Dinosaur Footprints: What They Tell Us About These Creatures

Dinosaurs left a few clues on what they may have looked like. Often, these hints come from their bones, but footprints also tell scientists a lot about a species. Studying tracks can provide information about the size, type of animal, how it moved, and where it lived. Fuel your knowledge of dinosaur footprints and find out what they tell us about these creatures.

The Dinosaur’s Size

Like today’s animals, the size and depth of a dinosaur’s footprint can provide clues on how big or heavy the creature was. Beasts like T. rex left large footprints, while Velociraptors had smaller ones.

Type of Dinosaur

Although a footprint doesn’t tell us exactly what type of dinosaur left it, it does give us some key information. For instance, the shape and size can tell us what group the beast belonged to. Many raptor dinosaurs had three-toed feet with a more triangular shape, while sauropods had feet with an elongated shape.

By evaluating the footprint type, scientists can hypothesize whether the dinosaur belonged to a carnivorous or herbivorous group and the subgroup it likely belonged to. If fossilized bones remain, paleontologists may determine the exact dinosaur that left the print.

How It Moved

Paleontologists can also hypothesize a dinosaur’s speed by looking at footprints. Fast-moving animals leave footprints that are further apart, while slow-moving creatures have footprints that are close together. Scientists will compare this data to the size and length of the creature’s legs for a more accurate idea of speed.

Another thing dinosaur footprints tell us about is varying species’ gait. More importantly, footprints indicate whether a species walked on two legs or four; bipedal (two-legged) dinosaurs will have fewer footprints in a trackway than quadrupedal (four-legged) dinosaurs.

Where It Lived and Traveled

Finding a dinosaur’s bones is one of the easiest ways to determine where the creature lived, but it’s not the only clue. Each dinosaur species had a slightly different footprint, and comparing this to the bones allows scientists to see where the species lives. Trackways also show where dinosaurs may have traveled on Earth.

Many herbivorous dinosaurs, such as Triceratops, traveled in herds; scientists make this claim because of footprint patterns. Locations such as Dinosaur Ridge, Colorado are home to dinosaur track sites; places like this have countless footprints of the same geological age left by a single species. Large groups traveling together often indicate pack migration.

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