AKIPRESS.COM - A team of researchers from Okayama University of Science (OUS) in Japan and the Institute of Paleontology of the Mongolian Academy of Sciences have uncovered fossil footprints of massive plant-eating hadrosaurid dinosaurs from the Cretaceous period, SciNews reports.

One of the footprints is around 92 cm (3 feet) across, making it one of the largest hadrosaurid footprints ever found.

The largest footprint is believed to have belonged to a giant Saurolophus, estimated to exceed 15 m (50 feet) in total body length, surpassing even Tyrannosaurus and Tarbosaurus in size, the paleontologists say.

"Our discovery suggests that one of the largest bipedal animals ever known lived in Mongolia, raising hopes for the discovery of equally massive skeletal remains," they note.

The researchers also discovered a 24-m- (79-foot) long trackway in the Gobi Desert consisting of 13 fossilized footprints, each around 85 cm (2.8 feet) across.

The presence of so many tracks in one place suggests that these dinosaurs may have traveled together in herds.

The site was first discovered during a 2018 expedition, but a recent research trip in June 2024 led by director of the Museum of Dinosaur Research at the Okayama University of Science Shinobu Ishigaki found more tracks.

"The identification of 14 trackways, including one found before 2018, enables the analysis of posture, walking style, speed, and group behavior — details that cannot be inferred from skeletal fossils," Shinobu Ishigaki stated.

Until now, the largest known hadrosaurid skeleton belonged to Shantungosaurus, discovered in Shandong province, China.

However, the latest discoveries in Mongolia suggest the potential for uncovering similarly massive skeletal remains in the region, the researchers believe.

"Our next goal is to uncover the full skeleton of the large Saurolophus responsible for these footprints," Dr. Ishigaki concluded.