我国三峡地区发现的已知最古老足迹化石, 使远古动物开启步行时代前推到了5.51亿年前, 为两侧对称动物在晚前寒武纪末就已出现提供了依据, 也为寒武纪生命大爆发可能开启于寒武纪前提供了有意义的信息。这一发现进一步提高了足迹化石在研究古老动物行为和了解重大生物事件所具有的价值。

The known oldest footprint fossils discovered in the Three Gorges area, China have pushed ancient animals’ walking to 551 million years ago, providing evidence for the emergence of bilaterally symmetrical animals at the end of the Precambrian. It also provided meaningful information for the Cambrian explosion that may have begun before the Cambrian. This finding further enhances the value of footprint fossils in studying ancient animal behavior and understanding major biological events.