What does the presence of dinosaur footprints in an area where no dinosaur bones were found suggest?

Question

Audrey Adams · Accepted Answer

Strongly suggests that even though bones have not been found, dinosaurs most certainly were around at the time the rock with the footprints were found.

Most dinosaurs or any land animal for that matter that dies on land is very rarely preserved as fossils. The remains tend to be scavenged by other animals and the bones break-up to dust. It takes a swampy, or ocean environment, or lake for bones to be preserved as fossils.

Here is a pic of some dinosaur trackways my friend and I first discovered at a coal mine in Alberta, Canada. We never did find any dino bones though.

Jonathan Avila · Answer

undefined The presence of dinosaur footprints in an area where no dinosaur bones were found suggests that dinosaurs inhabited the area during the time when the footprints were made. It indicates that the conditions were suitable for dinosaurs to traverse the terrain, leaving behind their footprints, even if their skeletal remains did not fossilize in that particular location.

Jonathan Avila · Answer

undefined The presence of dinosaur footprints in an area where no dinosaur bones were found suggests that dinosaurs inhabited that region during the time when the footprints were made. This indicates that the environment was suitable for dinosaurs to live and move around, even if their skeletal remains are not preserved in that particular area. Dinosaur footprints provide valuable information about their behavior, locomotion, and distribution, offering insights into their ecological roles and interactions within ancient ecosystems.