Individual Behavior
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After a dinosaur makes its tracks, the trackway can
be used to determine the individual behavior of the dinosaur as it made
the tracks. The actions made by the dinosaur are reflected in its
track. By close observation, it can be determined if the dinosaur
was walking, running, slowing, resting, hopping, limping, turning, fighting,
etc. Though the tracks can say much, the vast majority of discovered
tracks are evidence of walking. Rare examples of running, turning,
and limping have been described, but if the frequency of behavior in tracks
has any meaning, it can be inferred that the dinosaurs spent most of their
trackmaking time just walking about.
The study of tracks did solve one mystery: whether or not the dinosaurs dragged their tails. When an animal drags its tail, a tail drag mark is present between the footprints. With only a few exceptions, tail drag marks are absent from dinosaur trackways. The conclusion is that dinosaurs were not in the habit of dragging their tails. |