Due to lack of water, previously hidden dinosaur footprints likely to be around 113 million years old have come to light in a dried-up riverbed, an official said on Tuesday. a park in Texas, USA.
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These deep traces were previously buried, filled with sediment and covered with water — which helped in their preservation.
AFP
“Due to excessively dry conditions this summer, the river has dried up completely in most places, which has revealed new tracks in the park,” said Stephanie Salinas Garcia, of the Department in charge of parks. and wildlife of Texas.
AFP
Their discovery delighted the employees of this park, located near the city of Dallas and named “Dinosaur Valley” because of the presence of many dinosaur tracks in its enclosure.
It could be one of the longest sequences of dinosaur footprints in the world, according to the caption of these impressive images posted by the park on social networks. We see volunteers helping to clean them in order to better distinguish them.
“Most of the tracks that have recently been discovered at different places on the river in the park were left by an Acrocanthosaurus,” said Stéphanie Salinas Garcia. Adult, this theropod could measure five meters and weigh seven tons.
AFP
The Sauroposeidon is the other species of dinosaurs that left traces in the park, and could measure up to 18 meters high with its long neck and weigh 44 tons as an adult.
“Dinosaur tracks in the park date back 113 million years,” added Stéphanie Salinas Garcia.
AFP
The park opened in 1972 to protect these ancient traces, according to its site.
But the curious will not be able to admire these new prehistoric footsteps for long, because they will soon be covered with water again with the arrival of the rain.