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sauropods.win is one of the many independent Mastodon servers you can use to participate in the fediverse.
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H. Pettijohn

For this , check out these theropod tracks from southern Utah! Almost 200 million years ago, like Dilophosaurus, Coelophysis, and their relatives called this area home, roaming across floodplains that would gradually dry into a grand desert. (1/3)

Two theropod tracks of very different sizes impressed into pale sandstone. Between them is a scale bar in inches and centimeters. On the left, a three-to-four inch track points up, and on the right, a nine-to-ten inch track with a large hole in the center points down.
A three-toed theropod track is impressed into pale sandstone and lightly filled with sand. To the left, the author's hand holds a scale bar in inches and centimeters. The track is roughly five inches long.
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H. Pettijohn

And, boy, did they roam! Sometimes, tracks will preserve just right to show trackways, like these tracks made by a relative of Dilophosaurus. Paleontologists can study trackways to figure out how fast an animal was moving, how tall it was, and in certain cases, where it may have been going! (2/3)

Several large, three-toed theropod tracks have been impressed in pale sandstone, forming a trackway that cuts through the center of the image vertically. The centers of each track have been worn into large holes, both by natural forces and clumsy humans.
H. Pettijohn

It's worth noting that plenty of animals still walk in the same areas where dinosaurs lived millions of years ago. Just a short walk from the tracks above, I found these lizard tracks, possibly made by a gila monster! (3/3)

A lizard trackway cuts through orange sand, heading toward the top of the image. Several long claw marks connect the tracks to one another. To the right, a scale bar in inches and centimeters sits on the sand. The tracks are roughly an inch long.
A close image of a pair of lizard tracks. Tiny, bead-like skin impressions line the inside of the track, indicating the size and shape of the scales on the bottom of the lizard's foot.
Aug 09, 2024, 02:13 PM·Public·Mastodon for Android
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David Chisnall (*Now with 50% more sarcasm!*)

@punkpaleo This makes me sad Darwin was right(ish). If Lamarckian Evolution had been real, both sets of tracks might have been created by the same creature.

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