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Michoacán dinosaur footprint discovery
Specialists from the National Institute of Anthropology and History (INAH) have identified at least 50 fossilized dinosaur footprints in the municipality of Apatzingán, Michoacán. The discovery was made in the bed of a stream in the community of San Juan de los Plátanos after local residents reported seeing tracks from “giant animals.”
The footprints, which date back approximately 65 million years to the Late Cretaceous period, are spread across a 40-square-meter area of sedimentary rock. Preliminary morphological analysis by paleontologist Raymundo Cervantes Barriga suggests the tracks belong to three distinct families: large carnivorous theropods (possibly tyrannosaurids) reaching up to four meters in height, smaller raptor-like dinosaurs, and herbivorous hadrosaurids, also known as duck-billed dinosaurs.
Individual tracks vary in length from 12 to 48 centimeters and up to 30 centimeters in width. Researchers noted that the site may contain more tracks as documentation and exploration continue. The INAH has committed to protecting the site as a scientific heritage to better understand prehistoric life in Mexico.
Entities
Apatzingán · Claudia Curiel de Icaza · Instituto Nacional de Antropología e Historia · Michoacán · Raymundo Cervantes Barriga · San Juan de los Plátanos
Claims
What the coverage asserts, and how many sources carry each claim.
- [● 3 SOURCES] Footprint dimensions range from 12 to 48 centimeters in length and up to 30 centimeters in width. periodicolaredaccion.com · www.contramuro.com · www.yucatan.com.mx
- [● 2 SOURCES] Some dinosaurs may have reached four meters in height. periodicolaredaccion.com · www.yucatan.com.mx
- [● 3 SOURCES] The footprints are located on a 40-square-meter sedimentary rock platform near a stream. periodicolaredaccion.com · www.contramuro.com · www.yucatan.com.mx
- [● 3 SOURCES] The footprints date back approximately 65 million years to the Late Cretaceous period. periodicolaredaccion.com · www.contramuro.com · www.yucatan.com.mx
- [● 2 SOURCES] The tracks belong to three groups: large carnivorous theropods, raptor-like dinosaurs, and herbivorous hadrosaurids. periodicolaredaccion.com · www.yucatan.com.mx
- [● 3 SOURCES] At least 50 fossilized dinosaur footprints were discovered in San Juan de los Plátanos, Apatzingán. periodicolaredaccion.com · www.contramuro.com · www.yucatan.com.mx