Texas Drought Unveils 110-Million-Year-Old Dinosaur Tracks Hiding In A River Bed
Drought has been plaguing parts of the country this year, but one state that’s been hit particularly hard is Texas.
Because of the drought, the Paluxy River has dried up and it’s revealed something incredible: 110-million-year-old dinosaur tracks.
The Paluxy River runs through the Dinosaur Valley State Park in Texas, which is known for its fossilized dino tracks.
It’s believed that dinosaurs roamed the area millions of years ago in the Cretaceous Period, leaving behind many fossilized prints. Some of the tracks are from theropods (three-toed dinosaurs) and others are from sauropods (a class of four-legged dinosaurs).
The recently exposed tracks feature three toes with huge claws.
According to the Wall Street Journal, the prints recently exposed by drought are thought to be left by a an Acrocanthosaurus.
The Natural History Museum describes the Acrocanthosaurus as being a carnivorous dinosaur that grew up to 36-feet in length and was first discovered in Canada. The dinosaur is believed to have tromped through Texas some 113 million years ago.
The Dinosaur Valley State Park shared a video of the discovery on Facebook, writing:
“After The Drought of 2022 Huge Dinosaur Tracks Appear in the Paluxy River at Dinosaur Valley State Park. B.P. Baker Site. Normally these are under water and mud.”
Check out the video below to see the prints for yourself:
Huge Dinosaur Tracks Appear After Drought
After The Drought of 2022 Huge Dinosaur Tracks Appear in the Paluxy River at Dinosaur Valley State Park. B.P. Baker Site. Normally these are under water and mud. Paul Baker | LDL Friends of DVSP
Posted by Dinosaur Valley State Park – Friends on Wednesday, August 17, 2022
While the prints were momentarily exposed, they won’t stay that way. Rain will once again cover them up until a future drought brings them back to the surface. While rain is great news for the state, it means we won’t get to see these fossilized dino tracks for the foreseeable future!
It’s neat they managed to video the riverbed dry so we can all appreciate the tracks before they’re covered back up.
Experts believe they likely belonged are from what scientists believe was a carnivorous theropod with giant claws.
sets of prints recently exposed are those of a theropod with enormous claws. They were likely left by an Acrocanthosaurus, a carnivorous dinosaur up to 36 feet in length
Whizzco
