The Italian island of Sardinia is full of riches and breathtaking landscapes, but also with a rich history. A recent extraordinary scientific discovery is proof of this.
During the filming of a documentary about the region's geomorphological landscape, scientists discovered important paleontological evidence in the vicinity of Baunea, in Oliastra: fossil traces testifying to the presence of dinosaurs in Sardinia, reports Euronews.
The discovery was made by a scientific team made up of professors Antonio Asorgia, Sergio Guinness and Stefania Sias, former professors at the universities of Sassari and Cagliari.
Preserved in rocks dating back to the Jurassic period, the footprints belong to a theropod dinosaur. Thanks to the extraordinary discovery, it is possible to reconstruct the appearance of the animal and the environment in which it lived. The dinosaur was bipedal from the Middle Jurassic period, about 165 million years ago, and lived on coastal areas with sandy and muddy sediments, typical of marshy and tidal areas.
The rocky surface on which the tracks were found also indicates the presence of other associated species. This is therefore the first evidence of the presence of dinosaurs during the Mesozoic period in Sardinia. | BGNES
