Cretaceous dinosaur highways with 3,000+ footprints. Track pattern analysis shows sauropods walked in herds with juveniles in the center, a protective behavior still seen in elephants today.
PePeEfe, CC BY-SA 4.0
A 125-million-year-old commute
In the Maestrazgo region of Teruel, Spain, vast rock faces reveal thousands of fossilized dinosaur footprints, or ichnites. These sites, part of the Maestrazgo UNESCO Global Geopark, document a busy ecosystem from the Early Cretaceous period, roughly 125 million years ago. During this time, the area was a large, muddy coastal plain bordering the ancient Tethys Sea. Dinosaurs traversing these muddy flats left behind tracks that were baked by the sun, buried by sediment, and eventually fossilized into stone. Tectonic forces later tilted these layers, and erosion has now exposed them like giant stone canvases.
Seven of the most significant tracksites have been declared Assets of Cultural Interest by the Spanish government. Important localities open to the public include sites near the towns of Galve, Miravete de la Sierra, and Ababuj. The tracks are primarily found within geological layers like the Villar del Arzobispo Formation and the Camarillas Formation. In total, the geopark contains 76 cataloged paleontological sites. The region's paleontological importance is managed and studied by organizations like the Fundación Conjunto Paleontológico de Teruel-Dinópolis.
The dinosaur parade
The trackways at Maestrazgo reveal a diverse dinosaur population. Three main types of dinosaurs left their marks:
Sauropods: These massive, long-necked herbivores were abundant. At sites like Las Cerradicas, six parallel trackways of small sauropods, possibly titanosauriforms, show them moving together in a herd. This gregarious behavior is a finding from the region. The hind footprints of these particular sauropods measure between nine and twelve inches long. The tracks are typically wide-gauged, meaning there is a large gap between the left and right prints, consistent with the wide-bodied stance of titanosaurs.
Theropods: Carnivorous, bipedal dinosaurs also roamed this ancient coastline. Their tracks are easily identified by their three-toed shape. Tracks from medium to large theropods have been identified at sites such as Los Corrales del Pelejón. One theropod track recovered from the Miravete 2 site is now on display at the Dinópolis museum in Teruel.
Ornithopods: These bipedal herbivores, which include dinosaurs like Iguanodon, were the most common track-makers at many of the Lower Cretaceous sites in Maestrazgo. Their footprints are also tridactyl (three-toed), but often broader and more rounded than those of theropods. Stegosaur tracks, though rare, have also been found. One site contains the holotype (the specific specimen that defines a species) for the stegosaur ichnogenus Deltapodus ibericus.
💡Fun Facts
The first dinosaur described in Spain, the sauropod *Aragosaurus ischiaticus*, was discovered in the Galve area in 1987.
Some of the largest sauropod footprints ever found on the Iberian Peninsula are located at the Camino El Berzal site.
The Las Cerradicas tracksite contains evidence of six parallel trackways made by small sauropods, which is interpreted as a herd of juveniles or a species of dwarf sauropods.
At the Ababuj tracksite, geological tilting has left the fossilized track layers in an almost vertical position, creating an immense natural wall of footprints.
Most outdoor tracksites are accessible year-round. Visitor centers, like the Dinópolis network facilities in Galve and Castellote, have specific opening hours.
Admission
Access to the outdoor tracksites is generally free. Admission fees apply for Dinópolis and its satellite museums.
Accessibility
Accessibility varies by site. Some, like the main outcrop at Ababuj, are located next to a road. Others, like the site at Miravete de la Sierra, require a walk along an unpaved, moderately difficult path. The terrain is natural and can be uneven.
