However, archaeologists or paleontologists, have discovered ancient fossilized tracks.
One such set of tracks are described in the National Geographic article: Incredible details of 10,000-year-old trek revealed in fossil footprints. The prints are inferred to be a prehistoric traveler who was carrying a child across a muddy landscape and returned a few hours later empty-handed.
Below are a set of three diagrams of even older animal tracks:
They are presented in three groups.
Observe each one, state your observations, and then make your inferrences about what might have happened all those years ago.
Marks on one end of each trail are spaced farther apart than on the other end.
The smaller tracks are intermingled with the larger ones where the tracks are a jumble.
Sample inferences!
They are footprints
Footprints of an animal
There ar two different animals
Larger tracks infer a larger animal
Smaller tracks infer a smaller animal
They are going in one direction, until the jumble of tracks
They speed up at one end
They arrived at about the same time
They arrived at different times
They meet
They fight
They feed at the sight where the prints are a jumble.
One eats the other and leaves.
They arrive separately and feed on whatever was previously at the site (berries or dead animal on the bank of a flooded stream). One walks away and the other flies or swims away.
The jumble of tracks includes both sets, which would indicate the smaller animal wasn't killed by the bigger animal as its tracks should have stopped where the larger tracks first intersect the smaller tracks.
