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Researchers from Mexico’s National Institute of Anthropology (INAH) have uncovered a remarkable set of fossilized dinosaur footprints in Apatzingán, located in the state of Michoacán. This extraordinary discovery includes at least 50 footprints that date back approximately 65 million years, placing them in the Late Cretaceous period.
The footprints were found in a streambed near the community of San Juan de los Plátanos, following a tip from local residents who reported seeing impressions left by what they described as “giant animals.” Upon investigation, the INAH team identified these marks as tracks left by multiple dinosaur species that once roamed this region.
Insights into Ancient Dinosaur Species
Careful analysis of the footprints’ size, shape, number of toes, and depth has led scientists to attribute them to three distinct dinosaur families. The largest of these tracks likely belonged to theropods, large carnivorous dinosaurs potentially related to the tyrannosaur family, which could have stood as tall as 13 feet. These footprints are distinguished by their three-toed impressions.
Smaller tracks, also featuring three toes, are believed to have been made by raptor-like dinosaurs from the Dromaeosauridae family. These creatures are estimated to have reached heights near 6.5 feet. Lastly, footprints characterized by rounded tips correspond to herbivorous dinosaurs known as hadrosaurids or duck-billed dinosaurs, which could have grown up to 13 feet tall.
Claudia Curiel de Icaza, Mexico’s Secretary of Culture, emphasized the importance of this discovery, underlining how the footprints provide a valuable window into the country’s prehistoric past and contribute to the broader understanding of dinosaur biodiversity in the region.
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