Although Bolivia has long been known as "The Land of Dinosaurs," researchers have made a shocking new discovery. The country is not only home to over 16,000 dinosaur tracks, but also the largest prints ever discovered on Earth.
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Torotoro National Park is home to these footprints, as well as many other landmarks. Some of these include a canyon with walls up to 984 feet deep, and a waterfall with gorgeous natural pools. It's clear that the park has stunning landscapes and attractions. However, its lands are also rich in history that dates back to a time when giant creatures roamed the planet.
Millions of years ago, the region across which the park stretches was also the shoreline of a body of water. This was likely a water hole for dinosaurs that inhabited the area, herbivores and carnivores alike.
The tracks that paleontologists found at Torotoro Park were likely made by creatures walking through wet mud near the water. Years of warm weather likely also cemented their tracks into the ground. Since the area is located near the Andes Mountains, this likely caused tectonic uplift, transforming the layer of tracks into an obvious floor. The combination of the mountains, years of cemented footprints, and specific soil conditions made these so easy to find.
The Conditions at the Time Were Perfect for Fossil Making
Richard Butler, a paleontologist, called the tracks "a remarkable window into the lives and behaviors of dinosaurs at the end of the Cretaceous." The period he refers to is a specific time in prehistoric history that occurred just before an asteroid destroyed the dinosaur population. These dates are perhaps around 66 million years ago.
This period lasted around 79 million years and was generally much warmer than our climate on Earth is now. Due to high rates of volcanic activity, floods reached their highest levels, which caused North America to split in two. These masses of flood water also more than likely contributed to the tracks being held in place.
Strangely, even though the tracks serve as reminders of what came before us, the area also contains very little other historical evidence. No bones, teeth, or skeletal remains are to be found in the region, which researchers find a bit odd.
This suggests that it's highly possible dinosaurs were just passing through the area, rather than planning to stay there long term.
Photo By: Getty Images
