Recently, a group of paleontologists, most of whom are from Loma Linda University (California, USA), announced the largest collection of theropod dinosaur footprints ever recorded in the world . Accordingly, 16,600 theropod dinosaur footprints were discovered and meticulously recorded.
This scientific work was conducted over a period of 6 years in the central highlands of Bolivia, formerly known as Toro Toro National Park, located in the town of the same name.
The team said that no other site in the world has a more dense collection of theropod footprints than Toro Toro. Dinosaurs that once roamed the Earth and roamed the area left about 1,378 footprints in the mud at the bottom of the pond.
The footprints were imprinted in the mud just before the water level rose, sealing them and protecting them from erosion over millions of years.
The research team said the analysis of the number and distribution of footprints showed that dinosaurs did not live in Bolivia permanently, but moved along an ancient coastal route, stretching from southern Peru to northwestern Argentina.
The varying sizes of the footprints suggest that these giant creatures, which stood about 10 metres tall, moved in herds with theropod dinosaurs, which stood only about 32 centimetres tall.
Studying the footprints will help scientists determine when dinosaurs slowed down, sped up, stopped or changed direction.
The massive collection of theropod dinosaur footprints offers a valuable window into the lives and behavior of dinosaurs during the late Cretaceous period, when an asteroid struck Earth about 66 million years ago, triggering a global heat wave and years of winter that wiped out about 75% of all species, including dinosaurs.
The reason why dinosaurs regularly flocked to the Bolivian highlands remains a mystery. The research was published in the scientific journal PLOS One./.
Source: https://www.vietnamplus.vn/lo-dien-cong-trinh-suu-tam-dau-chan-khung-long-lon-nhat-the-gioi-post1082036.vnp
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