Unique, Chinese Dinosaur Footprints Fossil Named 'Nobita' From Doraemon Cartoon Movie

JAKARTA - The fossilized footprints of a new dinosaur species discovered in China last year were named 'Eubrontes nobitai', in honor of 'Nobita', an important character in the popular Japanese cartoon and animation Doraemon.

Xing Lida, professor at the China University of Geosciences in Beijing, named the fossil somewhat resembling a swimming goldfish. He told Kyodo News the Doraemon film featuring dinosaurs was "very good."

"The films, 'Nobita's Dinosaur' in 1980 and 'Nobita's New Dinosaur' in 2020, have also made 'many children love dinosaurs,' Xing said, adding Doraemon is 'one of the common childhood memories for those born in China in the 1980s, citing Kyodo News July 8.

The fossil was discovered in July 2020 in China's southwestern province of Sichuan. The three fat fingers were lined up tightly and the distance between the four footprints was about 50 centimeters.

The length of the sole is about 30 cm, and the body length is estimated to be almost 4 meters. The fossil has been recognized as being related to a new species of carnivorous dinosaur Eubrontes in the Cretaceous. The minutes were published on Monday this week.

Xing said he sent the fossil replicas to the Tokyo National Museum and production company Fujiko Pro Co. The late Fujiko F. Fujio (1933-1996) was one of the two great Japanese cartoonists who created Doraemon.

One of the replicas is scheduled to be published in a museum in Tokyo's Ueno district from November 30.

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To note, Doraemon, the beloved blue robot cat who travels from the 22nd century to the present day to help the clumsy elementary school boy Nobita, first appeared in manga format in 1969 and has been turned into movies and video games as well as an animated series.