Copyright © 2007 Dorling Kindersley It has been said that the
footprints of a dinosaur can tell us more about the dinosaur
than its skeleton. This is because footprints are a record of
the living, moving animal, while the skeleton is simply the
remains of its dead body. The footprints of any animal can tell
you a number of things about it, such as its size, and how it
stood, ran, or walked. By comparing footprints with dinosaur
skeletons, scientists are able to get a clearer picture of what
dinosaurs were really like. A set of tracks can reveal more
about dinosaur behaviour, and can even give an idea of its
speed. Some of the largest footprints are made by brontosaurs.
These can be over 1 m (3 ft) long and 0.7 m (2 ft) across. When
analysing trackways, many different measurements are taken. The
length and width of the footprint, and the trackway width, can
tell us about the dinosaur’s size. The trackway width can also
reveal the dinosaur’s stance. Other measurements such as pace
length (distance between succe