Rock Art Paired with Dinosaur Footprints Found in Brazil

RIO DE JANEIR – In northeastern Brazil, an extraordinary discovery has brought paleontology and archeology together. The site of Serrote do Letreiro in the municipality of Sousa, State of Paraíba, presents footprints dinosaur ywhich is adjacent to ancient stone carvings.

The site consists of three major rock outcrops containing fossilized footprints of theropod, sauropod and iguanodontian dinosaurs from the Early Cretaceous period (145 to 100.5 million years ago).

As reported by IFL Science, Tuesday (26/4/2023) apart from that, this area is also home to petroglyphs, pre-colonial rock art made by gouging the surface of the rock.

A new study describes this blend of paleontological and archaeological elements as “incredibly valuable” and has never been discovered so closely before.

Although dinosaur footprints and rock art have been found together in other places – such as in Australia, Poland and Utah – this research suggests a closer connection between footprints and petroglyphs at Serrote do Letreiro.

The researchers concluded that “the carvers must have recognized the footprints and deliberately created petroglyphs around them, establishing a symbolic link between human graphic expression and the fossil record.”

The discovery of dinosaur footprints in this region was first reported in the early 20th century. Since then, the paleontological aspects of the site have been studied several times. However, petroglyphs have received little attention and have never been comprehensively analyzed or linked to footprints.

The research team conducted a survey at the site and identified three main outcrops containing dinosaur footprints and petroglyphs. In the first outcrop, they found 22 new symbols, along with the largest concentration of theropod tracks (the group that includes T. rex).

This discovery opens up new opportunities to study past interactions between humans and dinosaurs, and provides insight into the culture and beliefs of pre-colonial societies.

(wbs)