Researchers uncover youngest 132-million-year-old dinosaur tracks in southern Africa
Updated
Updated · ScienceDaily · Apr 25
Researchers uncover youngest 132-million-year-old dinosaur tracks in southern Africa
13 articles · Updated · ScienceDaily · Apr 25
More than two dozen dinosaur tracks, estimated at 132 million years old, were found in the Brenton Formation near Knysna, Western Cape, by a team including Nelson Mandela University scientists.
These tracks, preserved in a tiny 40-by-5-meter coastal outcrop, are the youngest ever discovered in southern Africa and only the second Cretaceous dinosaur tracksite in the region.
The find helps fill a major gap in the region's fossil record after volcanic eruptions 182 million years ago, suggesting dinosaurs persisted locally and prompting renewed searches for further evidence in other Cretaceous exposures.
Footprints prove dinosaurs roamed here after the eruptions, but where are their bones?
This coastline holds Africa's youngest dinosaur tracks. What other secrets are hidden there?
How will South Africa protect these priceless dinosaur tracks from being washed away?
How did South African dinosaurs survive a volcanic apocalypse that reshaped the continent?
Dinosaurs survived extreme climate change. What can their story teach us about resilience?
Youngest Dinosaur Tracks in Southern Africa Reveal 132-Million-Year Survival After Karoo Volcanism
Overview
In 2025, researchers discovered over 24 dinosaur footprints near Knysna, South Africa, dating back 132 million years to the Early Cretaceous. These are the youngest dinosaur tracks found in southern Africa, extending the known dinosaur timeline by 50 million years beyond previous records. The tracks, preserved in an intertidal zone, reveal a diverse community including theropods, ornithopods, and sauropods. This discovery challenges the long-held belief that dinosaurs vanished after massive volcanic eruptions around 180 million years ago, showing instead that they survived and thrived despite environmental upheaval. The find also highlights the potential for more fossil sites in the region and offers opportunities for research and sustainable tourism.