Massive Dinosaur tracks were uncovered as a drought-stricken River in Texas dries out. The tracks, usually under water and mud, belong to two types of dinosaurs, theropods, and sauropods, some of the largest Dinosaurs to have lived on Earth.
A drought is exposing massive prehistoric prints left behind by prehistoric predators and prey millions of years ago in what is today Texas, US,
It is usually impossible to spot dinosaur tracks in the Paluxy River because mud and water cover them. Recent shrinkage of the river has revealed deep impressions left by clawed feet, as shown in a video uploaded to Facebook on Aug. 17.
Few people have seen these particular prints at Dinosaur Valley State Park in Texas, where there are many more tracks. As part of the US Drought Monitor’s assessment of Texas’ drought condition, the park is in a state of “exceptional drought.” This is the level of drought that is most severe.
According to Star-Telegram, as of Aug. 21, over 6,900 people have shared the video online, sparking debate and feeding imaginations.
One example is this user commenting on the post: “I must have watched too many Jurassic Park movies because I am getting nervous that he is spending all his time looking down at tracks and none looking over his shoulder.”
A 2012 study found that the tracks belonged to two types of dinosaurs, theropods, and sauropods.
According to the University of California Museum of Paleontology, sauropods were herbivorous dinosaurs with four legs. The Brachiosaurus is an example of a sauropod.
In the meantime, theropods walked on two legs and included the largest predators ever known, including Tyrannosaurus Rex.
It is thought that sauropods and theropods were dinosaurs from the Sauropod family. As per Britannica, Sauropods are classified into four major groups: Cetiosauridae, Brachiosauridae (including Brachiosaurus), Camarasauridae (including Camarasaurus), and Diplodocidae (including Diplodocus and Apatosaurus).
Species such as Apatosaurus routinely reached lengths of 21 meters, whereas smaller sauropods reached lengths up to 15 meters. In terms of size and weight, Brachiosaurus was one of the largest and most massive dinosaurs ever known, reaching a length of 30 meters and weighing 80 tons.
There is evidence that Dreadnoughtus, a titanosaurid, measured up to 26 meters (about 85 feet) in length and weighed a staggering 59 metric tons (about 65 tons).
It is believed that sauropods evolved from 201 million to 174 million years ago during the Early Jurassic Epoch. During the Late Jurassic Epoch (between 164 million and 145 million years ago), they became enormous and highly diverse and survived into the Cretaceous Period (between 145 million and 66 million years ago).
As a result of very low river levels at the moment, the park said more tracks are visible than under normal conditions.
For those interested in finding tracks and exploring that aspect of the park, now is a perfect time to go, and make sure you bring your camera.
In addition to a variety of well-preserved dinosaur prints, the park features hiking, camping, fishing, and horseback riding, according to the website.
In an unrelated article, but still worth mentioning, scientists believed to have found a massive impact crater beneath the ocean that may have struck not long after the Dinosaur-killing asteroid impacted off the coast of what is now the Yucatan peninsula.
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