Vale dos Dinossauros
Vale dos Dinossauros is in Paraíba, Brazil. It is a cluster of dinosaur sites, only one of which has some infrastructure for visitors. The main archaeological finds are located in the municipality of Sousa, in the hinterland, about 400 km from the state capital.
Understand edit
The valley holds over 50 types of ancient animal tracks, including those of stegosaurids, allosauroids, and iguanodonts. The valley covers an area of about 700 km² (270 sq mi) that includes the city of Sousa, Paraíba, and ten other municipalities. Tracks have been found in about 30 locations in the valley, with fossilized footprints of over 80 species at about 20 different stratographic levels. Most of the tracks are of carnivorous dinosaurs.
The tracks the dinosaurs made in the damp earth beside ponds and rivers in rainy periods hardened over long periods of drought, gained new layers of sand and clay from floods, and fossilized. Footprints are as small as 5 centimetres (2.0 in), perhaps from dinosaurs the size of modern chickens, up to 40 centimetres (16 in) long, such as that of a four-ton iguanodon.
History edit
Landscape edit
Flora and fauna edit
Climate edit
Get in edit
Fees and permits edit
Entry is free, but if you accept a guide, he will appreciate a R$ 5-10 tip.
Get around edit
No public transport.
See edit
- Passagem das Pedras (Crossing of Stones). The most visited site is this island in the bed of the Peixe River. It is about 7 km (4.3 mi) from the urban centre of Sousa.
Do edit
Buy edit
Eat edit
No food can be bought on the sites. There are shady benches near the visitors' centre that are good for a picnic.
Drink edit
A few soft drinks are sold at the visitors' centre.
Sleep edit
The best facilities are in Sousa.
Lodging edit
Camping edit
Backcountry edit
Stay safe edit
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