Hiker's Tip Leads to Discovery of 80-Million-Year-Old Dinosaur Footprints in France

New dinosaur discoveries have arrived, and this time, it is from France. Researchers have published their findings about dinosaur foot and hand impressions from the dense forest near Gréasque, as reported by Daily Galaxy. Further examinations revealed the exceptionally preserved prints to be around 80 million years old, dating back to the Late Cretaceous period. The prints belong to a herbivorous dinosaur from the genus Rhabdodon, which could grow to a length of between three and four meters. These prints are hugely valuable to experts, as it is the first of their kind discovery from the area, which is known for its rich dinosaur legacy. Details about the impressions are available in the French journal La Provence.

Discovery of the Impressions

In 2018, a hiker while walking near the town of Fuveau captured a photo of an unusual rock formation and submitted it to local scientists for analysis. The photo came into the hands of Thierry Tortosa, paleontologist and curator of the Sainte-Victoire Nature Reserve, who felt that prints on the rock belonged to a dinosaur. Immediately, a search project was launched to search for the rock. However, their search was futile, and the team still could not find the rock. Nicolas Bertucceli, an eco-guide with the Maison de la Sainte-Victoire, who took part in the search, managed to find other fossilized impressions in the forest near Gréasque, a commune in the Bouches-du-Rhône. It is the first time such impressions have been unearthed in the Bouches-du-Rhône. In the nearby division of Var, older alleged dinosaur prints have been spotted, but they are yet to be conclusively determined as such. 

Features of the Tracks

The newly found impressions had both pedal and manual imprints, as reported by SSB Crack News. It implies that the dinosaur was quadruped and walked on four legs. Along with being well preserved, these impressions are also very coherent, making it easy for researchers to figure out even the most microscopic of features. The prints have given experts valuable insights not only about the dinosaur's locomotion but also its physical behavior.

Implications of the Tracks

For many years, experts have asserted that the area was suitable for dinosaurs during the Cretaceous period, and they must have had an expansive settlement there. The suitability was determined by past examinations, which claimed that the area contained flooded plains and silty clayey soils in the 'Age of Dinosaurs,' all of which aligned with the needs of the beast. Fossil evidence, such as dinosaur eggs, has supported this assertion, and now the prints have lent it more validity. The discovery has also aided experts in finding more details about Rhabdodon's distribution during the late Cretaceous period. Researchers have kept details like the number of tracks and the exact location of the site still under wraps, so if someone wants to come face to face with this gift of the past, they need to wait a bit longer. Such a discovery is huge for France as it will widen the research prospects of understanding more about Rhabdodon and perhaps some other dinosaur species.