Texas Travels: In the Footprints of Acrocanthosaurus
My, what big feet you have!
On a recent visit to the Central Texas area, my paleontologist friend suggested looking for a dinosaur footprint site he'd heard about in the area of Leander, Texas (not far from Austin).
When we arrived at our destination, at the bridge where Hwy 183 crosses over the South Fork of the San Gabriel River, I confess I had doubts there would be anything there to see. There were no signs, nothing but an empty expanse of river canyon and a rough trail full of rocks and tree roots.
Nonetheless, we set out west along the river bed, staring at every bump and hole in the rock and debating whether they were the tracks or not (they weren't).
About half a mile in, we rounded a small bend in the river and suddenly there was no doubt we'd found them. A very distinct set of three-toed dinosaur footprints spanned accross a flat rock in the river bed -- eleven of them, all in a row.
It's thought that these prints were left by a dinosaur known as Acrocathosaurus, in a time when the area was an ancient beach.
Acrocathosaurus was one of the largest therapod dinosaurs to ever have lived. It measured as much as 38 feet from snout to tail, and walked on two legs, much like tyrannosaurus rex, using its large, heavy tail to counterbalance its head and upper body.
If you would like to see the spot for yourself, it is on public property, since it is within the waterway of the river. Finding parking can be tricky, but there's a few spots near the the 183 bridge where you can pull off the highway. After that, simply climb down under the bridge and head west along the river bed for about half a mile.
The area does have flash floods now and then, and the river banks are steep and high. So if the weather looks iffy, err on the side of caution and go again another day.
When we arrived at our destination, at the bridge where Hwy 183 crosses over the South Fork of the San Gabriel River, I confess I had doubts there would be anything there to see. There were no signs, nothing but an empty expanse of river canyon and a rough trail full of rocks and tree roots.
Nonetheless, we set out west along the river bed, staring at every bump and hole in the rock and debating whether they were the tracks or not (they weren't).
About half a mile in, we rounded a small bend in the river and suddenly there was no doubt we'd found them. A very distinct set of three-toed dinosaur footprints spanned accross a flat rock in the river bed -- eleven of them, all in a row.
It's thought that these prints were left by a dinosaur known as Acrocathosaurus, in a time when the area was an ancient beach.
Acrocathosaurus was one of the largest therapod dinosaurs to ever have lived. It measured as much as 38 feet from snout to tail, and walked on two legs, much like tyrannosaurus rex, using its large, heavy tail to counterbalance its head and upper body.
If you would like to see the spot for yourself, it is on public property, since it is within the waterway of the river. Finding parking can be tricky, but there's a few spots near the the 183 bridge where you can pull off the highway. After that, simply climb down under the bridge and head west along the river bed for about half a mile.
The area does have flash floods now and then, and the river banks are steep and high. So if the weather looks iffy, err on the side of caution and go again another day.
Artist's impression (Credit: Durbed on Deviantart)
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