Years ago, researchers discovered the largest known tracks left by dinosaurs, and additional excavations have revealed that they are part of the longest sauropod trackway found to date.
In 2009, researchers discovered the largest known tracks left by dinosaurs, and additional excavations have revealed that they are part of the longest sauropod trackway found to date.
Located in the Jura Mountains of France, the path dates back roughly 150 million years and extends nearly 500 feet.
Sauropods, in general, are regarded as one of the biggest dinosaurs to have inhabited the Earth, and the one that left the indentations certainly upholds that reputation.
The largest of the 110 prints that make up the passageway measure nearly 10 feet in length.
A press release from France's CNRS notes that a biometric analysis of the tracks, "suggest the dinosaur was at least [114 feet] long, weighted between [38 and 44 tons], had an average stride of [91.8 feet], and traveled at a speed of [approximately 2.5 miles per hour]."
The area studied is believed to have been covered by shallow water at the time the prints were left.
"The presence of large dinosaurs indicates the region must have been studded with many islands that offered enough vegetation to sustain the animals," according to the release.
