Pictured: Dinosaur footprints from 113 million years ago revealed by drought
The marks were discovered in a riverbed in the Dinosaur Valley State Park in Texas
By Our Foreign Staff 24 August 2022 • 2:38pm
The footprints are thought to have been left by an Acrocanthosaurus, which stood about 15 feet tall and weighed close to seven tonnes Credit: Dinosaur Valley State Park/AFP/Getty Images
Dinosaur tracks from around 113 million years ago have been discovered in a Texas state park after a severe drought dried up the river.
The three-toed footprints are pictured in the photographs leading down into the riverbed at the Dinosaur Valley State Park. Normally, the prints are hidden under water and filled with sediment.
The footprints are thought to have been left by an Acrocanthosaurus, which stood about 15 feet tall and weighed close to seven tonnes.
Stephanie Salinas Garcia of the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department said the dry weather had made the tracks visible.
"Due to the excessive drought conditions this past summer, the river dried up completely in most locations, allowing for more tracks to be uncovered here in the park," she said.
The state park - located in an inland area south-west of the city of Dallas - was once on the edge of an ancient ocean, and dinosaurs left footprints in the mud, its website says.
The footprints are expected to be covered again soon as rain is forecast Credit: Dinosaur Valley State Park/AFP/Getty Images
While drought revealed the tracks, rain is forecast, meaning they will likely be covered once more.
"While they will soon be buried again by the rain and the river, Dinosaur Valley State Park will continue to protect these 113 million-year-old tracks not only for present, but future generations," Ms Garcia said.
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