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common type found. They consist of left and right prints of similar shape and size, and each print has three toes (tridactyl). |
Diagram of a bipedal trackway. (Lockley, 1991) |
Bipedal Track-Makers
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common type found. They consist of left and right prints of similar shape and size, and each print has three toes (tridactyl). |
Diagram of a bipedal trackway. (Lockley, 1991) |
| There are two major dinosaur groups which made biped tracks: the theropods (carnivorous) and the ornithopods (herbivorous). |
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| The theropod
print is usually long and narrow. The posterior is V-shaped and each
toe terminates in a pointy claw mark. Ornithopod tracks are distinguished
from theropod tracks in that they are wider and the posteriors are more
rounded and the digits are shorter, blunter, and do not terminate in a
claw. Both theropods and ornithopods preferred to walk on their toes
(digitigrade), though at times they did walk flat-footed (plantigrade).
Prints ranging
from digitigrade to plantigrade.
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