Published: Less than 30 min ago
Footprints from a giant reptile that lived about 113 million years ago have been found in a dried-up river that runs through Dinosaur Valley State Park in Texas, according to local authorities.
The images posted on Facebook show three-toed footprints following a tree-lined riverbed in the southern state.
“The excessive drought during the summer caused the river to dry up completely in most places, allowing more tracks to be revealed here in the park,” said Stephanie Salinas Garcia, with the Texas Department of Conservation.
– Under normal conditions, the tracks are under water and usually filled with sediment, which makes them less visible, she continues.
Just as the name suggests, these are not the only dinosaur tracks found in the park. The area was once on the edge of an ancient sea, and the dinosaurs left footprints in the mud.
Among the latest finds are the footprints of Acrocanthosaurus, a dinosaur that weighed almost seven tons when fully grown and stood about 4.5 meters tall.
Traces of the Sauroposeidon dinosaur have also been found in the park. It weighed 44 tons and was roughly 18 meters high.
As rain is on the way, it is likely that the new tracks will be buried again.