A huge, carnivorous dinosaurs roamed on Earth's polar regions. Here's how the wild beast thrived

Scientists recently stumbled upon dinosaur tracks along the southern coast of Australia.

These footprints appeared to date back to the Early Cretaceous when the continent was attached to Antarctica and hinted that the large and carnivorous theropoddinosaurs lived in the polar region.

These carnivorous dinosaurs were found to be living near river floodplains in the summer.

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The analysis of the dinosaur tracks which were discovered in the Wonthaggi Formation, south of Melbourne, was recently published by the experts.

The tracks, which appeared to date back to 120 and 128 million years ago, included 18 such footprints which were of theropods.

The study's lead author and professor atEmory University’s Department of Environmental Sciences Anthony Martin said, “These numerous tracks are the best evidence yet that these former polar environments supported large carnivores. The large theropods would likely have fed on prey such as smaller dinosaurs, fish, and turtles.”

What are theropod dinosaurs?

Theropod dinosaurs are a type of bipedal dinosaur which have three clawed toes. They are part of the same evolutionary group which has species like Allosaurus, Tyrannosaurus rex, and Velociraptor.

In this discovery, the scientists found the largest theropod track 18.5 inches in length.

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“The hip height of that theropod would have been about the same as the full height of a tall, modern-day human – or a bit more than six feet tall,” said Martin.

“Our find of so many theropod tracks, however, confirms that a variety of dinosaurs actually lived and walked on the ground where their bones were found,” emphasised Martin. “Dinosaur tracks are actually much more common at the site than we previously realised," he added.

According to the scientists, the newly-found tracks were likely formed when the dinosaurs roamed on mud or wet sand in the floodplain.

(With inputs from agencies)