Overview
- Regione Lombardia and paleontologist Cristiano Dal Sasso announced the Valle di Fraele discovery as the largest Alpine dinosaur tracksite with thousands of prints.
- Footprints on dolomite cliffs form trackways hundreds of meters long, and some impressions up to about 40 centimeters preserve clear finger and claw marks.
- Preliminary analyses point to Late Triassic prosauropod herbivores, considered ancestors of later large sauropods such as brontosaurus.
- Parallel paths and clustered patterns indicate synchronized herd movement and possible defensive grouping, according to Dal Sasso.
- Naturalist photographer Elio Della Ferrera spotted and photographed the exposures on September 14, then alerted experts for official verification.