113-million-year-old dinosaur footprints were found on a river bed that dried up as a result of the severe drought in Texas, USA. The discovery was made in the state’s Dinosaur Valley National Park, where some of the footprints turned out to belong to Acrocanthosaurus – a cousin of Tyrannosaurus Rex.
The archaeologists estimated that the dinosaur weighed about 44 tons and stood about 18 meters tall, and it was he who was responsible for a large part of the tracks that were found in the bottom of the river that dried up. Officials from the park released a video on social media that showed the footprints, which are about the width of several human hands at the site of the dried-up Palexi River. Dinosaur remains can be seen in the park, mainly sauropods and ancient theropods, but the new findings that began to be discovered were mostly found underwater.
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Herbivorous species such as Diplodocus and Brontosaurus, whose legs closely resemble those of elephants, are among the dinosaurs classified as sauropods. Theropods, such as the T-Rex, had three-toed feet. Researchers believe the tracks date to the mid-Cretaceous period, when Dallas was on the coast.
According to the Valley Dinosaur Park website, the footprints are well-preserved as a result of the mud being impregnated with calcium carbonate deposits, extracted from crab shells on the beach. “Currently, because the water level in the river is very low, more and more routes are revealed to us,” said a post published by the park online. “If you want to come and explore these routes, you are all welcome.”
Following the drought conditions in America, it was reported that more than 60 percent of Texas citizens are suffering from difficult conditions, as of last week, when the country is also subject to extreme heat waves.