A group of paleontologists studying a region called "Australia's Jurassic Park" have uncovered dinosaur tracks from nearly two dozen different dinosaur species, including some of the largest dinosaur footprints ever discovered.
The Walmadany region is often called "Australia's Jurassic Park" for good reason. During the early Cretaceous period, it held some of the highest dinosaur diversity on the planet. Dozens of different dinosaur species once called this region home, and now paleontologists have the fossils to prove it.
The team of paleontologists from the University of Queensland and James Cook University spent five years painstakingly documenting over a thousand dinosaur tracks in this region. In the end, they identified 21 different species in this one area: six different giant long-necked sauropods, five predator species, four two-legged herbivores, and six armored dinosaurs.
Also included in the find is the first evidence of the existence of stegosaurs in Australia, and some of the largest dinosaur footprints ever discovered, measuring up to 5.5 feet long.
This discovery cements the Walmadany region as one of the most diverse dinosaur habitats in the world. It also provides a strong record of the early Cretaceous period on the continent, as the fossils there are older than anywhere else in Australia.
Source: University of Queensland via Gizmodo
