Texas drought unveils over 70 hidden dinosaur tracks in dry Paluxy riverbed
Dinosaur tracks
A drought in the US state of Texas has unveiled a remarkable discovery of more than 70 dinosaur tracks previously concealed beneath the dried-out Paluxy Riverbed. The Paluxy River, typically coursing through Dinosaur Valley State Park, located roughly 90 minutes south of Dallas, is renowned for its dinosaur-related attractions, media reports said. The recently exposed tracks belong to two distinct dinosaur species. The first is a carnivorous theropod closely related to the iconic T. rex, identified as the Acrocanthosaurus. The second is a herbivorous, long-necked sauropod akin to the Brontosaurus, known as the Sauroposeidon. Sauroposeidon also happens to be the state dinosaur of Texas.
Also Read | Microsoft's WordPad, launched in 1995, set to be removed from Windows
According to media reports, the Acrocanthosaurus stood at approximately 15 feet in height and weighed about seven tonnes, while the towering Sauroposeidon reached over 100 feet in height and weighed around 44 tonnes.
Distinguishing features of tracks
Palaeontologists studying these tracks have noted that theropod tracks typically exhibit three toes, whereas sauropod tracks appear more bulbous, resembling the imprints left by elephants.
Also Read | Convicted Proud Boys member claims Trump will pardon him in 2024
)
Lift accident? Maintenance, builders & makers are ALL liable now, rules Supreme Court: 3 major regulations | WION Decodes
)
Are you an Indian on an H-1B visa? New US bill could make getting Green Card easier
)
Brewery offering 'free beer' the day Trump dies has license revoked - 'Will have to pry me out of my taprooms'
)
'There is no Pakistani Kashmir, only Pakistan-occupied Kashmir': Indian Embassy in US calls out 'misleading' NYT headline
)
ITR filing without Form 16? Here’s how salaried taxpayers can submit returns before July 31 deadline
)
Cat’s bizarre reaction before Japan earthquake goes viral: Did it detect the tremors?
)
NEET Protests riddled with misinformation? Delhi Police blocks 480 Pakistan-based handles spreading 'fake news' since Operation Sindoor
)
Trump says Iranian school bombing photos could be AI-generated - 'I don’t think...'
)
582 tonnes, 150 million°C, 60 years: WION Decodes the mind-boggling numbers behind China's 'Artificial Sun'
)
Student denied admission to IIT Kanpur's cybersecurity program hacks websites to prove a point
)
28-year-old woman PhD scholar dies of electrocution on Panjab University campus
)
'Powerful response': US launches fresh revenge strikes on Iran after Trump vow to 'hit back hard'
)
Kangana Ranaut clarifies her 'Generation Gutter' remark: 'Gen Z of our country are taking us to such heights' - watch
)
British Airways flight comes close to 'nosediving' over London
)
‘One in Russia, another 20 km away’: Students claim they were wrongly named in Bihar NEET protest case
)
Commonwealth Games 2026 Day 8: India's full schedule, medal events and match timings
)
3.6mn people track 24hr Qantas flight from Melbourne to Toulouse: Pilot shifts, fuel tank and other details
)
Assam floods 2026: Salman Khan, Alia Bhatt and other Bollywood celebrities extend support to affected families
)
North Korean colonel killed by firing squad for stealing grain as 'deeply shaken' officers watched
)
India avoids higher US tariff, secures lower 10% rate. Here's how
)
CJP founder Abhijeet Dipke returns to Maharashtra, receives grand welcome in hometown
)
Ramayana Part 1 trailer out! Ranbir Kapoor, Sai Pallavi and Yash lead Nitesh Tiwari’s epic saga
)
Ramayana trailer X review: Ranbir Kapoor, Yash shine in a visual spectacle fans call 'cinema at its finest'
)
The Royals enter the Doctor Who universe: King Charles and Queen Camilla beam into Commonwealth Games in TARDIS
)
DSP among 7 policemen killed as militants storm Pakistan checkpost; 8 attackers dead
)
Mysterious projectile leaves massive crater in Poland near Ukraine border, probe launched
)
Claude AI down? Anthropic confirms outage as users face errors across chatbot and API
)
Netanyahu spent thousands of dollars on garden maintenance in wartime, report says | Gravitas
)
Delhi Consumer Court fines Indian Railways Rs 25,000 for making RAC passengers share one blanket
)
Nearly Rs 29 crore cash, 15 kg gold found at ex-bus driver's house in West Bengal
The extreme heat and prolonged drought conditions have offered a unique opportunity for researchers to investigate these newly revealed dinosaur tracks.
Why? This is because, under normal circumstances, this area would be submerged under water.
Ball Room dinosaur track site
At the Ball Room dinosaur track site within the park, the limestone bed holding the fossilised imprints reached scorching temperatures of up to 126 degrees. This extreme heat allowed researchers to uncover the most tracks ever documented at this location, reports said quoting Friends of Dinosaur Valley State Park nonprofit.
A clarification from experts
Experts emphasised the importance of clarifying that the drought did not reveal perfectly preserved tracks.
Instead, volunteers had to painstakingly remove sediment, sand, and gravel that covered and filled the tracks.
Paleontologist Glen Kuban, with over four decades of experience working in the park and the surrounding area, reportedly told CNN, “It’s important to clarify that the drought does not magically unveil tracks in pristine condition. … It takes many volunteers many days — in this case weeks — to remove the sediment covering and filling the tracks."
Watch | Labour reshuffle: Sir Keir Starmer to shake up shadow cabinet
While the drought has provided a temporary window to study these remarkable footprints, the return of rains will inevitably bury the tracks beneath sediment once again. This natural process helps preserve the tracks in the geological short term.
To make the most of the current arid conditions, casts have been created of the exposed footprints, ensuring their preservation for future study.
WATCH WION LIVE HERE You can now write for wionews.com and be a part of the community. Share your stories and opinions with us here.