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Triops Longicaudatus Red
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Palaeontology: Discovery of hundreds of metres of dinosaur tracks in Italy
A spectacular find high above sea level is currently causing a stir in palaeontology: Italian researchers have discovered thousands of dinosaur tracks in the Stelvio National Park in northern Italy. The footprints stretch for several hundred metres along an almost vertical rock face at an altitude of more than 2,000 metres. According to scientists, this is the largest known dinosaur site in the Alps to date and one of the most extensive in the world.
Imprints from the early days of the dinosaurs
According to the research team, the tracks date back more than 200 million years, to the early phase of dinosaur history. Based on the shape and size of the footprints, palaeontologists believe that they were left by long-necked, herbivorous dinosaurs. Many of the footprints are up to 40 centimetres wide and show clearly recognisable toe and claw marks. The uniform alignment and concentration of the tracks suggests that the animals probably travelled in large herds.
Plateosaurs as probable trace makers
The exact location of the discovery is in the Valle di Fraele near the town of Bormio, a region that is set to host the Winter Olympics in February. The fact that the traces are now found on a steep mountainside is the result of the powerful geological processes that led to the formation of the Alps. At the time of the dinosaurs, the area was a vast, flat mudflat landscape stretching for hundreds of kilometres. The climate at that time was tropical, warm and humid – ideal conditions for large herbivores. Researchers believe that the footprints probably belong to plateosaurs, an early group of dinosaurs from the Triassic period.
A scientific legacy for generations
Palaeontologist Cristiano Dal Sasso from the Natural History Museum in Milan described the find as a ‘tremendous scientific legacy’. Complete exploration of the area is expected to take decades. Access to the tracks is extremely difficult, as many of the footprints are located on steep, almost inaccessible rock faces. In some cases, documentation can only be carried out with the aid of drones.
The discovery provides new insights into the behaviour and habitats of early dinosaurs and shows that even in well-researched regions of Europe, spectacular evidence of Earth’s history still lies hidden.
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