Recently, a group of paleontologists identified dinosaur tracks 132 million years old on the coast of South Africa, in a discovery that the researchers themselves describe as a geological anomaly.
The footprints, exposed by the erosion of the sea, reveal a coastal ecosystem from the Early Cretaceous almost unprecedented in the fossil record of the southern hemisphere.
The discovery did not occur in a remote desert or an isolated quarry. The marine erosion exposed a rocky surface with well-preserved impressions next to the coastline.
There, the researchers identified different types of footprints. Some show three well-defined toes, characteristic of theropods, bipedal carnivorous dinosaurs. Others, wider and more rounded, suggest larger herbivores.
The set points to a shared ecosystem, where different species used the same space at times close in time.
What dinosaur tracks reveal that bones do not show
Trace fossils —fossilized footprints— capture specific moments in the lives of extinct animals. Unlike bone remains, dinosaur tracks provide information about behavior and movement.
Among the data that this type of record provides, the following stand out:
- Mode of locomotion: whether the animal walked on two or four legs
- Walking pace: based on the distance between footprints
- Social behavior: whether individuals moved alone or in groups
- Type of terrain: the soil conditions at the time of the footprint
These elements make trace fossils a complementary and irreplaceable source within the paleontological record.
A humid landscape, very different from the current one
According to the study published in the South African Journal of Science, the South Africa of the Early Cretaceous did not resemble the current coastal landscape.
In fact, it was part of Gondwana, the supercontinent that included South America, Africa, Antarctica, Australia, and India.
There, the climatic conditions were more humid and the river and coastal systems generated fertile environments.
In this sense, the fact that dinosaur tracks appear near water suggests that these areas functioned as natural corridors for movement and resource-rich areas.
South Africa is recognized for its fossil wealth in inland regions, but records in coastal environments are scarce.
The movement of the sea, erosion, and geological changes easily destroy this type of evidence, from dinosaur tracks to bones.
Therefore, finding well-preserved trace fossils next to the coastline represents, according to the researchers, almost a geological anomaly.
The discovery of these tracks expands the map of dinosaur distribution in the southern hemisphere and provides information on how these animals interacted with dynamic environments, beyond plains or forested areas.
