Ancient Footprints May Capture Turtle Flocks Disrupted by Earthquakes

Unusual marks found on rocky surfaces in Italy may have been created by a group of sea turtles reacting to an earthquake around 83 million years ago.

Extreme climbers stumbled upon a peculiar feature in a restricted area on the slopes of Monte Conero along Italy’s east coastline.

Over 1,000 prints are evident in two distinct spots. One location is situated over 100 meters above sea level, while the other is a ledge that collapsed onto La Vera Beach. These limestone rocks were formed from fine sediments that settled on the shallow ocean floor during the Cretaceous era.

The climbers captured photographs that were subsequently shared with the Alessandro Montanari Cordigioco Geological Observatory in Italy and colleagues. Scientists were then granted permission by the Conero Regional Park authority to explore the area both on foot and using drones.

Montanari mentioned that while it is challenging to identify which animal made the marks, the only two types of vertebrates inhabiting the ocean then were fish and marine reptiles. The researchers dismissed fish, plesiosaurs, and mosasaurs, leading to the conclusion that sea turtles are the most probable culprits.

Given the dynamic nature of the ocean floor, the prints must have been buried almost immediately after formation to remain intact, potentially occurring during an earthquake.

“[It may have been] the powerful earthquake that frightened the poor animals, which were peacefully residing in their nutrient-rich shallow-water habitat,” states Montanari.

“In panic, they swam towards the open sea on the west side of the reef, leaving paddle impressions on the soft seabed.”

However, the notion of a turtle swarm remains speculative, and the team is eager to collaborate with ichthyologists who specialize in analyzing fossilized tracks for the next phase of their research.

Anthony Romilio, a researcher from the University of Queensland in Australia, claims that if these marks indeed are from sea turtles, they would be “potentially the most numerous in the world.”

Nevertheless, he has yet to visit the site or view high-resolution images and doubts the prints belong to sea turtles. “The surface patterns do not exhibit the spacing, rhythm, or anatomy expected in a sea turtle’s flipper stroke,” he comments. “I suspect they are abiotic formations rather than biological in origin.”

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