Reading Dinosaur Trackways · seed 1 · A4, ink-friendly. The answer key prints on its own page for grown-ups.

Reading Dinosaur Trackways

Science · Dinosaurs & Paleontology · ages 7-9
Name ______________________   Date ____________

  1. If footprints in a trackway are close together, what was the dinosaur probably doing?

    • Walking
    • Running
    • Standing still

  2. Which footprint most likely belongs to the biggest dinosaur?

    • A footprint the size of your hand
    • A footprint the size of a dinner plate
    • A footprint the size of a car tire

  3. A tiny footprint could belong to a huge dinosaur.

    Circle one:   True   False

  4. Paleontologists find five trackways side by side, all pointing the same direction. What might this mean?

    • The dinosaurs were fighting each other
    • The dinosaurs travelled together as a group
    • The dinosaurs were flying

  5. A trackway shows footprints spaced far apart, like giant strides. What does this suggest?

    • The dinosaur was resting
    • The dinosaur was running
    • The dinosaur was very small

  6. A walking dinosaur's footprints are 3 giant-steps apart. A running dinosaur's footprints are 7 giant-steps apart. How many more giant-steps apart are the running footprints?

    Walking3Running7

    Answer: ______________

  7. A group of trackways curve together and stay the same distance apart the whole way. Which is the best explanation?

    • A group of dinosaurs stayed together as they walked
    • Each dinosaur wandered on its own separate path
    • The prints are not real fossils

  8. Ben says: "The footprints are far apart, so the dinosaur must have been small." What is wrong with Ben's thinking?

    • Spacing tells you about speed, not size
    • Far-apart prints always mean a small dinosaur
    • Nothing is wrong, he is right
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Answer key

For grown-ups. Fold this page away before handing over the rest.

Reading Dinosaur Trackways W1-mt_Wpvuz3mvBq-s1

  1. Walking · Close-together prints mean short steps, which is how a dinosaur moves when it walks.
  2. A footprint the size of a car tire · Bigger footprints usually come from bigger dinosaurs. A print the size of a car tire needs a huge foot to make it.
  3. False · Footprint size usually matches the size of the foot that made it. A huge dinosaur leaves a big print, not a tiny one.
  4. The dinosaurs travelled together as a group · Trackways that run side by side in the same direction suggest the dinosaurs moved together, maybe as a herd.
  5. The dinosaur was running · Wide gaps between prints come from long, fast strides, which is a sign of running.
  6. 4 · 7 giant-steps minus 3 giant-steps leaves 4. The running dinosaur's prints are spread out much more.
  7. A group of dinosaurs stayed together as they walked · Trackways that stay together and turn together are a strong sign the dinosaurs moved as one group.
  8. Spacing tells you about speed, not size · Spacing between prints shows walking versus running. Footprint size, not spacing, is the clue to how big a dinosaur was.
Worksheet · LightMySky