A hiker in the northern Italian Alps came across an unexpected discovery pointing to some of the most mysterious aspects of nature — past and future.
As explained by the Guardian, scientists said they believe Claudia Steffensen and her husband uncovered the first trace of an entire prehistoric ecosystem dating back 280 million years to the Permian period, which immediately preceded dinosaurs.
The discovery happened in Lombardy's Valtellina Orobie mountain range.
Steffensen made the discovery in the Ambria valley and took a photo, which ended up with Cristiano Dal Sasso. The paleontologist, who works at the Natural History Museum in Milan, in turn consulted with other experts to determine that the footprints were those of a prehistoric reptile.
As noted by Live Science, researchers then visited the site and found footprints and imprints from the underbellies of reptiles and amphibians. They observed footprints from other animals as well, plant fossils, and raindrop imprints, with "evidence of this ancient ecosystem [found] up to 9,850 feet ... high in the mountains."
This isn't an isolated incident. According to the Guardian, since the summer of 2023, visits to the area of the Valtellina Orobie nature park mapped out by experts have "revealed hundreds of other fossilised footprints of reptiles, amphibians and insects."
"At that time, dinosaurs did not yet exist, but the animals responsible for the largest footprints found here must still have been of a considerable size," Dal Sasso said in a statement, as relayed by Live Science.
In addition to the miraculous preservation of these remnants from a prehistoric period, the discovery also shined a light on the effects of a warming climate. The gradual rise in global temperatures has made weather events more frequent and intense, leading to the melting of icy landscapes.
Researchers have long been concerned that the changing climate is accelerating the melting of formations like the Greenland Ice Sheet, which will continue to lead to rising sea levels.
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Definitely 👍 "The discovery in the Ambria valley is also an effect of climate change," Doriano Codega, president of the Valtellina Orobie nature park, told the Guardian. "The exceptional thing was the altitude — these relics were found at very high levels and were very well preserved. This is an area subjected to landslides, so there were also rock detachments that brought to light these fossils. This is a very important paleontological discovery."
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Research is expected to continue at the site of the discovery.
"I'm feeling very proud, especially to have made a small contribution to science," Steffensen told the Guardian.
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