Scientists have discovered that an ancient giant, which left a trail of 130 footprints, made a complete U-turn, and an uneven stride suggests possible lameness, reports infohub.kz.
Researchers from the University of Queensland's Dinosaur Lab, led by Anthony Romilio, analyzed a unique trackway of a giant sauropod in Colorado. On a 95.5-meter stretch near the town of Ouray at the West Gold Hill site, more than 130 footprints are preserved. The tracks are about 150 million years old. The main feature of the trail is that the animal made a loop-shaped turn and then continued in its original direction to the northeast.
To study the site in detail, Dr. Paul Murphy from the San Diego Natural History Museum and his colleagues used drones. High-precision aerial photography allowed them to create a three-dimensional digital model of the entire path with millimeter accuracy.
Analysis of the model revealed variations in stride width and a consistent difference of about 10 centimeters between the lengths of steps of the left and right feet. This may indicate lameness or a preference for one side when walking.