Name: _________________
INTERPRETING FOOTRPINTS (2A)
Use the evidence to make realistic interpretations. Explain your answer.
1.
Did the animal walk on 2 or 4 legs? ________________________________
_______________________________________________________________
Was it walking or running? _______________________________________
_______________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________
Was it alone or in a group? _______________________________________
_______________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________
Was it moving in soft soil or deep mud?_____________________________
_______________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________
Did the animal have any obvious injuries? __________________________
______________________________________________________________
_________________________________________
Name: _________________
INTERPRETING FOOTPRINTS (2B)
Use the evidence to make realistic interpretations. Explain your answer.
2.
Did the animal walk on 2 or 4 legs? ________________________________
_______________________________________________________________
Was it walking or running? _______________________________________
_______________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________
Was it alone or in a group? _______________________________________
_______________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________
Was it moving in soft soil or deep mud?_____________________________
_______________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________
Did the animal have any obvious injuries? __________________________
_______________________________________________________________
____________________________________________
Name: _________________
TRACKWAYS 1
The shape and pairing of a footprint is different for animals who walked on two
feet (bipeds) and animals who walked on four feet (quadrupeds):
Biped prints are usually left to right sequences of similarly
shaped prints. They each have three major digit (toe) marks
and small and shallow hallux marks (triadactyl tracks).
Quadruped prints generally show rear and front prints of different
sizes and shapes. The rear prints are larger than the fore prints.
The front foot of a quadruped animal is called the manus, whereas
the back foot is called the pes.
The tracks above indicate that the animal walked on two feet (or in other words
was "bipedal"). Bipedal dinosaur trackways contain similarly sized and shaped
prints in pairs. Each print alternates -usually from left to right. They tend to
make very narrow trackways which may appear to be in a straight line.
These tracks indicate that the animal walked on four feet (or in other words was
"quadrupedal"). The front and rear prints of quadrupedal dinosaur tracks
usually have different sizes and shapes. The rear prints are larger and broader
in shape than the front. Trackways show the front print slightly in front of the
back print on each side of the trackway.
Name: _________________
TRACKWAYS 2
Some animals like hadrosaurs (and modern
kangaroos or bears) change their movement from
bipedal to quadrupedal. These are either called
facultative bipeds (usually use two feet) or
facultative quadrupeds (usually use four feet).
Draw the footprints of each animal:
For an extra activity, make some icebox cookies or sugar cookies in the shape of
dinosaur footprints. Have each student make their own mini trackway across his or
her plate before eating the footprints.
Name: _________________
CHANGES
The study of footprints has brought exciting changes in palaeontology. At
first palaeontologists thought that dinosaurs walked like lizards. They
built their dinosaur skeletons standing up straight, with
their legs spread out, and their tails dragging.
When they found dinosaur footprints they had to change their old
ideas about dinosaurs. The new evidence proved that they were wrong.
They had to redo their models of dinosaurs so that they were leaning
forward with their tails in the air.
If a dinosaur looked like this
its footprints would have:
If a dinosaur looked like this
its footprints would have:
Feet palm first
Smaller steps
Feet to side of body
Marks from tail dragging
Feet toe first
Longer steps
Feet almost underneath body
No tail marks on the ground
Name:_________________
_________________
FOSSILIZED FOOTPRINTS
1.
2.
The dinosaur steps its foot into soft dirt or
mud. A footprint is created.
Water flows over the footprint. Some dirt in
the water starts to fall into the footprint.
More dirt in the water falls into the footprint.
3.
4.
The footprint is buried in dirt. The water
dries up or drains away.
A layer of dirt forms on top of the first layer.
5.
6.
Pressure squishes the layers and they turn into
rock.
Millions of years pass.
7.
A palaeontologist finds the fossilized footprint.
8.
9.
The palaeontologist then separates the layers.
The top layer shows the shape of the foot that
made the print. The bottom layer shows the
original footprint.
10.
The palaeontologist then makes a mould of the
footprint and pours plaster into it. When the
plaster hardens, it is a model of a footprint.
Name: _________________
INTERPRETING FOOTPRINTS 1A
Footprints can tell us…
Whether the animal walked on 2 legs, 4 legs or switched back & forth
A bipedal animal walks on two legs only. Both the prints are
the same size and shape. You can draw an imaginary line in
between the left footprints and the right footprints.
A quadrupedal animal walks on four legs only. There are two
different sizes and shapes of prints. The front footprints are
smaller than the back footprints.
A facultative biped usually walks on two legs but
can sit on four or sometimes walk on four.
A facultative quadruped usually walks on four legs but
can walk on two sometimes.
How fast the animal moved
R. McNeil Alexander figured out how to calculate the speed of a dinosaur by
measuring its footprints, length of step and leg length.
Velocity=0.25*(stride length)1.67*(leg length)-1.17*(gravitational constant)0.5
How heavy the animal was
Palaeontologists look at how deep the footprint is, how clear the footprint is, and
what the soil was made of. They also compare dinosaur footprints to animal
footprints today.
Name: _________________
INTERPRETING FOOTPRINTS 1B
Footprints can tell us…
Whether the animal traveled alone or in groups
Palaeontologists look for sets of footprints that are from the same kind of dinosaur.
When they find many footprints of the same kind of dinosaur, they think it was a
herd (group) of dinosaurs. If they find only one set of footprints, then they think that
the dinosaur was alone.
How it sat or stood while resting
An animal could stop to rest. It might stand on two legs and
drop its two front paws on the ground for balance.
Which kinds of animals lived in the same area at the same time
Palaeontologists look for sets of footprints that are from different kinds of dinosaurs.
They look for footprints stepping on other footprints.
What kind of ground the animal walked on
Clear footprints mean
that the ground is hard
and a bit dry. Very wet
ground makes footprints
that are deep and sunken
in.
If the animal traveled with youth and babies
Palaeontologists look for sets of footprints that are from the same kind of dinosaur
but are different sizes.
Name: _________________
INTERPRETING FOOTPRINTS 1C
Footprints can tell us…
If the animals walked in a group or single file
Palaeontologists try to figure out if the same kinds of animals were traveling in a
straight line (single file), in a herd (large group).
Whether the animal limped, had broken toes or other injuries
If the dinosaur had a bad leg it would limp and have uneven strides. (The distance
between the footprints would be different on one side.) If the dinosaur had a broken
tie, the footprint would show it.
If the animal changed speed or distance in an action sequence
The theropod footprints and sauropod footprints are from the Islet of Fenoliga, Istria.
This might show dinosaurs trying to hunt each other.
What shape the animal's feet were
The dinosaur that made this footprint would have short toes. Its feet would be
very round.
The dinosaur that made this footprint would have
three very long toes.