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Bolivian Tracksite Sets Record for Dinosaur Prints With 16,600 Footsteps and 1,378 Swim Marks

Researchers say the Carreras Pampa surface captures behavior on a single mud layer that indicates dinosaurs were passing through rather than settling.

Overview

  • The PLOS ONE study catalogs 1,321 trackways at Torotoro National Park’s Carreras Pampa, now described as the largest recorded dinosaur-track site.
  • Most impressions are three-toed “ghost tracks” interpreted as theropod in origin, but scarce skeletal fossils limit species-level identifications.
  • Investigators documented numerous swim tracks and tail-drag impressions, with the swim marks possibly made by theropods or ancient crocodilians.
  • All tracks occur in one sediment layer from an Upper Cretaceous lakeshore, preserving curved paths, pauses, and other moment-to-moment behaviors.
  • Researchers characterize the site as an ichnologic concentration and conservation Lagerstätte and emphasize ongoing mapping and protection needs.