First Dinosaur Traces Confirmed in the Amazon’s Tacutu Basin, Researchers Say

Overview

• Amazon rocks rarely preserve fossils, but humid paleo-valley deposits and exposed cerrado outcrops in Tacutu helped harden and reveal the tracks.
• Researchers infer groups such as raptors, ornithopods, and armored forms from the impressions, though species-level identification is not possible.
• The work began with a 2014 student discovery that was shelved, then resumed in 2021 and advanced through photogrammetric 3D modeling for detailed documentation.
• Current mapping suggests hundreds of additional footprints across the basin, with four sites of scientific value identified inside the Jabuti Indigenous Territory.
• Access challenges persist because many traces lie on private properties where owners fear land-demarcation or compensation disputes tied to research.