Researchers have uncovered evidence that supports a once-connected supercontinent through dinosaur footprints found in Brazil and Cameroon.
According to New York Post, this recent find of over 260 dinosaur trackmarks offers significant backing to the theory that South America and Africa were part of a united landmass, Gondwana, roughly 120 million years ago.
The exploration and analysis of these footprints have provided a window into the past when these two present-day continents were neighbors separated by a mere 600 miles. Today, the Atlantic Ocean spans 3,700 miles between these sites, highlighting the vast geological changes over millions of years.
In The Sousa Basin of northeastern Brazil and the Koum Basin in Cameroon, paleontologists discovered impressions left by dinosaurs, including theropods, possibly ornithischians or sauropods. The specifics of these footprints have played a pivotal role in understanding dinosaur migration patterns during the Lower Cretaceous period.
The footprints uncovered in the Sousa and Koum Basins share remarkable similarities that point to interconnected faunal movement across these regions. The impressions primarily belong to theropods, the carnivorous group known for their three-toed limbs, similar to the notorious Tyrannosaurus rex.
“We determined that in terms of age, these footprints were similar. In their geological and plate tectonic contexts, they were also similar. In terms of their shapes, they are almost identical,” said SMU paleontologist Louis L. Jacobs.
Jacobs stated that the northeastern elbow of Brazil and the current coast of Cameroon along the Gulf of Guinea had one of the youngest and narrowest geological connections between Africa and South America. This natural bridge allowed substantial dinosaur movement, potentially explaining the uniformity in the fossil records.
The rich floodplain deposits in the Sousa Basin provided the ideal conservation medium for these tracks, sealing them away under layers of sediment over millions of years. Consequently, this exceptional preservation offers researchers more profound insights into the ecological dynamics of that era.
Moreover, Diana P. Vineyard, study co-author and SMU research associate, emphasized the typical nature of the footprints. “Most of the footprints were created by three-toed theropods, or dinosaurs that resemble the Tyrannosaurus rex,” she said, underscoring the predominance of theropods in these findings.
Additionally, the sedimentary layers that covered these ancient paths helped to protect and preserve the distinct prints left by these ancient reptiles. Ultimately, the exactitude of these preserved footprints allows scientists to speculate accurately about the sizes, gaits, and speeds of the creatures that made them.
The linkage between these footprints in Brazil and Cameroon has reinforced theories regarding the drift of continents. The correlation between the trackways and current geological knowledge supports the movement of tectonic plates, which slowly drift apart, reconfiguring the earth's continents over geological time scales.
These findings contribute to understanding how animal populations dispersed across different landmasses, influenced by shifting continental layouts. The similarities in the footprints cross-confirm the chronology and movement through Gondwana during the Cretaceous period.
This study not only sheds light on the historic geology of our planet but also adds depth to our understanding of dinosaur comportment and their environment. The similar nature of the footprints found in vastly separated geographical locales offers some of the most tangible evidence of continental drift and paleobiogeographic patterns during the age of dinosaurs.
