More than 16,000 dinosaur footprints have been recorded at Carreras Pampas in Torotoro National Park, Bolivia. According to a new study of the site, it's the largest number of dinosaur tracks ever found in one place.
The spectacular assemblage of footprints, which includes tracks made as the dinosaurs walked, ran and even swam, provides a glimpse into the lives of these prehistoric animals that roamed what is now Bolivia at the end of the Cretaceous Period, around 66 million years ago.
Led by Raúl Esperante and published in the journal PLOS One, the study recorded thousands of three-toed theropod tracks across nine areas, ranging from small prints less than 10 cm long to giants exceeding 30 cm.
Theropods were a diverse group of dinosaurs that walked on two legs, had hollow bones, sharp claws and three-toed feet.
The tracks capture specific moments in the dinosaurs’ lives. Some show animals running at speed, others paddling through shallow water, dragging their tails or making sharp turns.
Ripple marks in the rock and the northwest-southeast orientation of most of the tracks suggest the dinosaurs were moving along an ancient shoreline, while the sheer number of footprints and the way they are aligned provides evidence that many of the dinosaurs travelled in groups.
"It’s amazing working at this site, because everywhere you look, the ground is covered in dinosaur tracks,” say the authors, who suggest "the tracksite boasts several worldwide records, including the greatest number of exposed dinosaur tracks (16,600), theropod tracks, tail traces and swim tracks preserved in trackways.
“This site is a stunning window into this area’s past. Not just how many dinosaurs were moving through this area, but also what they were doing as they moved through.”
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