Recently, scientists in Bolivia have uncovered an extraordinary site containing approximately 16,600 dinosaur footprints near the town of Calama in the southern Potosí Department. This discovery is considered one of the most significant paleontological finds in South America and globally. The tracks date back roughly 80 million years to the Late Cretaceous period and are preserved across a massive rock formation spanning 1.5 square kilometers. Based on the shape, size, and arrangement of the footprints, researchers identified them as belonging primarily to sauropods (such as titanosaurs) and theropods (like abelisaurids). Some prints measure up to 1.2 meters in length, suggesting the dinosaurs that made them could have exceeded 20 meters in body length. This remarkable find offers valuable insights into dinosaur behavior, group dynamics, and social structures, while also indicating that the region was once a humid riverside or lakeshore environment—ideal for large herbivorous dinosaurs. Furthermore, the site holds great potential as both a scientific research hub and a tourist attraction, promising to advance Bolivia’s paleontological studies and heritage conservation efforts.
近日,玻利维亚科学家在该国南部波托西省的卡拉米纳镇附近发现了一处规模惊人的恐龙足迹遗址,共记录到约16,600个恐龙脚印。这一发现被认为是南美洲乃至全球最重要的古生物遗迹之一。这些脚印可追溯至约8000万年前的白垩纪晚期,保存在一块面积达1.5平方公里的巨大岩层上。研究人员通过分析脚印的形状、大小和排列方式,判断它们主要属于蜥脚类(如泰坦巨龙)和兽脚类(如阿贝力龙)等恐龙。部分脚印长达1.2米,表明留下它们的恐龙体长可能超过20米。此次发现不仅为研究恐龙行为、群体活动和社会结构提供了宝贵线索,也揭示了当时该地区曾是湿润的河岸或湖滨环境,适宜大型植食性恐龙生存。此外,这一遗址有望成为重要的科研与旅游目的地,进一步推动玻利维亚的古生物学研究与文化遗产保护工作。
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