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Dinosaur footprints: the time a dried-up river revealed them

During the summer of 2022, extreme drought allowed for a sensational find: dinosaur footprints dating back some 113 million years were revealed inside a dried-up river.

The discovery took place in Dinosaur Valley State Park, Texas.

Experts conducted meticulous investigations into the footprints found and identified the dinosaur to which they might belong. The park is located southwest of the city of Dallas, but as the experts reported, it was once near an ancient ocean, so dinosaurs passed through that specific area, leaving footprints in the mud.

Let's discover together the history of these unique finds and admire them through this photo gallery. (Source: The Telegraph / Dinosaur Valley State Park)

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Dinosaur footprints: the time a dried-up river revealed them
During the summer of 2022, extreme drought allowed for a sensational find: dinosaur footprints dating back over 100 million years were revealed inside a dried-up river. The discovery took place in Texas. Experts conducted meticulous investigations into the footprints found and identified the dinosaur to which they might belong. (Source: The Telegraph / Dinosaur Valley State Park)
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Drought
The footprints were revealed thanks to the drought: the dry weather dried up the Paluxy River, making the tracks visible, as Stephanie Salinas Garcia of the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department stated (Source: The Telegraph / Dinosaur Valley State Park)
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Texas, Dinosaur Valley State Park
The finding occurred in Texas, in the famous Dinosaur Valley (Source: The Telegraph / Dinosaur Valley State Park)
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113 million years ago
According to experts, the dinosaur footprints found date back about 113 million years (Source: The Telegraph / Dinosaur Valley State Park)
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They were covered by mud
Dinosaur footprints were covered by mud, silt and shallow water (Source: The Telegraph / Dinosaur Valley State Park)
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The dinosaur
Experts believe the footprints belong to a theropod, a class of bipedal dinosaurs that includes Tyrannosaurus rex and Allosaurus (Source: The Telegraph / Dinosaur Valley State Park)
Wikimedia - Famille Wielosz-Caron
Acrocanthosaurus
Specifically, experts who believe that the dinosaur most likely to have left the footprints is an Acrocanthosaurus. This carnivorous dinosaur lived in present-day North America between 113 and 110 million years ago: it was about 15 feet tall and weighed nearly seven tons. (Source: The Telegraph / Dinosaur Valley State Park)
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Footprints
The prints are characterized by three deeply embedded claw marks (Source: The Telegraph / Dinosaur Valley State Park)
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The park
The park is located southwest of the city of Dallas, but as reported by experts, it was once near an ancient ocean, so dinosaurs passed through that specific area, leaving footprints in the mud. (Source: The Telegraph / Dinosaur Valley State Park)
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Preservation of impressions
These are the words of Stephanie Salinas Garcia, of the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department: 'Although they will soon be buried again by rain and river, Dinosaur Valley State Park will continue to protect these 113-million-year-old tracks not only for present generations, but also for future ones. (Source: The Telegraph / Dinosaur Valley State Park)
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