Severe drought conditions in Texas have caused a river to dry up in a state park and have exposed dinosaur footprints from some 113 million years ago, CNN has reported.
Dinosaur Valley State Park spokeswoman Stephanie Salinas Garcia told CNN that "under normal weather conditions, the dinosaur tracks found in the riverbed are under the water and filled with sediment, which makes them less visible."
The county that the park is located in is currently experiencing an "exceptional drought," according to Gizmodo, and it has almost completely dried up the Paluxy River that runs through the park.
The footprints that have been uncovered measure several human hands across, Newsweek reported.
Dinosaur tracks were first discovered in the area by accident in 1908, according to Gizmodo. In following decades experts found more such footprints, and eventually the park was created in 1972, about 60 miles southwest of Fort Worth, in order to preserve the tracks, as well as allow people to learn more about dinosaurs.
Garcia told CNN that "most tracks that have recently been uncovered and discovered at different parts of the river in the park belong to Acrocanthosaurus … a dinosaur that would stand, as an adult, about 15 feet tall and (weigh) close to seven tons."
She added that the other species that left tracks behind at the park was Sauroposeidon, which would be approximately 60 feet tall and weigh some 44 tons as an adult.
The severe drought conditions in the Southwest are also causing frequent wildfires and rapid evaporation of water from important reservoirs, according to Newsweek.
Brian Freeman ✉
Brian Freeman, a Newsmax writer based in Israel, has more than three decades writing and editing about culture and politics for newspapers, online and television.
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