Palaeontology and archaeology have aligned in northeast Brazil, as a “outstanding” web site that includes dinosaur footprints alongside historical rock carvings has been uncovered. The Serrote do Letreiro Website, within the Sousa municipality, Paraíba State, is house to a few fundamental rock outcrops, the place the fossilized footprints of theropod, sauropod, and iguanodontian dinosaurs from the Early Cretaceous (145 to 100.5 million years in the past) have been found. Not solely that, however the space can be house to petroglyphs – a kind of rock artwork made by straight pecking on the rock’s floor – created by people within the pre-colonial interval.In a brand new research, researchers describe this “invaluable” intercept of palaeontological and archaeological components, the likes of which have by no means been seen in such shut proximity.Dinosaur tracks and rock artwork have been present in affiliation earlier than – in Australia, Poland, and Utah, for instance – however “in none of those cases do the petroglyphs show such a close-knit relationship with the footprints as in Serrote do Letreiro,” the researchers write of their research.“It’s unquestionable that the engravers acknowledged the footprints and deliberately executed the petroglyphs round them, establishing a symbolic connection between human graphic expression and the fossil report.”Petroglyphs and dinosaur tracks at Outcrop 1. Theropod footprints are in white and engravings are in orange.Picture credit score: Troiano et al., Scientific Reviews, 2024 (CC BY 4.0)The primary mentions of dinosaur footprints from the area date again to the early twentieth century and palaeontological features of the location have been studied a number of instances within the years since. The petroglyphs, nonetheless, have obtained a lot much less consideration, having by no means been comprehensively analyzed or thought of together with the footprints.To rectify this, the staff surveyed the location, figuring out three giant outcrops the place each dinosaur footprints and petroglyphs have been noticed. On the first outcrop, an extra 22 symbols have been found, together with the best focus of theropod – the clade to which T. rex belongs – tracks.Theropod footprints (A-F) in shut affiliation with petroglyphs (D and F).Picture credit score: Troiano et al., Scientific Reviews, 2024 (CC BY 4.0)The second contained simply two petroglyphs, though there seems to have as soon as been a a lot greater quantity which have since grow to be illegible. On the third and remaining outcrop, 30 carvings have been recognized, in addition to intensive pecking marks and tracks left largely by sauropod dinosaurs.The petroglyphs, the researchers found, are principally round that includes radial traces and different motifs. Whereas their which means shouldn’t be apparent, they are often interpreted as geometric types, and bear a placing resemblance to rock carvings discovered elsewhere in Paraíba and Rio Grande do Norte. Some notable designs stand out, together with rectangular grid engravings and others resembling stars and serpents.Petroglyphs from Outcrop 3.Picture credit score: Troiano et al., Scientific Reviews, 2024 (CC BY 4.0)The variation in model suggests a number of people have been behind the rock artwork. We could not know who they have been, however we do know that they took nice care when carving alongside the dinosaur footprints.“In not one of the instances was it discovered that the creation of a petroglyph resulted in injury to the prevailing footprints, suggesting thoughtfulness by the makers,” the staff clarify. Serrote do Letreiro’s “excellent juxtaposition” of palaeontology and archaeology, in response to the researchers, signifies that people in pre-colonial Brazil engaged with the fossil report, actively incorporating it into their graphical expression and utilizing it assist to ascertain their cultural identification.As such, the research authors argue for its conservation, demanding “quick mitigation measures to stop additional injury”, in order that we will proceed to understand this distinctive web site for years to come back.The research is revealed in Scientific Reviews.