Gigantic dinosaur footprints reappear in Texas

Gigantic dinosaur footprints reappear in Texas

In Texas, drought has almost dried up a river, revealing strange footprints. Dating back to 113 million years ago, these tracks were left by two different types of dinosaurs: Sauroposeidon and Acrocanthosaurus.

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In Texas, the Paluxy River, located in the park Dinosaur Valley, dried up during the summer. And this level of dryness, never reached before, revealed a trail ofdinosaur footprints never discovered until today! It would also be one of the longest in the world! “Under normal river conditions, these new tracks are underwater and are usually filled with sedimentwhich makes them buried and less visible”, explain in a communicated Stephanie Salinas Garcia, of Texas Parks and Wildlife Department.

The size of several human hands, these footprints have been attributed to two different types of dinosaurs that lived 113 million years ago, during the Cretaceous : Acrocanthosaurus and Sauroposeidon. The first, the acrocanthosaurus, is one of the largest theropods that ever existed, it measured up to 11 meters high and weighed up to 7 tons! While the sauroposeidon was part of herbivoreswas up to 18 meters high and 35 meters long, and weighed nearly 44 tons when fully grown.

Footprints soon hidden again under the riverbed

This is not the first time that such footprints have been found in this place. In effect, Dinosaur Valley takes its name from the multiple traces that have been discovered, which showed that the area was previously inhabited by many dinosaurs and located by the sea, allowing the footprints of these giant reptiles to imprint itself in the mud.

“As they will soon be buried again by the rain and the river, the state park of Dinosaur Valley will continue to protect these 113 million year old tracks, not only for present generations, but also for future generations”, said Stephanie Salinas Garcia. And the droughtalthough worrying because of an intensity never seen, could well make it possible to release other secrets buried under the beds of the rivers.

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