![]() | Dinosaur ValleyBrochure |
Interpretive Guide of Dinosaur Valley State Park (SP) in Texas. Published by Texas Parks & Wildlife.
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Dinosaur Valley State Park is home to world-class
examples of fossilized dinosaur tracks. During the
Cretaceous Age, dinosaurs left tracks in the soft mud
of a shallow sea that covered central Texas 113 million
years ago. Dirt and sediment covered the dried prints,
which the Paluxy River slowly revealed through millennia
of erosion. Today, you can view two types of tracks in
the river: the three-toed tracks of theropods and the
saucer-shaped tracks of sauropods.
NICOLE GILBERT, TPWD
INTERPRETIVE GUIDE
THINGS TO DISCOVER
As you wade through the cool waters of the Paluxy River
and look for dinosaur tracks, use caution as rocks are slick
and currents can be swift.
Check out our ranger-led track talks and other interpretive
programs to learn about the park’s amazing resources. Dates
and times for all of the programs are posted online and
around the park.
When hiking our beautiful trails, make sure to wear
appropriate shoes and take plenty of water — the trails are
steep and rugged.
Grab your binoculars and look for the endangered goldencheeked warbler and black-capped vireo.
Snap your picture with the dinosaur models from the 1964
World’s Fair in New York City.
Please help us care for the special natural and cultural
resources of Dinosaur Valley State Park by leaving things as
you found them and staying on designated trails. All of the
plants, animals and fossils are protected by law so that
everyone can enjoy them. Visit the park store for souvenirs
and refreshments.
Dinosaur Valley State Park
1629 Park Road 59, Glen Rose, Texas 76043
(254) 897-4588 • www.tpwd.texas.gov/dinosaurvalley
Cover photo: ©Glen J. Kuban
DINOSAUR
VALLEY
STATE PARK
DINOSAUR VALLEY STATE PARK IS
MORE THAN JUST DINOSAUR TRACKS.
IT IS THE SITE OF THE FIRST SAUROPOD
TRACKWAY EVER DISCOVERED IN THE
WORLD. DINOSAURS FROM THE CRETACEOUS AGE LEFT THEIR FOOTPRINTS
IN THE SOFT MUD OF A SHALLOW
The discovery of dinosaur tracks here changed the field
of paleontology. Trackways show that the sauropods
moved more slowly (about 2.7 miles per hour) than the
speedier theropods (about 5 miles per hour). The
trackways also show that the sauropods travelled in
herds. Adults positioned themselves on the flanks and
juveniles stayed in the middle, possibly to deter attacks
from predators.
Fossil hunter Roland T. Bird excavated large sections of
the riverbed in the late 1930s. He theorized that the
Paluxy trackway provided evidence of an attack by the
faster and more ferocious theropod on a slower-moving
sauropod, an idea that has been debated for years. The
National Park Service designated Dinosaur Valley State
Park a National Natural Landmark in 1968 because of
its unique prehistoric resource.
SEA THAT COVERED CENTRAL TEXAS
113 MILLION YEARS AGO. HERE IN THE
RIVERBED OF THE SCENIC PALUXY
RIVER YOU CAN SEE WORLD-CLASS
EXAMPLES OF THE SAUCER-SHAPED
F O O T P RIN T S O F SA U RO P O D S A N D
© 2018 TPWD. PWD BR P4503-0094S (7/18)
In accordance with Texas State Depository Law, this publication is available at
the Texas State Publications Clearinghouse and/or Texas Depository Libraries.
TPWD receives funds from the USFWS. TPWD prohibits discrimination on the basis of race, color, religion, national origin, disability, age, and gender,
pursuant to state and federal law. To request an accommodation or obtain information in an alternative format, please contact TPWD on a Text Telephone
(TDD) at (512) 389-8915 or by Relay Texas at 7-1-1 or (800) 735-2989. If you believe you have been discriminated against by TPWD, please contact
TPWD or the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Office for Diversity and Workforce Management, 5275 Leesburg Pike, Falls Church, VA 22041.
Texas State Parks is a division of the
Texas Parks and Wildlife Department.
THREE-TOED TRACKS OF THEROPODS.
©GLEN J. KUBAN
Proud Sponsor of Texas Parks
and Wildlife Programs
D I N O S A U R
V A L L E Y
S T A T E
P A R K
CHASE A. FOUNTAIN, TPWD
A CHANGING
ENVIRONMENT
Dinosaur Valley State Park owes its scenic beauty to its
location in the Paluxy River Valley. Ashe juniper woodlands cover half of the hilly, hardscrabble limestone terrain
providing habitat for the endangered golden-cheeked
warbler and black-capped vireo. Meadows of big and little
bluestem prairie grasses flourish in the open spaces. The
riparian area along the river boasts tall hardwood trees like
bur oaks, cottonwoods and pecans. Springtime brings
beautiful displays of native wildflowers.
Golden-cheeked warbler
STEVE MASLOWSKI, USFWS
Armadillo
NICOLE GILBERT, TPWD
While studying theropod tracks in the Paluxy riverbed, Bird
made his big discovery—a large sauropod track! The Paluxy
prints were the first distinct sauropod tracks ever found in
the world. As he searched for more he found a near-perfect
trackway recording the many steps of both sauropods and
theropods.
Sauropods were large, plant-eating dinosaurs. Their pillarlike legs and large feet left distinct impressions in the mud.
Rounded hind footprints over a yard long with smaller,
clawless horseshoe-shaped front footprints. Finding these
tracks revolutionized scientific thinking about these dinosaurs. Now scientists knew sauropods walked on land rather
than relying on water to support their large bodies.
The variety of landscapes attracts many kinds of wildlife
to the park. Listen for armadillos rustling through the
underbrush as they forage for insects and grubs. You may
see a white-tailed deer bounce off into the forest with her
fawn. Coyotes are sometimes heard singing at dawn and
dusk. Cast a line in the Blue Hole and see what you catch!
During the days of the dinosaurs, this area looked very
different. A vast shallow sea covered the area. The Glen
Rose area was a Cretaceous age coast with beaches,
lagoons and coral reefs. Large tropical palm and conifer
trees grew along the shore. Shells of crustaceans from this
sea left calcium carbonate deposits that made the limestone you see today and created the special “limey” mud
that preserved the tracks of the dinosaurs.
STEPS OF THE SAUROPODS
For many years scientists believed the sauropod tracks
belonged to the brachiosaur Pleurocoelus. Then, bones found
upriver on a ranch in Hood County in 1996 provided new
clues for paleontologists. Peter Rose, a graduate student at
DINOSAUR DISCOVERIES
TRACKS OF THE THEROPODS
Locals first discovered dinosaur tracks in the area in 1909, a year
after a massive flood on the Paluxy River exposed the fossilized
prints. George Adams stumbled across strange three-toed tracks
in a river tributary. Not long after, Charlie Moss discovered
sauropod tracks in the riverbed while looking for a place for his
moonshine still.
Dr. Ellis Shuler, a paleontologist at Southern Methodist
University, wrote the first scientific reports about these theropod tracks in 1918. However, the Paluxy River tracks only
became famous when Roland T. Bird visited in 1937. While
collecting fossils for the American Museum of Natural History,
Bird decided to journey to Glen Rose after spying a near-perfect
theropod track collected from the Paluxy River at a trading post
in New Mexico.
The theropod prints probably belong to the carnivorous
Acrocanthosaurus, a dinosaur similar in appearance to
Tyrannosaurus rex. Acrocanthosaurus ran on two legs as it
pursued its prey. Reaching up to 38 feet long, it left tracks
ranging from 12 to 24 inches long and 9 to 17 inches wide.
Southern Methodist University, determined the
fossils belonged to a new species of dinosaur that he
named Paluxysaurus jonesi in 2007. Even more
recently, scientists have determined that the sauropod
tracks belonged to Sauroposeidon proteles.
The 50-ton sauropod stood 92 to 112 feet long,
20 feet high, and 6 feet wide at its shoulder. Its almost
40-foot-long, giraffe-like neck was longer than its tail!
Its cheekbones were higher than those of other sauropods, with small peg teeth for grabbing food and large
nostrils flaring up on top of its snout.
front
foot
hind
foot
carnosaur
track, probably
Acrocanthosaurus
sauropod tracks, probably
Sauroposeidon proteles
(aka Paluxysaurus jonesi)