An arrowhead, an ancient mummy, a note hand-written by Thomas Jefferson—any direct connection with the past fascinates some of us. Paleontologists definitely feel this allure stretching through time. If addicted to bad humor, you might even say they dig it! Lovingly caressing the bones of a long-extinct reptile, their imagination reconstructs a world long lost. Bones and teeth tell only part of the story, static reminders of life that once was. However, there are other traces that capture motion, a few moments in the life of a creature long since returned to dust—trackways! Yes trackways, fossilized series of footprints preserved in mud and sand turned to rock. Frozen action!
A world-class trackway site lies in the northern Chihuahuan Desert. The
Robledo Mountains, flanking the Rio Grande north of Las Cruces, New Mexico, are home to
some of the best-preserved amphibian and reptile trackways in the world. Paleontologist
Jerry MacDonald has recovered trackways in mudstone revealing the trails of both
predators and prey—life and death at the edge of a long-since vanished sea.
Contributor: Arthur H. Harris, Laboratory for Environmental Biology, Centennial Museum, University of Texas at El Paso.
Desert Diary is a joint production of the Centennial Museum and KTEP National Public Radio at the University of Texas at El Paso.