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Revised Trackways Lab

The document describes a diagram (Figure 1) showing fossil footprints from three animals: a small bird, small mammal, and larger bird. The footprints tell the following story: 1) The small bird and mammal interacted, causing the bird to fly north, as shown by the change in its footprint pattern. 2) The small mammal continued walking east but with its tail dragging, as evidenced by the lines in the footprints. 3) A larger bird observed the interaction and ran away to the north, indicated by its spaced-out footprints.

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Daniel Condreay
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101 views

Revised Trackways Lab

The document describes a diagram (Figure 1) showing fossil footprints from three animals: a small bird, small mammal, and larger bird. The footprints tell the following story: 1) The small bird and mammal interacted, causing the bird to fly north, as shown by the change in its footprint pattern. 2) The small mammal continued walking east but with its tail dragging, as evidenced by the lines in the footprints. 3) A larger bird observed the interaction and ran away to the north, indicated by its spaced-out footprints.

Uploaded by

Daniel Condreay
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
Available Formats
Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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Trackways – Interpreting Events from Fossil Evidence

Question: How can fossils (and other evidence) relate the history of an era?
Procedure: Part A
1. Observe the diagram of the fossil footprints in Figure 1.

2. Use figure 1 to answer questions 1-9. In #10 use the answers to the earlier questions
and common sense to interpret the events that may have occurred in Figure 1.
NOTE: Your interpretation should be consistent with the evidence in the diagram.
Questions:
1. How can you tell in which direction the animals are walking?

All the footprints are walking to the East. You can tell by the way the footprints
are directed.

2. How do footprints differ when an animal walks from when it runs?

When an animal walks, its footprints are closer together, but when running they
are spaced out more. Also while walking, the tail is dragging on the ground.
3. Did any of the animals change speed? When?

Bird’s speed changed it started heading toward the North.

4. How many different types of animals are represented?

5. How did the animals interact with each other?

The smaller bird interacted with the mammal, then it flew away.

6. How would footprints be formed and preserved?

Mud hardening over time.

7. In what type of environment did the events take place?

Forest

8. If all the footprints were made within minutes of one another, which way was the wind
blowing? Explain your answer.

East because that is the direction the animals are traveling

9. What might the lines between the footprints of two of the organisms represent?

Their tails

10. Write a paragraph interpreting the events in figure 1. Support your interpretations with
evidence from the diagram. This response should be 250-400 words

The events that occurred in figure 1 are that a bird and a small mammal viewed
each other. This caused the small bird to panic and fly away, leaving no more
footprints. After this meeting, the small mammal continued to head east, but now
with its tail dragging. There is also a larger bird that noticed this whole
interaction, causing it to lift its tail and run away.

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