Fossil hunters in South Africa have made a groundbreaking discovery: tracks of animals dating back approximately 3 million years, a first in the country. This remarkable find adds to the nation's rich fossil heritage, which includes a diverse record of plants and animals, offering a glimpse into the ancient past. Over the past 15 years, researchers at the African Centre for Coastal Palaeoscience have been studying the tracks and traces left by ancient species during the Pleistocene Epoch, a period spanning from 1.8 million years ago to 11,700 years ago. They have identified over 350 vertebrate tracksites along the coast, with the oldest fossil track dating back around 400,000 years. However, the team's attention has now shifted inland, where they discovered a new treasure trove of fossil tracks and traces. The Wankoe Formation, located up to 30km from the coast, is a site of immense interest due to its potential to reveal more about body fossils and the traces of human ancestor species. These tracks are unique, as they are raised rather than indented, making them rare and valuable for research. The discovery of these tracks has opened up new avenues for exploration, with the potential to find more fossilized pedestalled tracks, which are globally rare. The team's findings have been published, and they are now excited about the possibility of uncovering more tracks of ancestral hominins from the Pliocene epoch, a period from 5.3 million to 2.6 million years ago. This new 'holy grail' for the research team highlights the ongoing importance of fossil hunting in South Africa, offering a glimpse into the lives of our ancestors and the ancient ecosystems they inhabited.
