Michoacán dinosaur footprints bring mapping and preservation work to a streambed
Researchers are documenting tracks attributed to several dinosaur groups, including possible tyrannosaur relatives, after residents alerted specialists.
MexicoWhy this story? One of MILENIO's most watched videos since yesterday, with 136,876 views.
MILENIO: The Mexican news channel and newspaper of Grupo Multimedios. 8.3M subscribers and 7.7B views.
¿Había tiranosaurios en Michoacán? Esto revelan las huellas descubiertas por el INAH
Residents who spotted giant-looking footprints in a stream in San Juan de los Plátanos have helped identify a dinosaur track site in Michoacán, western Mexico. Specialists confirmed more than 50 fossilized impressions on a rocky platform, according to Mexican news channel MILENIO.
The report, narrated by Brenda Montes de Oca, follows the discovery in the municipality of Apatzingán from the residents' alert to the work of Mexico's National Institute of Anthropology and History, known as INAH.
Citing paleontologist Raimundo Cervantes Barriga, it attributes the Late Cretaceous tracks to several dinosaur groups: theropods that may include tyrannosaurids, raptors and hadrosaurs, the duck-billed plant eaters. The possible tyrannosaur connection is not an identification of Tyrannosaurus rex itself.
Researchers are recording the impressions using photogrammetry and studying what they can reveal about the animals' movement and behavior. Preservation is also part of the work. Culture Secretary Claudia Curiel de Icaza highlights the residents' contribution and the collaboration behind the documentation.
Much of the surrounding area remains unexplored, the report says, leaving open the possibility of finding additional tracks. Apatzingán is the fourth location in Michoacán with recorded fossil footprints, adding another site to the state's paleontological heritage.
A Mexican state divided into 113 municipalities, with its capital at Morelia.
More on Wikipedia ›A city and municipal seat in the west-central part of Michoacán, Mexico.
More on Wikipedia ›A Mexican federal agency responsible for researching and protecting the country's heritage, including archaeological sites and paleontological remains. It was established in 1939.
More on Wikipedia ›Mexico's secretary of culture since 2024. She previously held the same role in Mexico City from 2022 to 2024.
More on Wikipedia ›Published on Trari
Where next?
- Channel
- MILENIO
- Subscribers
- 8,310,000
- Channel views, pace per day
- 1,490,565
- Video published
- October 28, 2026
- Video views so far
- 140,253 (less than a day online)
- Video views, pace per day
- 136,820
The numbers
The discovery report drew roughly 137,000 views since yesterday, placing it among Mexico's most-watched news Shorts.
💡 Test your knowledge
In which Mexican state were these dinosaur footprints discovered?
The tracks were found in San Juan de los Plátanos, in the municipality of Apatzingán, Michoacán.