NewsNation

Footprints from 7-ton dinosaur discovered at Texas state park

Acrocanthosaurus forest scene from the Cretaceous era 3D illustration

(NewsNation) — A drought that dried up parts of the Paluxy River in Texas’ Dinosaur Valley State Park revealed massive footprints belonging to a dinosaur that roamed the earth about 113 million years ago.

Park spokesperson Stephanie Salinas Garcia told CNN the tracks belong to an Acrocanthosaurus, which would have stood about 15 feet tall as an adult and weighed about seven tons. The tracks were discovered in different parts of the river throughout the park, CNN reported.


The park, located in Glen Rose, Texas, is home to five main track site areas, according to its website.

In one video the park shared, the person holding the camera explained that the Paluxy River “has pretty much gone dry.”

“What’s cool about our river is what you’ll find in the river,” the cameraperson says. “Sweep a little bit of the dirt and dust away, this it what you’ll find: dinosaur tracks.”

The dry period was most intense beginning March 1, NewsNation Texas affiliate KXAN reported.

The area received several days of rain over the weekend and into Monday.