Paleontologists have uncovered footprints that are 76 million years old, belonging to a dominant group of Ceratopsian dinosaurs, in Dinosaur Provincial Park, Alberta, Canada. This remarkable finding is the first indication of herd behavior among mixed dinosaur species, reminiscent of how modern wildebeests and zebras flock together on the African savannas.
Salatopsian herd (Styracosaurus albertensis) accompanied by ankylosaurus (Euplocephalus tutus) walking through old river channels under the watchful eyes of two Tyrannosaurus (Golgosaurus libratus). Image credit: Julius Csotonyi.
Dinosaur Provincial Park, located in southern Alberta, Canada, is one of the premier regions in the world for studying late Cretaceous terrestrial ecosystems.
The park yields hundreds of dinosaur skeletal remains and a vast array of bones and teeth, making it a prime location for exploring dinosaur evolution, behavior, biological introduction, and paleoecology.
Despite the wealth of skeletal remains, dinosaur footprints and trackways are surprisingly uncommon.
“In 2024, we discovered a new track site, a skyline track site containing ‘typical’ natural mold tracks that had not been identified in the park before,” stated Dr. Phil Bell and his colleagues at the University of New England.
At this site, paleontologists uncovered 13 Seratopsia (horned dinosaurs) tracks, showing at least five animals walking side by side, along with an ankylosaurus (armored dinosaur) that might have been walking among them.
They were also intrigued to find two large Tyrannosaurus tracks alongside the group. Additionally, a footprint from a smaller meat-eating dinosaur was also discovered.
View of the Skyline Track Site immediately after its discovery (a) and during excavation (b). Image credits: Bell et al., doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0324913.
“I have been collecting dinosaur bones in Dinosaur Provincial Park for nearly two decades, but I had never given much thought to footprints,” remarked Dr. Bell.
“The edge of this rock had a mud-like appearance that caught between my toes, which immediately intrigued me.”
“The Tyrannosaurus tracks give the impression that they are truly observing the herd.”
“It was thrilling to see them walking in the footprints of dinosaurs 76 million years after they went extinct,” said Dr. Brian Pickles from Reading College.
“Using innovative search techniques, we were able to locate several additional track sites throughout the park’s diverse terrain. We will provide further details on how these captivating creatures interacted and behaved in their ecosystems.”
“This discovery highlights the vast amount left to uncover in dinosaur paleontology,” noted Dr. Caleb Brown, PhD, from the Royal Tyrrell Museum of Paleontology.
“Dinosaur Park boasts one of the world’s most comprehensive dinosaur collections and studies, with over a century of dedicated research. Only now are we beginning to fully explore the potential of dinosaur trackways.”
The findings are published in a paper in the journal PLOS 1.
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PR Bell et al. 2025. A track site controlled by Ceratopsids from the Campanian in Dinosaur Provincial Park, Alberta, Canada. PLOS 1 20(7): E0324913; doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0324913
Source: www.sci.news
