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Showing posts from December, 2014

JURASSIC SINTRA

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Millions of years ago (125 million to be a bit more exact), large dinosaurs roamed in Sintra. Plant eating Saurôpodes and Ornitôpodes as well as meat eating Terôpodes, all about 2.5meters tall only until the hip, walked on these lands way before the Sintra Mountain was a mountain. We can now observe their footprints, some of which are a humongous 67cm tall and 60cm wide. Observing the path of the prints, we know that the vegetarian Saurôpodes with its elephant-like large body, long neck and small head walked between 6 to 7 km/hour, and the Terôpodes who walked on two strong legs, of which only three of the four toes touch ground, about 2 kms/hour.  It is fascinating to see the three distinct types of footprints, all different sizes, and all well conserved, on the vertical cliffs of Praia Grande do Rodízio. There are a total of 66 foot prints , 51 of them are in 11 tracks and the rest are isolated. The footprints are clear to see rom the stairs  The dinosaurs did not o