Do you have any idea where you can see the world’s largest collection of dinosaur footprints? For this, you have to plan a trip to the limestone cliff of Cal Orck’o in Bolivia that will offer you a glimpse of an extraordinary piece of history: the world’s largest and most diverse collection of dinosaur footprints from the Cretaceous era.
As per the records, this site features around 5,000 dinosaur footprints, which unbelievably, date back an astonishing 68 million years. The footprints are actually of around eight different dinosaur species, including the massive Titanosaur, which weighed up to 100 tonnes.
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Cal Orck’o, once the shore of a lake, lured both herbivorous and carnivorous dinosaurs. This resulted in deep impressions along the shoreline since their feet kept sinking into the soft ground due to the humid circumstances. The alternating wet and dry weather patterns over time helped to maintain these trails. Multiple layers of preserved footprints were produced as a result of the drying times, which helped to consolidate the traces. The once level earth was then forced upward by tectonic action, creating the present-day vertical cliff, which provides an ideal vantage point for examining these prehistoric remnants.
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This means that you now have the option to witness real evidence of dinosaurs outside a museum—on the very ground we walk on today. Luckily, Cal Orck’o has a 300-ft-high wall near Sucre, Bolivia, is home to the world’s largest collection of dinosaur footprints, with around 5,000 tracks from various species. Unlike a man-made exhibit, this site is a natural marvel, shaped by tectonic movements and seismic activity over millions of years.
These footsteps, which are now visible on a sheer cliffside, are close enough for you to see and appreciate up close. This was not always easy because, when dinosaurs roamed the earth 68 million years ago, this area had a flat shoreline where dinosaur footprints were found. Tectonic movements gradually forced the ground upward, turning the flat area into the tall, vertical wall it is today.
Visiting this place will offer you a rare opportunity to witness authentic dinosaur footprints in their natural setting, a reminder of the incredible creatures that once walked the planet.