Let's Step into the Mesozoic - literally! This week we’re looking at Grallator footprints: ancient dino tracks with that unmistakable three-toed, clawed shape!
You’ve probably seen something like them before, sharp, narrow toes splayed out like a bird print, classic dino footprint vibes. My sketch this week shows a single print, but in the wild, they often appear in long track ways across ancient mudflats.
Here’s the intriguing part: Grallator isn’t the dinosaur, it’s the name we give the print itself. It’s an 'ichnogenus' ( Trace-Genus) - basically a label for fossil tracks when we don’t know exactly who made them. Most were likely left by small, fast theropods darting through prehistoric landscapes.
These prints are super useful, they help scientists figure out how these animals walked, ran, (though there's new discussions about those speed calculations after some tests with modern birds, interesting stuff if you're a dino nerd like me!) and even socialized. All from these footprints frozen in time.
Grallator prints have been found on nearly every continent, proving dinosaurs really got around, though that wasn't the challenge you'd think as the oceans we're used to weren't there to stop them back then! Some are so well preserved you can make out the individual toe pads and claw impressions!
Fun fact: Because the same track shape can be made by different dinos, one Grallator print could’ve come from a totally different species than the next. It’s like trying to guess the colour of trainers from a single muddy footprint!
