Dinosaurs travelled between Africa and South America, separated by Atlantic Ocean; scientist discovers footprints

Science News: Dinosaurs moved along a shared path in Africa and South America about 12 crore years ago before these continents drifted apart, research indicates.

Scientists have discovered over 260 dinosaur footprints from the Early Cretaceous Period in what are now Brazil and Cameroon, two regions that are currently separated by more than 6,000 kilometres across the Atlantic, CNN reported.

According to palaeontologist Louis L. Jacobs, the footprints have the same age, shape and geologic background. He led a study about these tracks, which the New Mexico Museum of Natural History & Science recently published.

The majority of the fossil footprints were made by three-toed theropod dinosaurs, according to research associate Diana P. Vineyard.

A smaller number of tracks came from four-legged sauropods or ornithischians, which had bird-like hip structures, the publication added.

These tracks provide insight into how shifting landmasses created favourable conditions for dinosaurs before the supercontinents split into today's continents.

Footprints found in mud and silt along old rivers and lakes on Gondwana, a supercontinent that split from Pangea, have been preserved, according to Jacobs.

He also mentioned that northeastern Brazil and Cameroon had once formed a narrow link between Africa and South America, allowing animals possibly to travel between the two continents.

Around 14 crore years ago, the continents of Africa and South America started to move away from each other, causing cracks to form in the Earth's crust.

As the tectonic plates shifted, molten rock from below formed a new crust on the ocean floor. It gradually led to the creation of the South Atlantic Ocean between the two landmasses.

Dinosaur footprints

Dinosaur fossils help scientists learn about ancient creatures, but footprints offer different clues about their lives. While fossils are more common, footprints are valuable because they show dinosaur behaviour. According to Jacobs, it shows how they moved, the groups they were with, their surroundings, their direction and their specific location, CNN added.