US Edition200-Million-Year-Old Dinosaur Tracks Found Near Olympics Site
Up to 20,000 prosauropod footprints, some with claw marks, were found on a vertical rock face in Stelvio National Park near 2026 Olympic venues, officials said.
- On Tuesday, Dec. 16, 2025, Stelvio National Park announced thousands of dinosaur footprints extending for hundreds of metres were found near Bormio and Livigno, first spotted by nature photographer Elio Della Ferrera in September.
- The Triassic tidal flats that once covered the area enabled track formation in soft sediments, while Alpine chain formation uplifted and eroded the site to expose the prints.
- Footprint measurements and form indicate parallel rows, clear toe and claw impressions, juvenile tracks and handprints showing herd movement and varied behaviours, with prints up to 40 centimetres by prosauropods.
- Cristiano Dal Sasso mobilized a research team for initial work before snow, while the Italian Ministry of Culture plans to use drones and remote sensing due to the site's remoteness near Winter Olympics next year.
- Scientists say the site offers a rare chance to study animal evolution, with Dal Sasso stating, `This place was full of dinosaurs; it's an immense scientific treasure.
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In the National Park of Stelvio, in the Italian Dolomites, it has been discovered what everyone already calls the “valle of the dinosaurs”.
210 million years ago, herbivorous Prosauropods lived in herds in the Italian Alps on vast dolomite slopes that are now almost vertical.
Global News
Thousands of 210-million-year-old dinosaur footprints discovered in Italy - National
The prints were discovered on a near-vertical rock face 2,000 metres above sea level, which was once the floor of a warm lagoon, ideal for dinosaurs to roam along beaches.
Over 20,000 Ancient Dinosaur Footprints Found Near Winter Olympics Site in Italy
Ancient dinosaur tracks. Credit: Raúl Esperante / CC BY 4.0 A rare discovery of thousands of dinosaur footprints has been made in a remote section of Stelvio National Park, Italy, just a few miles from the Bormio site, the mountain town set to host alpine skiing events during the 2026 Winter Olympics. The dinosaur footprints, estimated to be around 210 million years old, were found high in the Italian Alps near the future Olympic site, drawing s…
A photographer in Italy has discovered an estimated 20,000 well-preserved dinosaur footprints near the Olympic town of Bormio.
Italy makes a surprising discovery ahead of the Winter Olympics: dinosaur tracks
A nature photographer stumbled upon thousands of 210-million-year-old dinosaur tracks in Italy's central Alps, near where some Olympic skiing and snowboarding events will be held in February.
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