The largest dinosaur footprint in the world found in Bolivia: 18,000 prints.

According to ТСН: In the highland national park of Torotoro in Bolivia, archaeologists have discovered the largest complex of dinosaur footprints in the world. Paleontologists counted nearly 18,000 individual prints left by these creatures about 70 million years ago, before their mass extinction.

Among the discovered tracks are: 16,600 three-toed prints on 1,321 track directions, 289 solitary tracks, and 1,378 swimming footprints on 280 directions. All of them belong to theropods — a group of carnivorous dinosaurs that also includes modern birds.

“The uniqueness of the environment made it possible to preserve these tracks: the clay was wet and soft, but dense enough for the prints to remain deep until the moment of fossilization,” writes a team of American and Bolivian paleontologists led by Raúl Esperante.

The site preserved not only ordinary footprints, but also scratches from claws, tail marks, and traces of dinosaurs swimming along the lake bottom. The sizes of the footprints range from 30 cm to less than 10 cm, indicating the presence of both medium and relatively small individuals, no taller than an average adult.

Unique geological conditions

This discovery is the result of a combination of rare geological conditions. 70 million years ago, a shallow freshwater lake was located here. Its shores were covered with moist mud rich in carbonates, which contributed to the formation of deep tracks.

Such findings help scientists better understand the evolution of dinosaurs and their habitat. Studying the footprints may provide new insights into the behavior and lifestyle of ancient beings, as well as why they disappeared. This discovery has become a significant step forward in paleontology.