A team of German and Mexican archaeologists have discovered what they
believe is the largest dinosaur cemetery in the world in the Mexican
state of Coahuila, Der Spiegel reports.
Researchers from the University of Heidelberg, the State Museum of
Natural History in Karlsruhe and the Desert Museum in Saltillo, Mexico,
have found fossils of 14 animals on a small piece of land 50 by 200
meters. They uncovered the skeletons and bones of 15 more animals a few
kilometers away. “I know no other place where so many dinosaurs have
been found on such a small area,” said Wolfgang Stinnesbeck from the
University of Heidelberg.
The area, where the fossils have been unearthed, is inhospitable. But
what now is a desert approximately 70 million years ago was a
blossoming piece of land. “There was a huge delta here and several
rivers were flowing into the Gulf of Mexico,” said paleontologist
Eberhard Frey from the University of Heidelberg. “The ecosystem here was
vibrant. Apart from dinosaur bones we have found four species of
turtles, remains of a small crocodile and teeth of early mammals,” he
added.
“Our findings are very promising, large-scale excavation here would
be worthwhile,” Frey stressed. For instance, researchers have found
Theropod footprints not far from the dig site. Some of the largest
predators in the Jurassic and Cretaceous periods were among the Theropod
dinosaurs.
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