70-million-year-old dinosaur footprints discovered in Egypt's eastern desert
70-million-year-old dinosaur footprints discovered in Egypt's eastern desert
Many footprints 'of different sizes and depths' were found by researchers at Cairo University, for the first time in Egypt's eastern desert.
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The footprints were found on the surface of Egypt's Nubian sandstone layers [Getty]
Dinosaur prints dating back 70 million years have been discovered in Egypt's eastern desert, the Cairo University announced on Monday.
A research team - including faculty members at the university - discovered the footprints of carnivorous and herbivorous dinosaurs on the surfaces of Egypt's Nubian sandstone layers, Mohamed Othman Elkosht, president of Cairo University, revealed.
"Many footprints of different sizes and depth[s]" were found, according to the university, as researchers - who began their work in 2018 - used mathematical equations and specialised programs to identify the weights and lengths of the dinosaurs the footprints belonged to.
Some of the dinosaurs were estimated to weigh at least 500 kilograms.
According to research findings, the dinosaurs lived in what is known as the Upper Cretaceous period - an era that remains shrouded in mystery - which began around 100 million years ago and ended around 66 million years ago.
Elkosht described the discovery as an important contribution to Egyptian heritage and one of most important revelations in the Eastern Desert, which could fuel tourism and generate great economic and cultural value for the country.
Dinosaur footprints found in Egypt’s Eastern Desert.https://t.co/qhPsHyajrk pic.twitter.com/2HJb3PARdB
— CairoScene (@CairoScene) February 6, 2022
The research team consisted of two Cairo University assistant professors, Walid Gamal Kassab and Mohamed Qarni, working in the department of geology.
The third and final researcher, Jubaili Abu al-Khair, was an assistant Professor in the Faculty of Science at the New Valley University in Egypt's New Valley governorate.
In May 2017, a dinosaur species named Chenanisaurus Barbaricus was discovered in a Moroccan phosphate mine and was believed to have been one of the last dinosaurs living in Africa before their extinction towards the end of the Cretaceous era.
The species was noted as being from the Abelisaur family of dinosaurs, which were among the top predators in Africa, South America, India, and Europe during the curious period.
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