Hikers Discovered Footprints That Pre-Date The Dinosaurs While In The Italian Alps
Last summer, a pair of hikers were trekking through a rocky path in the Italian Alps. As they made their way down the mountain, they stumbled upon a rock with odd circular designs. When they looked closer, they realized the indentations were footprints.
They turned out to be footprints of amphibians and reptiles from the Permian period, which spanned from 251 million to 299 million years ago. The rock was revealed by melting snow and ice, uncovering a whole prehistoric ecosystem.
In the past, fossils have been found in the Permian sediments of the Southern Alps, but they were not as high-quality as these ones.
The discovery was brought to the attention of scientists at multiple institutions. They mapped out the area and came across additional fossilized footprints.
The tracks they found belonged to at least five different animal species that existed before the time of dinosaurs.
“It is the first time we have seen such an amazing variety of vertebrate footprints, invertebrate tracks, imprints of flora, and other fossils,” said Ausonio Ronchi, a professor of stratigraphy at the University of Pavia in northern Italy.
The prints were made when the mud and sandstone in the area were drenched with water. Later, the sun dried up the ground. When the water returned, it formed a protective layer of clay over the prints.
Now, the details of features such as the fingertips and belly skin of some animals have been preserved.
The Permian period occurred during the last part of the Paleozoic Era. It ended with the largest mass extinction in Earth’s history.
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The event has often been referred to as the Great Dying. It significantly altered many ecosystems, wiping out around 70 percent of land species and 90 percent of marine species.
Following this period, new life began to emerge, marking the onset of the Age of Dinosaurs. Dinosaurs did not exist at the time the footprints on the rocks were made, but the creatures who produced them had to have been of a notable size.
The discovery was made after the ice at the site melted due to climate change. Warming temperatures have caused the size of snow-covered areas to shrink.
As the snow melts, it exposes vegetation and rocks that soak up the sun’s heat, which leads to further melting. Chunks of rock are also falling from the walls of the mountain as a result of cracking and erosion.
Researchers expect to find more previously hidden fossils in the years to come. The recent finds were put on display during a press conference at the Natural History Museum in Milan. They were airlifted out by helicopter.
The fossils point to environmental trends similar to what we are facing today. They act as a lesson about what could happen to the world because of global warming.
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