Extreme Drought Reveals New Dinosaur Tracks in Texas Dating Back Approximately 110 Million Years

An extreme drought has revealed over 70 new giant dinosaur tracks in the dry riverbed of the Paluxy River in the "Dinosaur Valley" park in Glen Rose, Texas. As the name suggests, the park already preserves tracks of other dinosaurs, as reported by Dinosaur Valley State Park.

These giant tracks, belonging to an approximately 4.5 meter tall Acrocanthosaurus, are around 110 million years old. They had remained submerged under the water and mud of the river.

However, this summer, the water level dropped so significantly that prehistoric imprints are now visible. Volunteers have currently identified 75 new tracks in the dried riverbed.

"It's been another very hot and very dry year, so our researchers are trying to take advantage of the drought," says Park Manager Jeff Davis to the Dallas Morning News reporter Sarah Bahari.

According to park representatives, the tracks likely belonged to two different types of dinosaurs. One of them was the Acrocanthosaurus, a meat-eating creature measuring 15 feet in height (4.5 meters) and weighing around 14,000 pounds (6350 kg). When this giant reptile walked on two legs, it left tracks of its three-toed feet.

The other was Sauroposeidon proteles, which has been Texas's official state dinosaur since 2009. This long-necked giant could reach up to 100 feet in length (30.5 meters) and weighed approximately 88,000 pounds (39,916 kg). It left larger circular-shaped tracks resembling those of an elephant.

One of the footprints is a "double track," an instance of two overlapping Acrocanthosaurus tracks, leading to social media humour about a "prehistoric monster with six claws."

Both types of creatures roamed this area during the Cretaceous period. They trampled the soft mud of a shallow sea. Over time, this sediment hardened into limestone, preserving the footprints for millennia. Sediment and the Paluxy River's water continue to protect the tracks, but they may erode over time.

Paul Baker, the park's retail manager, told CNN he had "never seen so many dinosaur tracks" before. "It's exciting to see something that nobody else has seen. In some ways, it's almost like a treasure hunt," said Baker, who assists in cleaning and mapping dinosaur tracks in the park.

Dinosaur Valley State Park, located about an hour and a half south of Dallas, is home to many dinosaur tracks embedded in limestone.

In the area where many new dinosaur tracks have been found, Baker says the limestone in the riverbed would sometimes heat up to 128 degrees Fahrenheit (53.33 degrees Celsius).