In Italy, a hiker stumbled upon ancient 280-million-year-old footprints.

A day of archaeological discovery for a couple who stumbled upon prehistoric footprints dating back millions of years during a routine hiking trip.

Last summer, while hiking in the Italian Alps with her husband, Claudia Steffensen observed "odd patterns" on a rock.

"Last summer, Steffensen and her husband wanted to escape the heat, so they went to the mountains. On their way back down, they had to walk carefully along the path. Steffensen noticed strange circular designs with wavy lines on the ground and realized they were footprints."

Cristiano Dal Sasso, a paleontologist at the Museum of Natural History in Milan, was consulted by the photographer after reaching out to him, according to the Guardian.

Experts identified the footprints found by Steffensen as belonging to a prehistoric reptile due to the melting snow and ice.

Since the discovery of the original footprints, experts have made numerous visits to the area and found hundreds of additional fossilized footprints from prehistoric reptiles, amphibians, and insects. Additionally, the Guardian reports that fossils of plants, seeds, and imprints of raindrops have also been discovered in the area.

According to Smithsonian Magazine, the fossilized footprints are from the Permian period, which spanned from 251 to 299 million years ago, predating the era of dinosaurs.

According to National Geographic, the time period ended with the worst extinction event in the planet's history, resulting in the extinction of 90% of marine species and 70% of land animals.

The authors of the largest footprints must have been of a considerable size, up to 2-3 meters long, even though dinosaurs did not yet exist, according to Dal Sasso, as reported by the Guardian.

The Natural History Museum in Milan is currently showcasing certain relics that were discovered through ongoing research.