A remarkable discovery in the Bolivian Andes has revealed the world’s largest known site of dinosaur footprints, offering a rare glimpse into ancient dinosaur behavior. Scientists have uncovered over 18,000 dinosaur tracks preserved for around 70 million years, making this site the largest single collection of dinosaur tracks in the world.
The discovery was published in the peer-reviewed journal PLOS One after six years of extensive fieldwork led by paleontologists from Loma Linda University in California. The team meticulously documented 16,600 footprints in the Carreras Pampa area of Toro Toro National Park.
These footprints, belonging to theropods (a group of bipedal carnivores including the famous Tyrannosaurus rex), as well as 1,378 “swim tracks” left by dinosaurs paddling through an ancient lake, provide a rare snapshot of life millions of years ago. The site features a wide range of footprints, including tiny 10 cm prints from chicken-sized dinosaurs to massive 30 cm tracks from dinosaurs about 33 feet tall.
Co-author Roberto Biaggi emphasized the significance of the find, stating, “There’s no place in the world where you have such a big abundance of theropod footprints.” He added, “We have all these world records at this particular site.”
The extraordinary preservation of the footprints is due to the area’s unique geological conditions. Once the muddy shoreline of a large freshwater lake, the area was rich in fine carbonate sediment, which solidified into natural cement as fresh layers of mud and sediment rapidly covered it. This natural process allowed the footprints to be preserved in exceptional detail.
The researchers identified 11 distinct track types at the site, including sharp turns, claw drags, and tail trails, suggesting that the site was a busy transit route for dinosaurs. Despite the extensive footprints, no dinosaur bones were found, which indicates the area served as a transit corridor rather than a regular habitat.
This discovery provides valuable insights into the daily movements and behaviors of dinosaurs, offering a vivid snapshot of life long before the existence of modern species.
