90,000-Year-Old Human Footprints Discovered in Morocco, Revealing Ancient Migration Path

The well-preserved footprints discovered are those of Homo sapiens, considered the ancestor of Man. Homo sapiens would have crossed northern Morocco to reach Europe, estimate the members of the research team from the Abdelmalek Essaadi University of Tétouan.

The results of their research, published in the Scientific Reports journal of the Nature group, reveal the discovery of traces of at least 5 individuals (children, adolescents and adults) whose size ranges from 121 to 189 cm with an average of 160 cm, according to morphometric comparisons.

According to the researchers who were able to identify 85 Homo sapiens footprints on this site near a Larache beach, they are the largest, oldest (about 90,000 years) and best preserved in the world.

This new discovery "represents an important step in the knowledge of the evolution of hominids," explains one of the experts, recalling that the first Homo sapiens was found in this region, more precisely in Jbel Irhoud.