Clear pelvic impressions and tracks of shuffling feet as the
animal stood up and walked away. As it stood up, it dragged
its tail. Dinosaurs typically held their tails off the ground
as they walked, and tail drags are rarely preserved.
Click for larger image.
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By Nancy Carruthers
On March 17, 2004, clear imprints of the heel, pelvis, tail,
and shuffling feet of a dinosaur were unearthed at the
St. George Dinosaur Discovery Site at Johnson Farm, providing
paleontologists with the first evidence of a “squatting
dinosaur.”
A vast number of tracks have been discovered at this site,
but this find is by far the most exciting track discovery
yet.
Jim Kirkland, the state paleontologist, said the new discovery
clearly shows the animal rested on its hind end and put its
hands down, with claws curled inward, giving scientists new
insight on how dinosaurs held their hands. It then shuffled
forward before getting up and walking away, while dragging
its tail.
Back in Early Jurassic time (200 million years ago), a shallow,
saline lake stretching hundreds of miles existed in southwestern
Utah.
Dinosaurs congregated on the shores of this lake. Dinosaurs
might have crouched there on the shores after eating fish
or plants, stood up and walked away. This behavior is recorded
at the lower part of the trackway with the tail drag.
A/D - Because of ongoing weathering of the trackway, work
continues to preserve and stabilize the St. George tracksite.
B/C - Evidence of weathering can be seen in center right photo
(C) in which the tail drag is now missing.
Click on images for larger view.
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Since Sheldon Johnson’s initial track discovery in
2000, this site has grown into North America’s largest
site for Early Jurassic footprints.
The majority of the tracks are well preserved at the bottom
of a 3-foot-thick sandstone layer of the Moenave Formation
and are of the track name, Eubrontes, meaning three-toed footprints.
They include exquisite examples of footpads, claw marks, and
detailed skin impressions.
Ongoing research has resulted in the discovery of several
species of dinosaur tracks, fossil plants, invertebrates,
and several fish fossils, including bones of Coelacanth, a
prehistoric 5-foot-long fish once thought to be extinct, but
found living off the coast of Africa.
Ongoing weathering of the tracks has prompted funding from
federal and state governments, as scientists work to protect
and preserve the site for science and public education. In
an effort to continue the preservation, the Johnson family
donated the initial tracks to the city of St. George who then
purchased the land and began construction of a 16,000 square-foot
interpretive center in the summer of 2004. The center will
be an important geologic and paleontological site, providing
a unique educational opportunity unequalled in any museum.
Additional information on the St. George Dinosaur Discovery
Site at Johnson Farm:
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