Dinosaur footprints dating back 13.2 million years have been discovered along South Africa’s southern coastline. Researchers from Nelson Mandela University uncovered more than two dozen footprints in the Western Cape province. The study reveals that these tracks were left by dinosaurs belonging to the theropod, ornithopod, and sauropod groups.
Found on a small rocky outcrop near the town of Knysna, these footprints represent the oldest dinosaur relics ever uncovered in South Africa. Previously, scientists believed that a massive volcanic eruption 18.2 million years ago and the subsequent lava flows had eradicated all dinosaur traces in the region. However, the new findings confirm that dinosaurs survived this natural disaster and continued to roam the area for a significant period afterward.
The researchers discovered the footprints on a 40-meter-long and 5-meter-wide rocky section along the Western Cape coastline. This area is submerged during high tide. The presence of so many footprints within such a confined space strongly indicates a substantial population of dinosaurs occupied the region at the time. Scientists suggest that similar fossilized remains may also exist in other parts of both the Western and Eastern Cape.
