STUNNING drone footage has revealed the world’s longest dinosaur tracks dating back from 150 million years ago.
Known as the West Gold Hill Dinosaur Track, the pre-historic footprints are 318ft long and feature 134 unique steps.
A series of pothole features have been revealed as dinosaur tracks[/caption]
The tracks made from a Sauropod dinosaur is the world’s largest continuous dinosaur track site[/caption]
Spectacular drone footage was uploaded on the ABC news Instagram page[/caption]
The dinosaur tracks were left by a long-neck sauropod dinosaur, and shows evidence of the beast’s ability to make a sharp turn.
The drone footage clip of the amazing dino tracks were published on the ABC Instagram page on October 6 and has received more than 7000,000 views.
Identified by it’s long neck, sweeping tail, and small heads, Sauropods are the largest animals to have ever lived on land.
Well known Sauropods include the Apatosaurus, made famous by Little Foot in the 80s film The Land Before Time and the Brachiosaurus, made famous by the iconic 90s film Jurassic Park.
The real life Jurassic park in Ouray County, Colorado is open to the public who want to view the site in-person.
A steep and rugged two-mile trail (one-way) with an elevation gain of 1,600ft called the Silvershield trail will take keen hikers and dinosaur lovers to to the site.
The property was owned by the Charles family since 1945, however it wasn’t until 2021 that the family discovered that the potholes on their property were dinosaur tracks, according to the Denver Gazette.
Following the realization that the features were dinosaur tracks, the family approached the Forest Service to inquire about acquisition in 2022.
Anita McDonald, daughter of Jack Charles and a trustee of the estate said: “The family is happy to offer this unique trackway to the U.S. Forest Service, ensuring that the land is protected and enjoyed by future generations.”
According to the US Forest Service, the tracks were made by a single dinosaur looping in a 270-degree turn.
The new discovery is the second largest sauropod track from the Jurassic period in America and the longest continuous sauropod footstep sequence.
It comes as two sets of “almost identical” dinosaur footprints were uncovered 3,700 miles apart.
Experts found more than 260 footprints in Brazil and in Cameroon.
Today the two countries are separated by the Atlantic Ocean.
But about 120million years ago, dinosaurs were able to walk freely across a vast area which included present-day’s South America, Africa, Arabia, Madagascar, India, Australia, and Antarctica.
It all formed part of an ancient supercontinent called Gondwana.
The matching footprint discovery is another clue suggesting that both sides were once connected.
They were found all these years later in mud and silt along prehistoric rivers and lakes.
“We determined that in terms of age, these footprints were similar,” said Louis L. Jacobs, a paleontologist from Southern Methodist University (SMU).
“In their geological and plate tectonic contexts, they were also similar.
“In terms of their shapes, they are almost identical.”
Africa and South America started to split around 140million years ago.
It was triggered by the movement of the tectonic plates beneath them, causing magma to rise and create a new oceanic crust.
Why did the dinosaurs die out?
Here’s what you need to know…
- The dinosaur wipe-out was a sudden mass extinction event on Earth
- It wiped out roughly three-quarters of our planet’s plant and animal species around 66million years ago
- This event marked the end of the Cretaceous period, and opened the Cenozoic Era, which we’re still in today
- Scientists generally believe that a massive comet or asteroid around 9 miles wide crashed into Earth, devastating the planet
- This impact is said to have sparked a lingering “impact winter”, severely harming plant life and the food chain that relied on it
- More recent research suggests that this impact “ignited” major volcanic activity, which also led to the wiping-out of life
- Some research has suggested that dinosaur numbers were already declining due to climate changes at the time
- But a study published in March 2019 claims that dinosaurs were likely “thriving” before the extinction event
Members of the public can access the site on the Silvershield Tail at the West Gold Hill Dinosaur trackway in Colorado[/caption]
Hikers can get up close and personal with the amazing new discovery[/caption]
The land was previously owned by the Charles family who sold it to the Forrest Service for future preservation[/caption]
The drone footage revealed how long the tracks are[/caption]
The tracks are 318ft long and contain 134 unique steps[/caption]
Two famous Sauropods include Little Foot from The Land Before Time (Apatosaurus) and the Brachiosaurus, made famous by the iconic 90s film Jurassic Park[/caption]
