Tracks What can dinosaur tracks tell us?

Dinosaur tracks can tell us a lot about these prehistoric animals.  More common than skeletal remains, tracks leave clues about dinosaur behavior and lifestyle-how they lived, hunted, walked, ran and even swam.

After studying dinosaur tracks scientists have concluded that large Sauropod dinosaurs probably lived in herds; that large theropods traveled in small groups or by themselves; and that smaller dinosaurs, both carnivorous and plant-eating, often gathered in herds.

By measuring tracks, scientists can also tell us how fast or slow dinosaurs could walk or run. Some dinosaurs moved as fast as modern animals.  Four to five miles per hour was probably the typical speed, though larger animals may have been slower while smaller dinosaurs, like Dryosaurus, may have been faster than ostriches.

More 3D Animated Dinosaurs         top