Be a Sleuth—
How Dinosaurs
Be a Sleuth
…
Behaved
Like today’s crime-scene investigators, paleontologists study trackways—fossilized footprints—
for clues about how dinosaurs behaved. For example, did they travel in herds, like elephants? Did
some hunt alone? Did they migrate long distances in search of food, like modern caribou?
Trackways often hold the key.
HOW DINOSAURS BEHAVED
legs? Was it walking or running?
1. How many different
kinds of animals were here?
3. Did the animal that left the yellow tracks travel alone?
2. Did the animal that left the red tracks walk on two or four legs? Was it
4. Which dinosaur walked across the area first?
walking or running?
5. How
individual
animals
were
here?
3. Did the animal
that many
left the
yellow tracks
travel
alone?
6. If these
all here
4. Which dinosaur
walkedanimals
across were
the area
first?at the same time, can you
make some
guesses
to why?
5. How many individual
animals
were as
here?
6. If these animals were all here at the same time, can you make some
guesses as to why?
De
t
Fact:
e
tiv There is only one known footprint of
c
e the Tyrannosaurus rex. Scientists believe that the
rarity of T. rex footprints (and fossils) means that
DETECTIVE
FACT
there simply
weren’t that many
T. rex around. Modern
animals at the top of the food chain—lions, eagles,
There
is
only
one
known footprint
great white sharks—tend to be rare as well.
of the
Tyrannosaurus rex. Scientists believe that
the rarity of T. rex footprints (and fossils)
© 2005 American Museum of Natural History. All Rights Reserved.
means that there simply weren’t that many
T. rex around. Modern animals at the top
of the food chain—lions, eagles, great
white sharks—tend to be rare as well.
=green
=blue
=yellow
Make Your Own Trackway!
MAKE
YOUR
OWNstick.) Find
(You
will need
a measuring
aTRACKWAY!
setting where you can see your footprints (sand, snow, or mud). First walk,
(You will need a measuring
then run, over the same area. For each
stick.)
Findmeasure
a setting
set
of prints,
yourwhere
stride (the
distance
from
toe
to
toe
made
by the
you can see your footprints
same foot). What are the differences in
(sand, snow, or mud). First
your stride between your two sets of
walk, Ask
thena friend
run, over
prints?
who isthe
taller or
shorter
to
repeat
the
sameset
activity.
same area. For each
of
Compare and contrast your footprints.
prints, measure your stride
(the distance from toe to
toe made by the same foot).
What are the differences
in your stride between
your two sets of prints?
Ask a friend who is taller
or shorter to repeat the
same activity. Compare and
contrast your footprints.
ANSWERS
1. Five. 2. Probably two legs and walking. 3.
Probably not. 4. The one with the black tracks. 5.
Probably six. 6. Answers may include: looking
for food or water, migrating, escaping a predator.
Look at this illustration.
Let’s
LIKE TODAY’S CRIME-SCENE
investigators,
say
you
are
a
paleontologist
who
paleontologists study trackways—fossilized
has just come across these awefootprints— for clues
about how dinosaurs
some clues, frozen in place from
behaved. For example,
they
travel
in herds, like
thedid
days
when
non-avian
elephants? Did somedinosaurs
hunt alone?
Did the
theyEarth.
migrate
roamed
What
can
you
figure
out
long distances in search of food, like modernabout
those long-ago creatures by
caribou? Trackways often
hold the key. Look at this
studying their trackways? Color
illustration. Let’s saythe
youdifferent
are a paleontologist
who
animals’ tracks in
has just come acrossdifferent
these awesome
clues,done
frozen
colors (we’ve
the
first
one non-avian
for you) and
then try to
in place from the days
when
dinosaurs
answer
questions.
roamed the Earth. What
canthe
youfollowing
figure out
(Keep in mind: You won’t be able
about those long-ago creatures by studying their
=black
=red
to answer all the questions with
trackways? Colour the
different
animals’
tracks
in
certainty.)
different colours (we’ve done the first one for you)
1. How many different kinds of animals were here?
and then try to answer the following questions.
2. Did the animal that left the red tracks walk on two or four
(Keep in mind: You won’t
be able to answer all the questions with certainty.)
ANSWERS 1. Five. 2. Probably two legs and walking. 3. Probably not. 4. The one with the black tracks. 5. Probably six. 6. Answers may include: looking for food
or water, migrating, escaping a predator.
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© 2005 American Museum of Natural History. All Rights Reserved.