Dinosaur footprints 100 million years old found in restaurant in China

A sharp-eyed diner has made an incredible discovery on the floor of a restaurant in China, with researchers confirming the find.

A diner at a restaurant in China has made an incredible discovery – dinosaur footprints dating back 100 million years.

Palaeontologists have confirmed the marks date back to the early Cretaceous period.

They were noticed by Ou Hongtao while he was eating at a restaurant in Leshan, Sichuan province on July 10.

The sharp-eyed diner, who is reportedly interested in palaeontology, spotted “special dents” on the ground in the yard of the restaurant and speculated they could be dinosaur footprints.

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The 100-million-year-old dinosaur footprints were noticed by a palaeontology enthusiast dining at the restaurant. Picture: Lida Xing

A team headed by palaeontologist and associate professor at the China University of Geosciences Dr Lida Xing confirmed that the incredible footprints were made by two sauropods – a dinosaur with an extremely long neck and four thick legs. The dinosaurs are thought to be among the largest land animals to have ever existed.

The two sauropods that left the footprints likely measured about 8m long, according to Dr Xing.

It’s thought the dinosaurs lived in an arid environment near a river about 100 million years ago.

The discovery was made near the Leshan Giant Buddha, an enormous statue carved out of a cliff of red sandstone.

The footprints were preserved in similar sediment that was used to form the Buddha statue.

Researchers rushed to the site to confirm the discovery at the restaurant in China. Picture: Lida Xing

Dr Xing said the Cretaceous period was a time when “dinosaurs really flourished”, CNN reported.

“This discovery is actually like a jigsaw, adding a piece of evidence to Sichuan’s Cretaceous period and the diversity of dinosaurs.”

The study of palaeontology has been complicated in China as the nation rapidly develops, with construction projects destroying countless fossils.

The dinosaur footprints were found in a restaurant in China. Picture: Lida Xing

“It’s rare to find fossils in the city, because they were all covered by buildings,” Dr Xing said.

Teams are rapidly sent to investigate potential discoveries as sites can be “destroyed by construction work in days”.

This discovery was saved thanks to a decision by the restaurant owner to leave the ground untouched.

The owner reportedly preferred the look of the natural stone, deciding not to cover it with cement.

Before it was a restaurant, the site housed a chicken farm and the ground was covered in dirt and sand, which likely helped to protect the footprints.