- Letter
- Published:
Estimates of dinosaur speeds from a new trackway site in Texas
Naturevolume 294, pages747–748 (1981)Cite this article
909Accesses
62Citations
Abstract
A method for estimating the speed of a dinosaurian trail-maker from the size of its footprints and stride has been described by Alexander1. However, when applied to known trackways, this method gave rather low speeds (1.0–3.6 m s−1). Russell and Béland2 estimated a speed of 1.77 m s−1 for a slowly moving ornithomimid and 7.54 m s−1 for an allegedly rapidly running ornithopod. The latter estimate is questionable as there is some doubt concerning the number of prints (and thus the stride length) of the trail3,4. Dinosaurs responsible for trackways in British Columbia5, South Wales6 and Queensland7 all seem to have been moving slowly. Thus reliable estimates of dinosaur speeds are all rather low. Here I report dinosaur speeds based on trails at a new site from the Lower Cretaceous of Texas, some of which appear quite fast by Alexander's method1.
This is a preview of subscription content,access via your institution
Access options
Subscription info for Japanese customers
We have a dedicated website for our Japanese customers. Please go tonatureasia.com to subscribe to this journal.
Buy this article
- Purchase on SpringerLink
- Instant access to the full article PDF.
￥ 4,980
Prices may be subject to local taxes which are calculated during checkout
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Alexander, R. McN.Nature261, 129–130 (1976).
Russell, D. A. & Béland, P.Nature264, 486 (1976).
Thulborn, R. A.Nature292, 273–274 (1981).
Russell, D. A.Nature292, 274 (1981).
Kool, R.Can. J. Earth Sci.18, 823–825 (1981).
Tucker, M. E. & Burchette, T. P.Palaeogeogr. Palaeodimatol. Palaeoecol.22, 195–208 (1977).
Thulborn, R. A. & Wade, M.Lethaia12, 275–279 (1979).
Alexander, R. McN., Langman, V. A. & Jayes, A. S.J. Zool.183, 291–300 (1977).
Russell, D. A.Can. J. Earth Sci.9, 375–402 (1972).
Bakker, R. T. inPerspectives of Biophysical Ecology (eds Gates, D. M. & Schmerl, R. B.) 365–369 (Springer, New York, 1975).
Coombs, W. P.Q. Rev. Biol.53, 393–418 (1978).
Hotton, N. inA Cold Look at the Warm-Blooded Dinosaurs (eds Thomas, R. D. K. & Olson, E. C.) 311–350 (A.A.A.S. Selected Symp. 28, Westview, Boulder, Colorado, 1980).
Bakker, R. T. inA Cold Look at the Warm-Blooded Dinosaurs (eds Thomas, R. D. K. & Olson, E. C.) 351–462 (A.A.A.S. Selected Symp. 28, Westview, Boulder, Colorado, 1980).
McWhirter, N.Guinness Book of World Records (Sterling, New York, 1980).
Alexander, R. McN., Maloiy, G. M. O., Njau, R. & Jayes, A. S.J. Zool.187, 169–178 (1979).
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
255 West Twenty-First Street, Holland, Michigan, 49423, USA
James O. Farlow
- James O. Farlow
Search author on:PubMed Google Scholar
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Farlow, J. Estimates of dinosaur speeds from a new trackway site in Texas.Nature294, 747–748 (1981). https://doi.org/10.1038/294747a0
Received:
Accepted:
Issue date:
Share this article
Anyone you share the following link with will be able to read this content:
Sorry, a shareable link is not currently available for this article.
Provided by the Springer Nature SharedIt content-sharing initiative
This article is cited by
Examining the accuracy of trackways for predicting gait selection and speed of locomotion
- Andres Marmol-Guijarro
- Robert Nudds
- Jonathan Codd
Frontiers in Zoology (2020)
Tyrannosaurs were power-walkers
- Matt Kaplan
Nature (2011)
Three-dimensional preservation of foot movements in Triassic theropod dinosaurs
- Stephen M. Gatesy
- Kevin M. Middleton
- Neil H. Shubin
Nature (1999)
The vertebrate track record
- Martin G. Lockley
Nature (1998)
In the footsteps of dinosaurs?
- JAMES O. FARLOW
Nature (1986)
