Fossilized Dinosaur Footprint Site Gain-ri, Namhae (남해 가인리 화석산지)

Description

Gain-ri village in Changseon-myeon, Namhae, Gyeongnam Province, has a primitive fossil site that includes 34 footprints of pterosaurs, or flying dinosaurs. The footprints are deeply imprinted in the wide sheets of rocks arrayed along Dongdaeman Beach. Researchers believe that these enormous footprints belong to a species of huge pterosaur, and visitors can see about 60 smaller footprints that are believed to belong to early humans. The dinosaur footprints and other cretaceous fossils are located along the cape by the shore, so you must time your visit well to see them. According to paleontologists, the footprints are the evidence of three specimens of herbivorous: sauropoda, which walked on two 60 centimeter-long feet; two specimens of ornithopoda, which were also herbivores, that had three toes on each foot; and one specimen of another ornithopod species, a carnivore that had sharp claws and walked on two feet. The layout of the footprints alludes to a situation where the herbivores were walking in a group followed by a carnivore preparing for an attack!

data provided by Korea Tourism Organization