03/06/2019
Dinosaur footprints
Not far from the city of Tursun-Zade, the valley of the Shirkent River begins, where the eponymous historical and natural park is located, created in June 1991 to preserve the gene pool of unique flora and fauna, ecosystems of natural and cultural values, as well as rational use, proper maintenance and study of the south -West Gissar physiographic region. Monuments of nature and history in the valley of the Shirkent River are of great scientific and recreational importance and together with the picturesque landscapes constitute the main content of the historical and natural park.
The most significant among the geological objects are the three different-age locations of dinosaur footprints, with a total number of footprints of extinct lizards more than 400. The first location with traces of ancient giant reptiles is located in one of the right tributaries of the Shirkent, slightly above the village of the same name. Here on the surface of sandy limestones two chains of four-toed fingerprints are visible. The length of the prints is on average half a meter, the width is up to 30 cm, and the step length is about 75 cm. In view of the fact that traces like Shirkent were not described anywhere, the animal left them was assigned to a new genus and species of dinosaurs from the suborder of theropods ( dinosaurs) and received the name Macropodosaurus gravis, which means "big-legged, heavy lizard."
