Dinosaur tracks offer a unique and tangible connection to prehistoric life, providing direct evidence of how these ancient creatures moved and interacted with their environment. Unlike fossilized bones, which represent a moment of death, trackways capture a series of actions, revealing dynamic aspects of dinosaur biology. This article focuses on the tracks left by Velociraptor and its close relatives, exploring what these preserved imprints reveal about their anatomy, behavior, and the ancient world they inhabited.
Identifying Velociraptor Tracks
Paleontologists identify Velociraptor tracks by several distinct characteristics. Like other theropods, Velociraptor was bipedal, and its prints typically show three prominent toes. However, a defining feature of Velociraptor and other dromaeosaurids is the elevated second digit, which housed a large, sickle-shaped claw. This specialized claw was held off the ground during locomotion, resulting in a two-toed impression.
The overall size and shape of these prints also aid identification. Velociraptor was a relatively small dromaeosaurid, so its tracks are generally smaller than those of larger theropods. Tracks form when a dinosaur steps on soft ground, such as mud or wet sand. For preservation, the ground must be firm enough to hold the impression but soft enough to receive it.
After the initial imprint, the track needs to harden, often by sun exposure, before being covered by another layer of sediment like sand or volcanic ash. Over millions of years, these layers compact and harden into sedimentary rock, preserving the footprint as a trace fossil. Erosion and geological forces can then bring these ancient trackways to the surface for study.
Unlocking Velociraptor Behavior Through Tracks
Velociraptor tracks provide insights into their locomotion and physical characteristics. The two-toed impression confirms their bipedal stance and suggests an agile gait, as the retracted sickle claw would not impede movement. The length of the stride, combined with an estimated hip height, allows paleontologists to calculate the dinosaur’s speed. Studies of similar medium-sized theropod tracks suggest speeds around 12 meters per second (approximately 27 mph), comparable to fast human sprinters.
Trackways reveal Velociraptor’s gait patterns. Most bipedal dinosaurs, including dromaeosaurids, used a walking gait, with a mean relative stride length about 1.3 times their estimated hip height. Running gaits show a mean relative stride length of about 3.7. The absence of tail drag marks in dinosaur trace fossils indicates that Velociraptor held its long, stiff tail off the ground, using it for balance during movement.
While direct evidence for Velociraptor pack hunting from tracks is rare, trackways attributed to other dromaeosaurids have shown multiple individuals moving in the same direction, suggesting social behavior or group congregation. Some dromaeosaurid trackways show individuals changing speed to avoid companions, indicating awareness of others in their vicinity. However, the extent of cooperative hunting, like that seen in modern wolves, remains debated, with some paleontologists suggesting behavior more akin to Komodo dragons, where individuals might converge on a kill but without coordinated teamwork.
Famous Trackway Discoveries
Discoveries of dromaeosaurid trackways have provided evidence for the locomotion and social interactions of Velociraptor’s relatives. One notable site in China, the Liujiaxia Dinosaur National Geopark in Gansu Province, preserves 71 deinonychosaur tracks from the Early Cretaceous period. These footprints, named Dromaeosauripus yongjingensis, are unique and closely match the dromaeosaurid foot pattern, where the two supporting toes are equal in length.
Another find is the “Fighting Dinosaurs” specimen discovered in the Gobi Desert of Mongolia in 1971 by a Polish-Mongolian team. This fossil preserves a Velociraptor mongoliensis locked in combat with a Protoceratops, with the Velociraptor’s foot claw embedded in its prey’s throat. Although this is a fossilized interaction rather than a trackway, it provides context for the use of the sickle claw, suggesting it was used for stabbing and gripping prey rather than disemboweling.
While isolated Velociraptor fossils have been found, no closely associated group remains have been discovered. However, evidence from other dromaeosaurid species, like Deinonychus, has shown multiple individuals found near large herbivorous dinosaurs, with tooth marks on the bones, suggesting group feeding, if not coordinated hunting. These trackway and skeletal discoveries contribute to our understanding of these agile predators, even as their social dynamics continue to be investigated.