Dinosaurs lived in large colonies on the coast of Sesimbra, in one of the most beautiful places on the Portuguese coast, 129 million years ago, as revealed by the discovery of a large deposit of traces of these animals found by Portuguese scientists .
These are 614 dinosaur traces about 129 million years old found by researchers at the Portuguese Center for Geohistory and Prehistory (CPGP) in Cabo Espichel, Setúbal Peninsula, which provides new information about the behavior of these ancient inhabitants.
“This finding has led to the discovery of the largest set of Lower Cretaceous dinosaur traces found in Portugal,” Silvério Figueiredo, president of the Portuguese Center for Geohistory and Prehistory and director of research, told Efe.
The area is located between Boca do Chapim and Praia do Areia do Mastro, on the coastal rocks near Cape Espichel, in the municipality of Sesimbra, located on the Setúbal Peninsula, about 40 kilometers south of Lisbon, where others have already been discovered. .
IDENTITY FOOTPRINTS
The footprints, found in three limestone beds next to a rock about 60 meters high, correspond to herbivorous dinosaurs, such as sauropods and ornithopods, and carnivores such as theropods.
Researchers assume that the dinosaurs stepped on what 129 million years ago were shallow marine environments, lagoons and estuaries, on which limestone, marl and sandstone sediments were deposited, due to which fingerprints were formed.
“The state of conservation is not the best,” admits Figueiredo, mainly due to the type of trace formation itself “not the traces left directly by the dinosaurs, but the result of the force of the drop on the bottom layer.”
Intense wave erosion and high tide have also affected conservation, but “you can see” the signs, he continues.
“Traces indicate that the area was heavily frequented by dinosaurs of various species, we believe it could be an area of passage between grazing areas where herbivores could provide food and therefore hunting areas for carnivores.” he says the paleontologist.
614 tracks have been identified in an area of over 1,350 square meters, which are divided into three large groups of dinosaurs: theropods (93) sauropods (324) and ornithopods (197), ie 15% of the tracks belong to carnivores while 85% are herbivores.
Despite the data provided by the discovery, Figueiredo’s team also found traces that they were unable to identify or report to any species.
NEW DATA ON YOUR BEHAVIOR
Sesimbra’s is the largest set of creative fingerprints in Portugal, which will help experts “find out other types of data, such as those about its behavior, due to the large number of traces of the same animal.”
Researchers also believe the environment was favorable, as it could have included “freshwater reserves close to the coast”, a phenomenon that would explain the large number of dinosaurs.
In addition, there is evidence of the routes used by dinosaur groups in their migrations and traces that, in their movements, they placed the chicks in the center of the herd to protect them from predators hunting alone or in groups.
Researchers believe that theropods could have used that area as hunting ground and that the lack of traces of large specimens indicates that they were solitary hunters, while the smaller ones, which left a greater number of traces, could have hunted. in groups.
Trace analysis also confirms that the dinosaurs did not pull their tails when they walked.
THE FUTURE OF DINOSAURS
According to Figueiredo, this finding provides new data that researchers will publish in international scientific journals to help expand knowledge about dinosaurs.
In addition, the team intends to prepare an exhibition on this discovery, the result of the work of a team of ten Portuguese paleontologists and geologists, collaborating with colleagues from other countries such as France, Brazil and Spain, as well as Spanish paleontologist Xabier Pereda Suberbiola, professor at the University of Basque Country.
The work that made it possible to find the 614 traces is part of the research that CPGP has carried out in the region since 1998.