China brothers shocked to learn their rock stepping stones are 190-million-year-old dinosaur fossils

Zoey Zhang
South China Morning Post
Thu, 04 Dec 2025 21:06 UTC

Scientists conduct study in 'home of Chinese dinosaurs', discover that flat rocks with 'chicken claw' prints are from Jurassic period

Two brothers in southwestern China have been shocked to find that rocks they used as simple stepping stones for decades are 190-million-year-old dinosaur footprint fossils.

On November 29, researchers completed a study into dinosaur tracks found decades ago in Wuli village, Sichuan province.

The mainland media then revealed that the rocks have a fascinating backstory.

According to Guangming Daily, while quarrying stone in 1998, the Ding brothers found rocks with "chicken claw prints" and used them as stepping stones.

close up dinosaur tracks china stepping stones

Wuli village, where they lived, is in Zigong city and is known as the "home of Chinese dinosaurs" in the southern Sichuan Basin.

In the 1970s and 1980s, Zigong city gained fame for the Dashanpu Middle Jurassic Dinosaur Fossil Site.

It was home to 200 dinosaur and vertebrate fossils, including rare pterosaurs and dinosaur skin. A dinosaur museum was built at the site.

Zoey Zhang

Zoey Zhang is a multimedia reporter who covers ranges of topics including China culture, education, social trends, and Asian human interest stories. She previously interned with the Post on the video desk over the winter of 2022-2023. She holds a master's degree in Journalism from the University of Hong Kong.