A man from eastern Arizona uncovered hundreds of fossilized footsteps on his property that are believed to date back more than 240 million years.
James Lang of Snowflake, Arizona, spent more than five years uncovering slabs of rock across his property containing the preserved footprints of the chirotherium, an archosaur (giant lizard) that predates the dinosaurs, according to AZ Family.
“They’re big reptiles, but it’s called chirotherium because it looks like a hand. So ‘chiro’ means hand. ‘Therium’ means monster or beast,” Lang told the outlet.
He apparently purchased the property sight unseen and was hoping for a relaxing retirement after moving from Chicago. He discovered the footprints sticking out of the ground during a walk and brought in paleontologists from the New Mexico Museum of Natural History and Science.
Eastern Arizona man finds hundreds of tracks that predate dinosaurs on his property https://t.co/IpwMCBxGGr pic.twitter.com/s50rOimIA4
— azfamily 3TV CBS 5 (@azfamily) July 18, 2024
“It is the most extensive and well-preserved footprint locality of its age in North America, which makes it one of the best in the world,” said Spencer Lucas, who coordinated the project between the museum and Lang. “The only sites that I think are a little bit better are a couple that are in Germany.”
Lucas also coauthored a paper on the tracks, and Lang hopes to keep finding more while sending the ones he has to museums. (RELATED: Paleontologists Unearth New Dinosaur Species With Unique Skills)
“I’ve got a friend I grew up with since first grade whose grandson out in California has been following along. I’ve been sending them pictures. I sent him some tracks. He’s just online away. I thought, wow, if he’s going to be the next paleontologist, I thought that’s pretty cool,” Lang told the outlet.
Let’s pray Lang’s dream comes true, and he inspires the next generation to dig for their own dinosaurs.
