SIGHTINGS


 
Largest Group of
Dinosuar Footprints
Found in Bolivia
8-4-98
 
 
 
LA PAZ, Bolivia (Reuters) - The world's largest group of dinosaur footprints have been discovered at a site near the Bolivian town of Sucre, a Swiss paleontologist who has been studying the area said, local media reported Saturday. Footprints up to 3 feet long were found in the area, which includes prints of several dinosaur species, making it one of the rarest finds in the world. ``There is no comparable site in the world,'' said Swiss paleontologist Christian Meyer, according to local media. Meyer's team has been studying the site for the last two months, after Bolivian scientists found it two years ago, and recently concluded it is the largest site known to exist in the world. The site covers an area of 269,100 square feet , Meyer said, emphasizing that nowhere else on earth is there an area that large with dinosaur footprints. He called on authorities to protect the site. The area is situated in a limestone quarry, with the prints embedded in the mountainside, at inclines of up to 70 degrees. The prints are whole and look like the dinosaurs might have been walking in a mud lake. Meyer warned that the prints could disappear altogether within 20 years because of rain and wind if efforts are not made to protect them from erosion and destruction. Limestone mining nearby makes the area even more precarious. The site is 435 miles southeast of La Paz at an altitude of 9,186 feet. The large size of the area has meant several different species have been identified including tyrannosaurus, and other giant dinosaurs up to 82 feet high. Apart from dinosaur bones, signs of fish life, crocodiles and turtles also have been found, supporting the theory that the valley was a large lake where the dinosaurs came to bathe, Meyer said.





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