Deck 11: Dinosaur Trace Fossils

Question 1

How is the speed of a dinosaur estimated from a trackway?

Answer 1

A dinosaur footprint is formed because of interaction between the structure of a living dinosaur's foot and the surface on which it walked. When a series of consecutive footprints belonging to a dinosaur are traced it is referred trackway.
The paleontologist can infer very important information from these footprints which even the dinosaur skeletons cannot provide. The key information that the paleontologists can deduce from the dinosaur footprint include speed, behavior, distribution, gait, and posture.
The dinosaur speeds were calculated based on trackways. A British researched R. McNeil developed a methodology to estimate the dinosaur speed from footprints. In this method, the relative stride distance is first calculated. A stride is referred as the distance from one point on a footprint to the same point on the next print of the same foot. The leg length is the distance from the hip joint to the ground when the dinosaur is in a normal standing posture.
Using these two measurements, the relative stride is calculated by using the following formula:
In the next step, the relative stride should be converted into an estimate of movement speed. To arrive at this, the dimensionless speed should be calculated. Following is the formula to calculate dimensionless speed:
The dimensionless speed therefore allows to calculate equivalent speeds despite the size of the animal.
In order to estimate the actual speed of dinosaur based on footprint, the value from relative stride into the formula for dimensionless speed. Following the derived formula;
By using the above mentioned calculations, the speed of a dinosaur can be estimated from a trackway.

Question 2

Which dinosaurs laid eggs?

Answer 2

Based on fossil evidence, it is known that the some dinosaurs laid hard-shelled eggs similar to those seen in living birds. The dinsoaur eggs were first discovered in France in 1869. However, the dinosaur eggs which were well knonw were the ones discovered in Mongolia in 1923.
Various evidence found indicate that the reproduction of was through laying eggs. The sauripods laid the largest eggs,w hich measured more than 30 centimeters long. The other dinosaur groups which laid eggs include the prosauropods, theropods, certopsians, and ornithopods.

Question 3

What types of information can paleontologists obtain from dinosaur eggs?

Answer 3

Based on fossil evidence, it is known that the some dinosaurs laid hard-shelled eggs similar to those seen in living birds. The dinsoaur eggs were first discovered in France in 1869. However, the dinosaur eggs which were well knonw were the ones discovered in Mongolia in 1923.
Various evidence found indicate that the reproduction of was through laying eggs. The sauripods laid the largest eggs,w hich measured more than 30 centimeters long. The other dinosaur groups which laid eggs include the prosauropods, theropods, certopsians, and ornithopods.
Types of information derived from dinosaur fossil eggs:
The dinosaur eggs provide a good amount of information to the paleontologists.
• Different types of dinosaurs laid eggs of different sizes and shapes. Hence, the eggs provided information regarding that particular type of dinosaur.
• The paleontologists could infer the important fact that the dinosaurs reproduced by laying eggs.
• Some eggs were found in the nests. This explains the parenting behavior of some species of dinosaurs.
• The paleontologists could also deduce the distribution of the dinosaurs on the basis of fossil eggs.
• The most important informantion derived from the analysis of dinosaur eggs from the Late Cretaceous age helped in unearthing the reason behind dinosaur extinction.

Question 4

How are dinosaur gastroliths identified?

Question 5

Why did some dinosaurs swallow stones?

Question 6

Why is it difficult to interpret dinosaur coprolites?

Question 7

What are the principal types of dinosaur trace fossils?

Question 8

What types of information can paleontologists obtain from dinosaur footprints?