Lesson 3 Page 2
Discover: Dinosaur Speedway
Paleontologists are scientists who study remains left by dinosaurs. One of the things they look at is dinosaur footprints preserved for millions of years. These prints can provide information about the dinosaurs’ height and weight, the way they stood, and even how fast they were moving.
By measuring footprints left by dinosaurs, scientists are able to make inferences about whether the dinosaur was walking, trotting, or running.
They are able to estimate the speed by looking at the footprint length, hip height, and stride length of the dinosaur.
Notebook: Can you determine how fast a dinosaur was moving by looking at its footprints?
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Check Your Answers
| Stride Length | Dinosaur | Walking, Trotting, or Running? |
| Longest | A | Running |
| Intermediate | C | Trotting |
| Shortest | B | Walking |
Career Connection
Paleontologists are able to use fossilized dinosaur footprints to make inferences about how dinosaurs looked, lived, and moved. They can use this information to determine how tall some dinosaurs were, how they hunted, or how fast they could run. To learn more about what paleontologists know about the movement of specific dinosaurs from their footprints, check this website.