The Mystical dorm room was cloaked in a dark stillness. It almost looked like a photograph frozen in time. In one corner of the room was a cardboard poster. Its unmoving shadow hung against the wall. Suddenly, the shadow moved a few millimeters and fluttered haphazardly in the wind.
Felix entered the room via a portal. He was smiling from cheek to cheek, “Who would have thought that a 100,000-million-year-old dinosaur footprints would be found in a restaurant? Our trip to Leshan in the Sichuan province of China was a success!”
“But which dinosaur did the footprints belong to?” said Verum, following Felix into the room.
“They belonged to two sauropods. Sauropods are a type of dinosaur that lived during the Cretaceous Period about 145 million years to 66 million years ago,” replied Felix, “It was the last period of dinosaurs. Scientists believe that an asteroid struck the Earth towards the end of the Cretaceous period. It led to the extinction of the dinosaurs.”
“Have you heard of the brontosaurus? It’s a dinosaur with a long neck and tail,” added Orak, “It’s a species of the sauropods. They are believed to be the largest animals to walk the Earth.”
“You’re right, Orak!” said Felix, “According to paleontologist Lida Xing, the footprints belonged to a dinosaur of about 26 feet in length. Isn’t that massive?”
A paleontologist is a scientist who studies fossils to learn about the history of life on earth. Fossils are remains of ancient animals or plants preserved in rock. They help us understand clues from the past.
“Whoa,” said Scorch with her mouth hanging open.
“Xing’s team tried to reach the spot within 48 hours,” said Felix, “In China, there is a drive towards constant development, which has made studying fossils more difficult. But Xing and her team managed to reach the restaurant in Leshan in time before further construction could begin. In fact, the restaurant owner closed off the area with the footprint to not disturb it.”
“That’s a necessary precaution to take,” agreed Verum.