Dinosaur Footprints

IUCN Category V - Protected Landscape / Seascape

A fossilized footprint in the reserve

Dinosaur footprints ( German dinosaur footprints ) is an 8 acres ( 3.2 ha) large nature reserve near the town of Holyoke, Massachusetts in the United States and is managed by the organization The Trustees of Reservations.

History

Born in 1793 geologist and later president of Amherst College Edward Hitchcock was one of the founders of the ichnology dealing as a branch of paleontology fossil footprints and tracks. Hitchcock spent a large part of his research in the Pioneer Valley, where today is located in the protected area, and discovered a wide variety of fossilized footprints. Millions of years ago there was there a great sea, and the individual sediment layers as well as the existing sandstone bottom of the lake offer high chances for the discovery of fossilized tracks.

The Trustees were able to acquire the area of the protected area in 1935.

Sanctuary

On the grounds of the protected area, more than 130 different that is preserved in sandstone tracks found. They are assigned to groups of bipedal, carnivorous dinosaurs that probably up to 15 ft (4.6 m) high or 20 ft (6.1 m ) long and ancestor of Tyrannosaurus were. Fossilized footprints can be found all along the Connecticut River Valley, where there was a subtropical swamp in front of about 190 million years ago.

In addition to the first scientifically described traces also a variety of other fossils in the reserve can be seen that originate not only from bipedal dinosaurs, but also of stromatolites, fish and plants. The reserve is open daily from April 1 to November 30.