In Images: Tyrannosaur Trackways

Steps of terror

tyrannosaur track mark — (Image credit: Richard McCrea)

In 2011, a local hunting guide happened upon a tyrannosaur footprint in the Canadian wilderness.

Excavating tracks

excavating trackmarks — (Image credit: Richard T. McCrea)

When researchers began excavating, they found a long, skinny stretch filled with dinosaur tracks of several types, including several more tyrannosaur tracks.

Molding the feet

making a mold of dinosaur tracks — (Image credit: Richard T. McCrea)

Researchers created moldings of the footprints to study them in more detail.

Pack animals?

tyrannosaur trackway — (Image credit: Richard McCrea)

The three sets of tyrannosaur tracks were parallel to one another and all the same depth, suggesting the fierce predators moved together.

Pack animals?

tyrannosaur footprint — (Image credit: Richard T. McCrea)

The tracks strengthen the theory that tyrannosaurs were pack animals.

Theropod track

theropod footprint — (Image credit: Richard T. McCrea)

Tyrannosaurs weren't the only animals to have left their mark. Smaller theropods also left prints in the area.

Hadrosaur print

hadrosaur footprint — (Image credit: Richard T. McCrea)

The tyrannosaurs narrowly missed their prey, as revealed by a track made by a hadrosaur that came through after the tyrannosaurs.

Hadrosaur skin

The hadrosaur also left a skin imprint in one of its tracks.

Recreating the walk

how tyrannosaurs walked — (Image credit: McCrea et al, PLOS 2014)

The footprints allowed researchers to recreate the tyrannosaurs' walk.

Walk on

a rendering of tyrannosaur tracks — (Image credit: Richard T. McCrea)

The tyrannosaur tracks were all created at the same time, suggesting the terrifying trio may have stalked prey together.

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Tia is the managing editor and was previously a senior writer for Live Science. Her work has appeared in Scientific American, Wired.com and other outlets. She holds a master's degree in bioengineering from the University of Washington, a graduate certificate in science writing from UC Santa Cruz and a bachelor's degree in mechanical engineering from the University of Texas at Austin. Tia was part of a team at the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel that published the Empty Cradles series on preterm births, which won multiple awards, including the 2012 Casey Medal for Meritorious Journalism.

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