Dinosaur Footprints

The dinosaur footprints of the Brijuni Islands are one of the most unexpected sights in Brijuni National Park, off the western coast of Istria, and they connect a quiet Adriatic archipelago to a world that vanished more than a hundred million years ago. Over two hundred footprints have been found on Veliki Brijun, the largest island, and on some of the smaller islands in the group, among them Vanga and Galija. They date from the Cretaceous period, between about 130 and 100 million years ago. At that time, the area that is now Istria was part of a vast, shallow carbonate platform at the edge of the ancient Tethys Ocean, with mudflats and lagoons along its shores, and dinosaurs walked across the soft mud, leaving prints that were later covered with sediment and turned to stone.

The tracks belong to several kinds of dinosaur. Some are the large, round prints of long-necked plant-eaters, the sauropods, while others are three-toed prints made by meat-eating theropods, and there are also tracks of other plant-eating forms. Together they show that a variety of animals moved along the shoreline, sometimes in groups, and the pattern of the trackways allows scientists to estimate the size and speed of the animals. The footprints are preserved because of the particular geological conditions of the islands, where layers of limestone formed in a quiet environment and have been exposed by erosion and sea level change. They are regarded as among the most significant palaeontological sites in the northern Adriatic, and they have been studied by Croatian and international researchers.

Visitors can see the prints at several locations on Veliki Brijun, including Cape Ploče and Cape Vrbanj, along the coastal paths used by the park's tours. At some of these sites, information boards explain what the tracks are, and a scientific and artistic sculpture of a theropod gives an idea of the scale of the animals, which can help children understand what they are looking at. The prints are shallow depressions in the rock, so they are easiest to see in low or slanting light, and the best time is early morning or late afternoon. They are vulnerable, so visitors should not walk on them or touch them, and it is important to keep to marked paths.

Entry to the footprint sites is included with a visit to the national park, which is reached by boat from Fažana. Many visitors combine the footprints with other stops on the island, such as the Byzantine Castrum, Verige Bay, the Safari Park, the Olive Tree, Tito's Museum and the Hotel Neptun. The island also has evidence of human settlement going back to the Neolithic period, and the natural setting of pine woods, meadows and sea is attractive in itself. Bicycles and a small tourist train make it easy to travel between the sites.

The footprints suit families, nature lovers and anyone curious about prehistory. Allow about half an hour at the sites, bring water and sun protection, and wear sturdy shoes.