Scientists have documented more than 16,000 dinosaur footprints at what is now considered the world’s most extensive tracksite, located at Carreras Pampas in Bolivia’s Torotoro National Park. The newly analyzed tracks were left by theropods (three-toed, bipedal carnivores) that once traveled along what researchers describe as a heavily used “dinosaur freeway” near an ancient shoreline. The prints date to between 101 million and 66 million years ago, toward the end of the Cretaceous period.
The team identified 16,600 theropod footprints across roughly 80,570 square feet (7,485 square meters) of terrain, making Carreras Pampas the largest site of its kind ever recorded. The findings were published on December 3 in PLOS One.
Indeed, paleontology has yielded an incredibly diverse range of ancient dinosaur tracks—astonishing evidence of life that existed on Earth millions of years ago. But where in the world can you admire these fantastic footprints?Browse the following gallery for a journey to a distant past when dinosaurs roamed the land, and find out where you can follow in their footsteps.