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• Oldest dinosaur footprints discovered in Bolivia

  Sunday, Nov 23, 2008 10:36AM / Standard Entry / Members only
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  Paleontologists have uncovered a treasure trove of dinosaur tracks in South America. One set of footprints is believed to be the oldest tracks of one species ever found in the southern hemisphere.

  The Argentine explorers found over 300 dinosaur tracks in Icla.  It's an area of the Bolivian province of Sucre.

  The Argentine explorers found over 300 dinosaur tracks in Icla. It's an area of the Bolivian province of Sucre. Initial dating puts the remains at around 144 million years old.

  The scientists were led to the site by a local farmer. The farmer had always been curious about the irregular indentations in the rocky hills near his home. Only recently did it occur to him what they might be.

  The Argentine explorers found over 300 dinosaur tracks in Icla.  It's an area of the Bolivian province of Sucre.

  The scientific team says dozens of rare dinosaurs made the prints. One of the reptiles appears to be an Ankylosaurus. Ankylosaurus was an armored herbivore covered with strong knobs and plates for protection. Such ancient evidence of the species has never been found in the southern hemisphere.

  The tracks also show another herbivorous reptile. And there was at least one carnivore. Close to the large prints, paleontologists discovered smaller impressions that are believed to have been young dinosaurs.

  The Argentine explorers found over 300 dinosaur tracks in Icla.  It's an area of the Bolivian province of Sucre.

  At the time these dinosaurs were alive, Africa and South America are believed to have been joined as a single land mass. The Icla valley was part of a giant desert, stretching from present day South America across to what is now Africa.