Dinosaur Tracksites I

In my article "Dinosaur Tracking", I talked about fossil trackways and other trace fossils. In these articles, I want to introduce you to some great places where you can go to see dinosaur trackways. There are thousands of dinosaur tracks in the U. S., these are some of the best sites that are open to the public.

Pratt Museum, Amherst College; Amherst, Massachusetts. Although the museum is not an actual tracksite, it does contain the largest and most important collection of tracks in the country. Many are type specimens collected by the famous Professor Edward Hitchcock in the 1830's. Hitchcock systematically excavated, described, and classified thousands of tracks, virtually founding paleoichnology (the study of trace fossils) - although Hitchcock believed that he was tracking gigantic ancient birds!

Dinosaur State Park; Rocky Hill, Connecticut. This tracksite is still in its original position, and is enclosed in a large display center. Dinosaur State Park, with over 2,000 tracks, has the largest set of dinosaur tracks on a single stratigraphic layer. The 200 million-year-old (Triassic Period) tracks were discovered in 1966 during excavation for a state highway building. The exhibit center also has models of Dilophosaurus, Coelophysis, and Stegmosuchus. Visitors to the park can make their own casts of the actual tracks: bring a five-gallon bucket, ten pounds of plaster of Paris, a quarter cup of cooking oil, some rags, and a putty knife.

Dinosaur Valley State Park; Glenrose, Texas. The 1,500-acre park along the Paluxy River was designated as a National Natural Landmark in 1969. The Early Cretaceous Period (140 to 65 million years ago) tracks include three-toed, sharp-clawed theropod prints (probably belonging to Acrocanthosaurus) and some of the best sauropod tracks (probably belonging to Pleurocoelus). The famous "attack sequence" trackway which is now on display at the American Museum of Natural History in New York City was excavated in this park in 1938 by Roland T. Bird. It shows a theropod stalking, and then attacking a sauropod. Nearby tracks include the famous "mantracks", which are actually theropod tracks.

Clayton Lake State Park; Seneca, New Mexico. This large tracksite (500 prints) is still in its original position. At least five different species of dinosaur are represented, including some made by baby dinosaurs. Most of the tracks were made by adult ornithopod dinosaurs, but some may have been made by a pterosaur. The tracks are in the Mesa Rica sandstone, and have been dated to 120 to 98 million years ago (early Cretaceous Period). Infilled tracks, metatarsal (these would be the ankle bones in a human, they are elongated indinosaurs) tracks, and even a few tail impressions can be seen.

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