Dinosaur Tracks Found At The Red Rock Conservation Area Outside Las Vegas

Nevada Federal paleontologists have confirmed the first official record of dinosaur tracks, after the visitors stumbled on dinosaur fossils 190 million years while Red Rock Canyon National Conservation Area outside Las Vegas.

Scientists have recently discovered dinosaur bones in Nevada, but the discovery of Red Rock dinosaur footprints marks first documented in the state, said the Bureau of Land Management spokeswoman Kirsten Cannon. The results are remarkable, because while the dinosaur fossils are well documented in the vicinity of Arizona and Utah, Nevada, until recently, was considered largely free of the dinosaurs.

The dozens of footprints were probably exposed on the ground of Red Rock for thousands of years, but went unnoticed in spite of the conservation area of ​​1.2 million annual visitors. The tracks are from the Early Jurassic period and were probably made by two feet, three-toed dinosaurs. Other 190-million-year follow-up made by arthropods or animals resembling scorpions and spiders were also found near dinosaur footprints.

Brent Breithaupt, a paleontologist Regional Bureau of Land Management, was part of a team, which helped to confirm the results of the end of October. The federal agency waited until Monday to share the discovery with the public. Officials did not say where the footprints were found the fossils, because they are fragile, and researchers are just beginning to analyze them.

"It's real depression. This is where the animals increased," said Breithaupt fossils. "Given the size, due to the manner and for comparisons with the feet of dinosaurs, we can say that it was small carnivorous dinosaurs, but what kind remains to be seen. "

It could take years for scientists to connect the dots. Researchers may begin searching the area of ​​the bones and teeth to learn more about extinct animals. Paleontologists also analyze the distance between the tracks to determine how fast the animals traveled.

The data is based on the size and form of imprint see the dinosaurs were the nails, which means that they were carnivores. The animals are able to reach 3 feet from nose to tail.

"These fossils are very important ... they are an integral and indispensable part of American heritage," said Breithaupt.

The results have spoken of the track Red Rock site, and represent a significant time travel. The fossils were probably buried deep underground layers of rock sediments compressed for years. While the modern lines formed in the southwest Nevada, the stones were probably exposed to the surface level, Breithaupt said.

Increased awareness of the existence of these fossils on the popular protected areas has fueled many dinosaur discoveries in recent years.

"These days, it is a fairly regular basis, so that there is a discovery of dinosaur footprints in a place in North America or other parts of the world," said Breithaupt.

But Breithaupt said the discovery of the unprecedented Red Rock marks a new era in research dinosaurs Nevada.

"People do not think about dinosaurs in Nevada and can not find the dinosaurs in Nevada, not to think of the bones or footprints," he said. "People may have erred in this area and do not know what they were looking at his feet."

For more information related to dinosaurs, visit rareresource.com.