Home / Science / Dinosaur Footprints: Italian Alps Yield 200M-Year-Old Discovery
Dinosaur Footprints: Italian Alps Yield 200M-Year-Old Discovery
18 Dec
Summary
- Thousands of well-preserved dinosaur footprints discovered in Stelvio National Park.
- Tracks are over 200 million years old and may show group behavior.
- A nature photographer made the remarkable find while seeking wildlife shots.
In the remote Italian Alps, a nature photographer's quest for wildlife photos led to an extraordinary paleontological find. Elio Della Ferrera discovered thousands of fossilized dinosaur footprints in Stelvio National Park, near the Swiss border. The tracks, estimated to be over 200 million years old, are remarkably preserved, revealing details of toes and claws.
These ancient prints are believed to belong to prosauropods, plant-eating dinosaurs that were ancestors to the brontosaurus. Paleontologists are particularly intrigued by the parallel nature of the tracks, suggesting group behavior, which is rare for the Triassic Period. This discovery marks the first time such tracks have been found in the Lombardy region of Italy.
Reaching the site proved challenging, involving a difficult two-hour hike up steep, unmarked slopes. Experts, led by Cristiano Dal Sasso of Milan's Natural History Museum, conducted a preliminary investigation before winter weather set in, with full research planned for the following year. Future studies may utilize drones due to the site's inaccessibility.
