The Dinosaur Valley State Park was like a prehistoric highway in the early Cretaceous Period.
A set of dinosaur tracks were recently found at the Dinosaur Valley State Park in Texas as a result of the receding floods, despite this summer’s terrible droughts that uncovered dead remains and sunken Nazi ships.
A film made by the Friends of Dinosaur Valley State Park claims that the enormous footprints, which were once hidden by muck, silt, and shallow water due to a drought that has caused the Paluxy River to dry up, were just discovered.
The footprints are thought to have been created by a theropod since each one has three firmly embedded claw marks. Tyrannosaurus rex and Allosaurus were among this diverse group of bipedal dinosaurs.
But these fresh tracks were probably made by an Acrocanthosaurus, a huge carnivore that roamed what is now North America between 113 and 110 million years ago. The footprints of this type of dinosaur, which were easily over 30 centimeters (one foot) from heel to claw, attest to their huge size. This species of dinosaur could reach lengths of up to 11 meters (36 feet).
Early in the Cretaceous Period, the Dinosaur Valley State Park resembled a prehistoric thoroughfare. Theropods and sauropods, the four-legged beasts noted for their long noodle necks, left their footprints at five major sites in the area, which is located close to the modern Texas city of Glen Rose.
Following a significant flood on the Paluxy River that exposed the fossilized impressions, the tracks were initially found in 1909. Paleontologists initially only observed the three-toed theropod prints, but it soon became clear that the location also contained the first clearly identifiable sauropod footprints ever discovered.
Many of these footprints have been found and documented here over the past century, however the tracks are only sporadically visible depending on the river’s water level. Considering how dry Texas is right now, more footprints than usual have been found along the riverbed.
Texas is experiencing record high temperatures and a significant lack of rain this summer. According to reports, a quarter of the state is experiencing a “exceptional drought,” the most serious category, and a further 62 percent is dealing with a “extreme drought.”
This week, the state has started to see heavy rain. Even though rain may seem like a good thing, the recent dry weather has left much of the ground parched and unable to absorb water, increasing the risk of flash flooding.
It is now unknown if these incredibly well-preserved tracks will survive the flood.
Leave a Reply