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Tracking Ancient Footprints

Activity

How Ichnofossils Reveal Animal Movements

Look for places where animals, past or present, might have left behind tracks. It could be mud, soft dirt, or even in the sand near a creek or trail. Imagine that these tracks are fossilized footprints! What kind of animal could have made them? Sketch your findings, or even use a stick to trace the outline of your imagined animal’s path. How does the terrain affect the shape of the prints you see?

Science Seed

Fossilized footprints and other animal traces, called “ichnofossils,” give scientists a unique glimpse into the behavior and movements of prehistoric animals. Unlike bones or shells, footprints can show us how animals walked, where they traveled, and sometimes even how they interacted with each other. Tracks of dinosaurs and other ancient creatures have been found preserved in the soft mud and sand that once covered the land. These footprints, hardened into rock over millions of years, are a key piece of the puzzle in understanding life during the Mesozoic era.

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Badges can be earned through hands-on experiences within each of the 16 branches of science, or “Science Slices.” You can earn a badge in each branch of science by doing four activities in these categories. We also encourage participants to keep a Nature Journal to record their memories, and to express themselves creatively through writing or drawing after each activity. We recommend that each child (and parent if they’d like) write or draw in a journal after each activity, with expectations of your children that match their age (the goal is self-expression, not perfection).

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Families in Nature works to create opportunities for nature connection with the purpose of sparking a deep love and desire to protect, conserve and restore the environment. Our mission is to connect children and their families to nature and to each other through time spent learning, playing, and volunteering outdoors. It is our vision to inspire ALL families to fall in love with nature and foster the next generation of conservationists.