Scientists in Mongolia uncover behemoth dinosaur footprint

One of the biggest dinosaur footprints ever found has been uncovered in the middle of a Mongolian desert, researchers say.

A joint expedition from Japanese and Mongolian palaeontologists unearthed the 106cm-long footprint, believed to have been left by a titanosaur.

The cast would have been made when sand poured into the cavity made by the dinosaur treading on muddy ground, AFP reports.

The find was made in August but only reported in recent days.

"This is a very rare discovery as it’s a well-preserved fossil footprint that is more than a metre long with imprints of its claws," a statement from Okayama University of Science read.

Titanosaur was a long-necked herbivore reaching up to 30m in length and capable of eating from 20m-high trees.

The massive Cretaceous-era creatures were widespread, with fossil remains found on every continent including Australia and Antarctica.

The footprint is estimated at between 70 and 90 million years old.

Researchers believe the discovery could shed light on how dinosaurs walked.