Dinosaur Track Fossils in Alaska Provide New Information About Animal Movement, Environment

An international team of experts unearthed old dinosaur fossils and tracks in Alaska, which unlocked a lush and wet environment. The new findings can provide new insights into animal movement and habitats millions of years ago.

Understanding the past and animal behavior will be helpful for scientists in conservation efforts. Fossils can offer new information about the environment, behavior, and diets that can unravel insights into their existence during the time of dinosaurs.

With fossil discoveries, scientists can uncover new facts about animal movement, especially when they traveled from Asia to North America about 100 million years ago.

Dinosaur Track Fossils in Alaska

According to recent reports, the dinosaur track fossils helped to understand the animal movement 90 to 100 million years ago, providing new insights into the important connection between Asia and North America. The research findings were published in Geoscience.

"We were at a spot where we eventually realized that for at least 400 yards we were walking on an ancient landscape. On that landscape, we found large upright trees with little trees in between and leaves on the ground. We had tracks on the ground and fossilized feces," paleontologist Anthony Fiorillo said, as quoted in a report.

Knowing the mid-Cretaceous was the hottest period, the Nanushuk Formation deciphers a unique ecosystem amidst the problems of warmer conditions.

Researchers discovered a rich find of 75 fossil tracks that revealed that the dinosaurs could live in a delta setting.

In the report, the researchers discovered the relative frequency of bird tracks, fossilized tree stumps, and dinosaur footprints. The study also finds the following:

• 59% of the total tracks refer to two-legged plant eaters
• 15% refers to four-legged plant eaters
• 9% refers to bipedal dinosaurs
• 15% refers to birds

In addition, the report highlighted the precipitation pattern during the mid-Cretaceous period, showing 70 inches of rain annually.

"The temperature was much warmer than it is today, and what's possibly more interesting is that it rained a lot. The samples we analyzed indicate it was roughly equivalent to modern-day Miami. That's pretty substantial," Fiorillo explained.

Also Read: Wildfire, Extreme Drought Can Cause Widespread Emergence of Invasive Species in California's Ecosystem

390 Million Years Old Fossils About Earlier Forests

In the recent NWN report, researchers found the potential oldest fossils of the earliest forests on Earth on Somerset and Devon that can be traced back 390 million years ago. The report was published in the Journal of the Geological Society.

Based on the report, they unearthed fossils of small branches (cladoxylopsids) and trunks, making the oldest discoveries of trees in Britain. The discovery can help us understand vegetation history and terrestrial ecosystems, particularly tree evolution.

Furthermore, the findings can give new ideas about conservation efforts as trees are essential to mitigate climate change effects and increasing temperature impacts.

Related Article: 390 Million Years Old Fossils Unveil Planet's Potential Earliest Forests

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