A footprint in the wet sand that time has turned into today's Val Gardena Sandstone is all that is left of the Pareiasauroidea, a large and stocky primitive reptile that grazed off foliage near rivers and streams. This creature can be regarded as a type of Permian 'cow', even though grass didn't exist at the time - only ferns and other plants, such as the Ortiseia conifer.

Ortiseia leonardii was a large conifer similar to today's Araucaria in South America. It grew along rivers flowing through a semi-dry flood plain, represented today by the red Val Gardena Sandstone rock unit. The best-preserved fossils come from the area around Ortisei, which lends the genus its name. These plants are presumed to have formed small forests that were the habitat of a large number of animals drawn there by the water.