkey’s Çorum province discovered a rare 3,300-year-old ancient bracelet from the Hittite era while plowing his farm....

Hebrew University Archaeologists have Unveiled 7,000-year-old Seal İmpressions

10 June 2021

10 June 2021

Israeli archaeologists unveiled a 7,000-year-old clay seal impression used for commerce and protection of property, the Hebrew University of Jerusalem...

In the “Siberian Valley of the Kings”, archaeologists have discovered a burial mound containing ornate treasures dating back 2,500 years

20 January 2022

20 January 2022

A Polish-Russian team of archaeologists, excavating in the “Siberian Valley of the Kings” have announced the discovery of a burial...

Spectacular ancient mosaic found in Paphos, Cyprus

21 July 2021

21 July 2021

During the excavations carried out on Fabrika Hill in Kato Paphos, Cyprus, an ancient mosaic floor belonging to the Hellenistic...

For the first time, a Viking Age grave rich in artifacts has been found in Norway’s capital city, Oslo

23 December 2022

23 December 2022

A Viking Age grave rich in artifacts has been discovered for the first time in Norway’s capital city, Oslo. The...

Saudi Archaeologists have discovered a pre-Islamic Musnad inscription and a bronze bullhead

18 February 2023

18 February 2023

Saudi archaeologists have discovered the longest pre-Islamic Musnad inscription -of the ancient south Arabian script- and three gold rings and...

Jordan Valley Reveals Earliest Cotton Use in the Ancient Near East

18 December 2022

18 December 2022

During excavations at Tel Tsaf, a 7,000-year-old town in the Jordan Valley, Israeli archaeologists discovered the earliest evidence of cotton...

Remains of a 12-year-old boy wearing a bronze warrior belt found in Pontecagnano

6 July 2021

6 July 2021

The remains of a 12-year-old boy wearing a bronze warrior belt were found at Pontecagnano, an outpost of the pre-Roman...

A 4000-Year-Old Seal Found in the prehistoric coastal site of Kalba on the Gulf of Oman

5 April 2024

5 April 2024

Archaeologists discovered a Gulf-type seal made of soft stone dating to the end of the third millennium BC at Kalba,...

As a result of an operation in western Turkey, 4 skulls belonging to the Jivaro tribe of South American origin were seized

14 December 2021

14 December 2021

In the operation held in the Aliağa district of İzmir, 400 historical artifacts belonging to various periods were seized, including...

Nineteen Ancient Tombs from the 4th Century BC Unearthed in Padula, Campania

8 February 2025

8 February 2025

In Padula, located in the Campania region of southern Italy, authorities announced the remarkable discovery of nineteen ancient tombs during...