
Dinosaur tracks, found in Berlin, Germany, give researchers new information on the social habits of dinosaurs from 143 million years ago.
In modern day Berlin, Germany, researchers found tracks of carnivorous dinosaurs walking together around 142 million years ago.
From their footprints, the researchers speculate that the dinosaurs casually strolled along the beach, with one of the dinosaurs being much larger than the other. This led to the smaller of the two having to catch up periodically. In a few places, the dinosaurs also stumbled a bit, due to the consistency of the soft, wet sand but continued along the beach.
The find, according to the researchers, gives insight into the social habits of the creatures during this time. Biologist Pernille Veno Troelsen from the University of Southern Denmark commented on the way that two walked together during their stroll.
During their leisurely walk, the average walking speed was about 6.3 km/h for the larger dinosaur and 9.7 km/h for the smaller one. This is an interesting speculation, as these creatures could run up to a possible 40 km/h top speed.
The sample that was studied, taken from the Buckeburg Formation in Munchehagen in Germany, was excavated from the period of 2009 until completed in 2011.
With this new information gained from the sample, it could lead to further speculation about the social habits of these creatures. Along with the curious steps found side by side, with the smaller dinosaur sometimes crossing its legs while traveling, the distance traveled and the speed in which they walked gives us a great amount of information but also leaves the door open for more questions to be asked about these particular dinosaurs.
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