Asia’s First Jurassic Amphibian Track: Schoolboy spot leads to fossil first

Rep ese tative
Image
of
a
child
exami i g
a cie t
fossil
footp i ts
p ese ved
i
ock
i
Me tougou,
Beiji g
(AI-ge e ated
image)

I
ea ly
2025,
12-yea -old
Ni
Ji gche
was
out
explo i g
with
his
pa e ts
i
Beiji g’s
Me tougou
dist ict
whe
he
oticed
two
ti y
ma ks
o
a
slab
of
exposed
ock.
Ni
al eady
loved
fossils
a d
k ew
e ough
to
ealise
that
the
st a ge
imp essio s
we e
wo th
a
close
look,
so
he
photog aphed
them
a d
sha ed
the
fi d
o li e.
He
had
o
idea
that
his
casual
discove y
would
eve tually
b i g
p ofessio al
palaeo tologists
to
the
site
a d
eveal
somethi g
scie tists
had
eve
docume ted
i
Asia
befo e.
Associate
p ofesso
Xi g
Lida
of
the
Chi a
U ive sity
of
Geoscie ces
i
Beiji g
saw
the
photog aphs
a d
o ga ised
a
team
to
i vestigate.
Thei
a alysis
showed
that
the
slab
p ese ved
a
fo efoot
a d
hi d-foot
t ack
made
by
a
small
amphibia
oughly
160
millio
yea s
ago,
du i g
the
Middle
Ju assic.
The
a imal
most
likely
belo ged
to
Salama d oidea,
the
g oup
that
i cludes
mode
salama de s,
maki g
Ni’s
fi d
the
fi st
scie tifically
desc ibed
Ju assic
amphibia
t ack
eco d
f om
Chi a
a d
Asia.

Why
the
ti y
t acks
had
eve
bee
eco ded
a ywhe e
i
Asia
befo e

Befo e
this
discove y,
Ju assic
ve teb ate
t ack
eco ds
f om
the
Beiji g
egio
we e
domi ated
by
di osau s
a d
tu tles,
with
o
amphibia
t acks
epo ted.
The
ew
fossil
co sists
of
two
imp essio s
p ese ved
o
a
si gle
slab
ea
Jiulo g
Road
i
Lo gqua
tow ,
Me tougou
dist ict.

Resea che s
i te p eted
them
as
a
co ected
fo efoot-hi d-foot
pai ,
p obably
p oduced
by
the
same
a imal
as
it
moved
ac oss
the
sedime t.
The
bette -p ese ved
fo efoot
measu es
about
1.5
ce timet es
lo g
a d
1.3
ce timet es
wide
a d
shows
fou
sle de ,
poi ted
digits
a a ged
i
a
fa -like
patte .
The
hi d-foot
imp essio
is
less
clea ly
p ese ved
a d
co tai s
five
i disti ct
digit
t aces.
Thei
elative
size,
spaci g
a d
o ie tatio
suppo t
the
i te p etatio
that
the
two
imp essio s
we e
p oduced
by
the
same
a imal.

How
esea che s
ide tified
the
t acks
as
belo gi g
to
a
salama de -like
amphibia

To
ext act
as
much
detail
as
possible
f om
ma ks
ba ely
la ge
tha
a
fi ge ail,
the
esea ch
team
used
photog ammet ic
th ee-dime sio al
modelli g
to
build
high- esolutio
digital
eco st uctio s
of
the
t acks,
allowi g
them
to
exami e
subtle
su face
featu es.
The
fi di gs
we e
fo mally
published
i
the
pape

Possible
caudata
t acks
f om
the
Middle
Ju assic
Yaopo
Fo matio
i
Beiji g,
Chi a
i
the
pee – eviewed
jou al

Ich os.
Afte
compa i g
the
mo phology
of
the
imp essio s
with
k ow
amphibia
t acks,
the
esea che s
co cluded
that
the
t ackmake
most
likely
belo ged
to
Salama d oidea,
a
g oup
that
i cludes
mode
salama de s
a d
elated
tailed
amphibia s.
The
t acks
come
f om
the
Middle
Ju assic
Yaopo
Fo matio ,
a
coal-bea i g
geological
u it
i
the
Me tougou
a ea
that
has
also
yielded
pla t
fossils
i cludi g
fe s,
gi kgoes
a d
cycads.
Take
togethe ,
the
evide ce
i dicates
that
small,
la d-adapted
amphibia s
lived
i
what
esea che s
i te p et
as
a
lake-swamp
e vi o me t
i
the
egio
oughly
160
millio
yea s
ago.

Why
Ni’s
discove y
shows
how
amateu
fossil
hu te s
ca
co t ibute
to
scie ce

The
discove y
bega
ot
with
a
p ofessio al
fossil
su vey
but
with
a
schoolboy
who
oticed
somethi g
u usual
i
a
exposed
ock
su face.
Afte
Ni
sha ed
photog aphs
of
the
specime
o li e,
Xi g
Lida
became
awa e
of
the
fi d
a d
led
the
subseque t
i vestigatio .
Xi g
has
desc ibed
the
discove y
as
a
example
of
public
pa ticipatio
i
paleo tological
esea ch,
pa ticula ly
highlighti g
how
you g
fossil
e thusiasts
ca
co t ibute
to
scie ce
whe
they
pay
close
atte tio
to
geological
exposu es.Fo
scie tists,
the
sig ifica ce
exte ds
beyo d
the
ovelty
of
fi di g
two
ti y
t acks.
The
fossil
p ovides
di ect
evide ce
that
amphibia s
occupied
Middle
Ju assic
la dscapes
i
o the
Chi a
a d
adds
a
p eviously
missi g
compo e t
to
the
egio ‘s
ve teb ate
t ack
eco d.
The
autho s
say
fu the
discove ies
f om
the
Yaopo
Fo matio
could
help
esea che s
eco st uct
the
a ea’s
a cie t
e vi o me t
i
g eate
detail,
i cludi g
the
dive sity
of
a imals
that
i habited
the
pla t- ich
lake
a d
swamp
ecosystems
that
existed
a ou d
160
millio
yea s
ago.

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