What's happened
Scientists have uncovered thousands of well-preserved dinosaur footprints in Stelvio National Park, near the Swiss border, dating back over 200 million years. The site, believed to have been a prehistoric lagoon, offers rare insights into Triassic-era dinosaurs, with some tracks spanning hundreds of meters and showing detailed claw marks.
What's behind the headline?
The significance of this find extends beyond its size. The sheer number of footprints—estimated at around 20,000 over five kilometers—indicates large herds of dinosaurs traveling in packs, possibly in circular formations for protection. The site’s remote, shaded location made the footprints difficult to spot, even though they are in plain sight, highlighting the importance of remote sensing technology in paleontology. This discovery challenges previous assumptions about the distribution of Triassic dinosaurs, especially in high-altitude regions near the Alps. It also underscores the potential for other hidden fossil sites in similar environments. The fact that the site is near the upcoming 2026 Winter Olympics in Bormio adds a layer of international interest, positioning Italy as a key player in prehistoric research. The preservation of detailed claw impressions suggests rapid sedimentation and ideal conditions for fossilization, providing invaluable data for understanding dinosaur behavior and movement patterns. Overall, this find will likely reshape our understanding of Triassic ecosystems and dinosaur migration patterns, with further excavations expected to yield more insights.
What the papers say
The New York Times highlights the scientific importance of the site, emphasizing the well-preserved nature of the footprints and their implications for understanding dinosaur behavior. The Independent and Sky News focus on the scale of the discovery, noting the number of footprints and the remote location, which made the find particularly remarkable. AP News underscores the uniqueness of the site, being near the Swiss border and previously unexplored for dinosaur tracks, while Colleen Barry in The Independent emphasizes the potential for future research and the site’s significance for Italy’s paleontological heritage. All sources agree on the importance of the discovery but differ slightly in their focus—some on the scientific implications, others on the scale and remoteness of the site.
How we got here
The discovery was made by wildlife photographer Elio Della Ferrera in September while photographing wildlife in Stelvio National Park. The area, once a coastal lagoon during the Triassic period, has never previously yielded such extensive dinosaur footprints. Experts believe the tracks were made by long-necked herbivores, likely plateosaurs, and the site’s remote location has kept it largely untouched until now.
Go deeper
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Stelvio National Park is a national park in northeast Italy, established in 1935.
The park is the largest in Italy and covers part of two regions: Trentino-Alto Adige/Südtirol and Lombardia, in 24 municipalities.