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 04 July 2008 23:04 BST

First dinosaur tracks found in Arabian Peninsula

Wednesday, 21 May 2008 08:29
Ornithopod dinosaur track found in Yemen
Scientists have discovered the first dinosaur tracks on the Arabian Peninsula, shedding light on the creatures' habitats.

The tracks were made on a coastal mudflat about 150 million years ago in what is now the Republic of Yemen.

Until now only a few dinosaur fossils have been found in the area. Anne Schulp of the Maastricht Museum of Natural History in the Netherlands described the peninsula as a "blank spot on the map" in terms of dinosaurs.

Researchers behind the discovery say the prints were made by a large ornithopod dinosaur - a large, common plant-eater that walked on its hind legs - as well as a herd of 11 sauropods - long-necked herbivorous dinosaurs that lived in the Jurassic and Cretaceous periods.

The site preserved the footprints of the 12 creatures as they travelled together at the same speed.

"It's rare to see such a big example of a dinosaur herd," said Ms Schulp. "This is interesting social behaviour for reptiles."

The scientists say that although ornithopods and sauropods overlapped in time, it is unusual to find evidence of such a big ornithopod in the late Jurassic.

"This international collaboration provides an exciting new window into evolutionary history from a critically under-sampled region," said palaeontologist Nancy Stevens.

"These track ways help us to assemble a more detailed picture of what was happening on the southern landmasses. It's exciting to see new palaeontological data coming out of Yemen – and I think there is a lot more to discover."
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