Moab, Utah will be a major destination for many dinosaur enthusiasts starting this October as the city opens its collection of over 200 dino tracks for public display. The footprints are 112 million years old, and are concentrated in an area smaller than a football field.
Rebecca Hunt-Foster, a paleontologist at the Utah Bureau of Land Management, told Fox News that the tracks are from 10 different prehistoric animals that lived in the early Cretaceous period. Researchers found prints from prehistoric birds, duckbilled dinosaurs, long-necked plant-eating dinosaurs, and a velociraptor-like dromaeosor.
There is also a set of 17 prints made by an ancestor of the famous Tyrannosaurus Rex, a print from a herbivore in the center of a set of prints from a carnivore, and a print of the foot, chest, body, and tail of an ancient crocodile.
The area, scientists believe, was a shallow lake where the various animals converged. In a span of several days, the tracks were covered by sediments which preserved the markings.
Visitors will be able to view the prints by following a trail with signs explaining the specimens. According to the Fox News report, the officials are raising funds in order to provide guests with a boardwalk for viewing the display while still keeping the prints safe from being touched.
The tracks were first discovered by a local resident in 2009, after which a team of paleontologists from the University of Colorado and the Utah Bureau of Land Management has undertaken the task of studying, recording, protecting, and preparing the discovery for public display. The site has already captured the interest of many paleontologists, including those from Korea, China, and Poland.
