The northern region of Brazil may contain records of some of the largest dinosaur footprints ever identified in the world. This is what researchers from the Federal University of Roraima (UFRR) suggest, who recently said they had found more than a hundred such signs in the northern region of the state.
The team said they described the findings in two articles and submitted the work to international journals. The group also stated that it chose to publish the results at the end of last month, only after receiving confirmation of approval to publish the texts.
Vladimir de Souza, one of those responsible for the research, said that the discovery was not announced in advance because it was necessary to confirm the origin of the marks, including preventing researchers from other regions from taking the lead in the discovery.
The teacher said that some of the marks were up to 1.5 meters long. He added: “Based on the size of some of the footprints, there were large dinosaurs (in the Amazon). Perhaps there are footprints larger than the largest in the world, found in Australia.”
Today, the largest record is 1.7 metres, on a rock formation on the Dampier Peninsula, in northwestern Australia.
These studies are the result of research carried out since 2011. In that year, possible traces of footprints were noticed during a trip by geology students to the municipality of Bonfim, about 110 kilometers from Boa Vista.
The marks were identified on slabs, which are a large rock formation with a flat surface. It was hidden in the jungle in an area known as the Serra do Tucano Formation, near the Takuto River basin, near the border with Guyana. The group of researchers approached the mapping and identified circular structures that were repeated.
“I said it was nothing inorganic,” Vladimir said. “Something heavy was placed on that sediment so that it formed ridges.” At that time, the group noticed that there were more than 30 brands on the site, of different sizes and shapes.
At the end of that day, a fingerprint was identified with three visible fingers, which Vladimir considers the most symbolic due to the difference in shape compared to the other fingers, which are more cylindrical.
The professor explained, “What helped a lot in the process of preserving these footprints is that many of them are found in sandstone rocks, and then this sandstone was subjected to stabilization with iron oxide.”
The presence of iron strengthened the sandstone and protected the footprints from adverse weather conditions such as rain and wind. The marks are estimated to be more than 110 million years old.
In 2012, another fossil site was identified within the Jabuti Indigenous Reserve, about 50 kilometers from Boa Vista. At the site, there were footprints forming at least four tracks, one of which was about 30 meters long. UFRR recently received permission from Funai to conduct studies at the site.
According to the professor, since there are no fossils next to the footprints, it is not possible to accurately determine the species that left the footprints. However, the team has already identified six morphotypes and is awaiting confirmation of two more.
Vladimir believes that the presence of signs is what was missing to understand prehistoric animals on the American continent. “We were able to establish a link between dinosaurs from the Northern Hemisphere and dinosaurs from the Southern Hemisphere.”
Until then, the closest fossil record of the Brazilian Amazon was from Maranhão.
According to the professor, the geology course team has already identified fossils in the Takuto Basin area, although there are no major studies in the area.
The research at the indigenous reserve is coordinated by researcher Lucas Barros, one of the authors of the two scientific articles, who has developed a master’s degree from the study of footprints found in Roraima.
The researchers’ goal now is to encourage the establishment of a geopark in the region to discover other potential prehistoric secrets hidden in the Amazon. “There are many footprints, many sites, and there is still a lot to be done,” Vladimir said.