Dinosaur footprints

This may look like an ordinary country lane but two amateur fosil hunters discovered a set of 30-odd dinasaur footprints here last April. Geologists have only now authenticated the find and announced it to the world. Plagne, near the Swiss boarder with France – a peaceful village with a population of only 124 people – has become overnight the centre of massive interest in dinasaurs.

The prints were made by long-necked herbivores called sauropods which were around 30 metres long and weighed in the region of 30 or 40 tonnes each. It is estimated that these tracks date from 150 million years ago when the area was submerged in water.

The tracks extend over dozens or maybe even hundreds of metres. The extent of the find still isn’t clear.

The village of Plagne has now changed its name to Jurassic Plagne, but the inhabitants are still getting used to the idea of being at the centre of such a find.

Excavations will be taking place on this site for many years – Plagne will have to get used to being famous. The dinasaurs may have disappeared but their footpritns are here to stay.

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tags: Biology, Dinosaur, History