Fossils of ancient bones tells us that a certain species existed – trace fossils tell us what that species was doing while there were here. Trace fossils are, essentially, any trace that life existed.
These kinds of fossils come in many forms – including trackways, or “footprints in the sand.” Fossil footprints that have been preserved millions of years will yield a lifetime of information about the creature: a species’ gait, if it traveled in packs or alone, whether babies had maternal care, and much more.
The particular trackway featured in our current Archaeopteryx exhibit – over 30 feet long and on display through Sept. 6, 2010 – is one of paleontologist Pete Larson’s favorite fossils because of the extraordinary surprise found where the footprints end.
In this video, Pete walks (and sometimes runs…it’s big!) us through through the significance of this fossil and reveals the surprise at the end, in this video.