Are You Serious? Prehistoric Footprints Found in Northern Arizona

I recently had a discussion with a seven-year-old about the specific merits of a certain dinosaur called the Dilophosaurus.

She told me that most people think the Dilophosaurus is the same as a Velociraptor because they look similar. She also insisted that most people only know about any kind of dinosaur because of the movie Jurassic Park, and they think those are the only kinds of dinosaurs.

"It's weird when you think about it," she said, in all seriousness, "because the Dilophosaurus existed in the Early Jurassic Period, about 200 million years ago."

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"That's not the same as the Velociraptor?" I asked.

She sighed, looked at me as though I were a chimpanzee she was trying to teach to ride a bicycle, and said, "No." Then she ran off to rule the world, I think. Or play on the slide. It's hard to tell at that age.

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Setting aside her impatience with me - or how I'm secretly impressed by how words like Dilophosaurus and Jurassic rolled off her tongue - she sent me down a rabbit hole of discovery.

Prehistoric Footprints Found in Arizona

I wonder, does my little dinosaur expert know this factoid?

I learned that Arizona is home to one of the coolest prehistoric finds: the Moenkopi Dinosaur Tracks. The tracks, dating back about 200 million years to the Triassic period, were discovered near Tuba City in the Navajo Nation.

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The Navajo were aware of the tracks for generations, but it wasn’t until paleontologists from Northern Arizona University verified that the footprints were, in fact, those of prehistoric beasts that they gained significant scientific attention.

Scientists think the prints were made by early dinosaurs like Eubrontes, Grallator, Coelophysis, or even the now famous Dilophosaurus!

Finding Dinosaur Footprints in Arizona: The Big Deal

Why are these tracks such a big deal?

Other than the fact that they're really cool, the prints offer a fascinating glimpse into the behavior and movement of dinosaurs that roamed Arizona long before humans came here. Here's the part I'm saving to share with my mini-paleontologist friend:

Scientists can study the dinosaur tracks and learn about the speed, gait, and even social behavior of these prehistoric creatures.

The Moenkopi Dinosaur Tracks sound awesome, especially for anyone interested in dinosaurology (is that a thing??).

I can't wait to impress my seven-year-old dinosaur expert, who I've come to think of as Dr. Dinosaur, with my new-found knowledge of dinosaurs in Arizona.

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I'm going to talk Dr. Dinosaur's mom and see if our families can plan an excursion to Tuba City to see these tracks with our own eyes.

Sources: Flagstaff.com | National Park Service | National Geographic | Wikipedia

Images: Dilophosaurus. (2024, November 2). By Heather Kyoht Luterman - Milner ARC, Harris JD, Lockley MG, Kirkland JI, Matthews NA (2009) Bird-Like Anatomy, Posture, and Behavior Revealed by an Early Jurassic Theropod Dinosaur Resting Trace. PLoS ON / Wikipedia Commons