Dinosaur Footprints in Colorado Offer Insight into Movements of 150-Million-Year-Old Sauropod

A rare fossilized trackway discovered near Ouray, Colorado, is providing scientists with valuable insights into the locomotion of a giant dinosaur from the Late Jurassic period. This trackway is notable for its unique looping structure, which suggests the dinosaur might have been walking with a limp while navigating a tight turn.

Dr. Anthony Romilio from The University of Queensland’s Dinosaur Lab analyzed over 130 footprints along a continuous 95.5-meter-long trail. “This trackway is unique because it is a complete loop,” Dr. Romilio stated. “While we may never know why this dinosaur curved back on itself, the evidence gives us a rare opportunity to study how a giant sauropod handled a tight, looping turn before resuming its original direction of travel.”

Drones Aid in Documenting the Trackway

Due to the impressive size of the West Gold Hill Dinosaur Tracksite, traditional ground-level examination of the footprints proved difficult. Co-author Dr. Paul Murphey of the San Diego Natural History Museum noted, “It has been challenging to document these footprints from the ground because of the size of the trackway.” Researchers utilized drones to capture high-resolution images of the entire site, creating a detailed 3D model for digital lab analysis at millimeter-scale precision.

According to Dr. Romilio, the virtual reconstruction revealed that the dinosaur initially walked toward the northeast, completed a full loop, and faced the same direction again upon finishing. “Within that loop, we found subtle, yet consistent, clues to its behavior,” he added.

Variations in Footprint Patterns

Researchers identified a clear pattern in the spacing of the dinosaur’s left and right footprints. “One of the clearest patterns was a variation in the width between left and right footprints, shifting from quite narrow to distinctly wide,” noted Dr. Romilio. This suggests that the width of the footprints can naturally vary as a dinosaur moves, indicating that shorter tracks may not accurately represent its typical walking style.

Additionally, a small but consistent difference was observed in the lengths of the left and right steps, measuring approximately 10 centimeters or 4 inches. “Whether that reflects a limp or simply a preference for one side is hard to say,” Dr. Romilio remarked. The findings indicate that longer dinosaur trackways could reveal behavioral details often missed in shorter stretches of footprints.

The study’s exploration of the track site has been supported by the U.S. Forest Service, emphasizing the significance of this fossil evidence in understanding dinosaur behavior.