Surprise at fossil discovery made in Tanzania

Ancient animal tracks dated almost two million years old have been accidentally unearthed by Heriot-Watt University scientists from the Lyell Center in Edinburgh.

The fossils were discovered by Tessa Plint, a Ph.D. researcher specializing in palaeoecology, and Dr. Clayton Magill during geological field work at the world-renowned Olduvai Gorge in Northern Tanzania. Located in the East African Rift Valley, it is one of the most important palaeoanthropological sites on Earth having yielded early evidence of human ancestors.

It is not known what species were responsible for leaving the tracks but the scientists say they were formed by cloven-hoofed mammals, such as prehistoric antelope or gazelle. The fossils also reveal the animals left their hoof prints as they walked across a layer of freshly fallen ash resulting from a nearby volcanic eruption around 1.8 million years ago.

A total of three tracks have been found, each measuring approximately 7cm in length and offering a unique window into life in the Olduvai Gorge.

It was a find that came as a surprise, according to Tessa Plint, who made the discovery while surveying a small plot of land. She explains: “We were at Olduvai Gorge to collect archeological sediment samples for geochemical analyzes.

"We weren’t there to prospect for fossil tracks, so finding them was 100 percent a matter of looking down in the right place at the right time! It was a very exciting moment.

"There have been fossil bird footprints found in geologically younger rock layers from Olduvai Gorge, but never any fossil footprints from large, land-based animals.

"A lot of what it known about the ancient ecosystem at Olduvai Gorge comes from fossil bones and teeth.

"Fossil footprints, or in this case, the fossil hoof-prints offer a unique window into the past. They have the potential to tell us about the behavior of the track-maker, something that is very difficult to ascertain from extinct animals.”

Detailed fossil tracks are rare due to their fragility and are often not preserved in the archeological or palaeontological record. It takes incredibly specific environmental conditions for them to survive millions of years. …