New dinosaur footprints discovered in Saint-Laurent-de-Trèves, a team of excavators is on site

Jean-David Moreau details what we find on a print. Midi Libre – Lucas Manouvrier

The first footprint discovered by hiker Marc Lemonnier in May 2023. Midi Libre – Lucas Manouvrier

About fifteen footprints already found

After long months of waiting, among other things to obtain authorization to dig on this protected site in the heart of the Cévennes National Park (PNC), a team of fifteen scientists and paleontology students began a six-day excavation project, from Thursday 1 to Tuesday 6 August 2024. It didn't take long to be amazed by the beautiful finds. From the first day, the footprints were revealed one by one, with sizes ranging from ten to twenty centimetres. “We found fourteen of them on Thursday, enthuses Jean-David Moreau, who is the head of this project supported by the Association of Paleontology of the Languedoc Highlands (APHPL), of which he is the founder and president. It's extremely exciting because when you're digging, you never know what you're going to find.” Before recalling that the quality of this new site located on a private field is extremely rare: “Given the potential for clearing, we can work with a large space. This allows us to look for leads.”Tracks are the successive footprints – at least three – of a dinosaur. Unlike so-called isolated footprints, these "allow us to determine the dinosaur's stride, and this data helps us to then determine its size and speed of movement".

A meticulous work to see dinosaur footprints appear on the ground dinosaur footprints on the ground. Midi Libre – Lucas Manouvrier

“The preservation is exceptional”

Under a blazing sun, scientists dig and clear this layer of earth to reach the stone slabs. After a lot of roughing out, they take trowels and brushes to finely clean the rock. “All the prints we found are tridactyl (three fingers), explains Jean-David Moreau. On some, we can even see the pads and claws.” The man who is also a researcher at the University of Paris-Saclay praises the place. “The quality of preservation is exceptional.”As for the footprints, they reveal the passage, here, of Theropods. Until Sunday, paleontologists hope to make new discoveries. Monday will be devoted to scientific studies. “We are going to make biometric and sedimentological surveys to try to understand the ecosystem at the time”, continues Jean-David Moreau. Without forgetting photogrammetry, Rémi Flament's specialty. "It is essential to see digitally what we cannot see with the naked eye with natural light, the latter details. From the photos taken from several angles, I model the site in 3D." Thanks to this work, the site can be reburied as of Tuesday, August 6, while allowing professionals to continue their research on a computer.

Different layers of rock overlap, with footprints on some of them. Midi Libre – Lucas Manouvrier

While this new discovery is a real stroke of luck, it is not isolated to the department. In Saint-Laurent-de-Trèves, for example, there is already a historic site with dinosaur footprints. Jean-David Moreau is committed to ensuring that these treasures are valued, that they do not become a habit in the eyes of the Lozériens. “Sometimes, people are jaded because there have already been several discoveries in the area. But we must be aware that on a global scale, it is extraordinary.”

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