Discovering the dancer's dancer

New American paleontologists and geologists found a place to store thousands of dinosaur footprints in the area between Arizona and Utah.

This area is 0.3 hectare and is located in the Vermilion Cliffs National Reserve. The University of Utah team calls it a "dinosaur dance floor" because there are more than 1,000 footprints of prehistoric animals. Many footprints date to 190 million years.

"When you follow those big footprints, you will feel like you're playing a dance game. Many dinosaurs have appeared here. It is a place that attracts many animals, like a dance hall." Professor Marjorie Chan, a member of the research team, spoke.

Thousands of dinosaur footprints are kept in the Vermilion Cliffs National Reserve.Photo: BBC.

Footprints are arranged around something and scientists think it could be an oasis of water during the early period of the Jurassic, when the southwestern US is covered by millions of dunes. .

After examining the scene carefully, the team found that at least four dinosaurs had been to the "dance floor".

"Foot sizes vary from 2.5 cm to 50 cm, showing that many mother dinosaurs have brought their cubs here," said Winston Seiler, a member of the research team.

In addition to footprints, scientists also see many tail streaks up to 7 meters long. They suggested that traces of dinosaurs were covered by sand before being exposed due to soil erosion for many years. However, in the future, they will disappear by the soil erosion itself.

According to Marjorie Chan, this finding provides many clues about the lives of prehistoric animals and dinosaurs that existed 190 million years ago. It also helps scientists find out why dinosaurs can survive in large and harsh desert areas.