KIMBERLY — The discovery of footprints dating back as far as 50 million years ago is offering insight into behaviors of prehistoric animals in what is now Central and Eastern Oregon, according to a press release from the National Park Service.

Fossil track specialist Connor Bennett led a team of scientists that used advanced 3D imaging techniques to identify and analyze four sets of vertebrate trace fossils — impressions prehistoric birds, mammals, lizards and invertebrates left behind. The open-access scientific journal Palaeontologia Electronica recently published the research that documents the first known fossil tracks of birds and lizards at the monument and adds important behavioral context to the region’s well-established body fossil record.

“This prehistoric behavior from 50 million years ago is still prevalent today in modern shorebirds,” Bennett said. “It’s fascinating. That is an incredibly long time for a species to exhibit the same foraging patterns as its ancestors.”

The team recovered the fossilized tracks from two distinct rock layers, revealing fascinating behaviors and species previously undocumented in the monument’s extensive fossil record:

• Birds and invertebrates (50–39 million years ago): Two small bird tracks alongside invertebrate trails and beak marks suggest ancient shorebirds foraged for food in shallow water — behavior strikingly similar to that seen in modern species.
• Lizard track (approximately 50 million years ago): A rare fossil track featuring clawed, splayed toes indicates a lizard once dashed along a lakebed, marking one of the few known reptile trackways from this time period in North America.
• Cat-like predator (29 million years ago): A set of paw prints in a volcanic ash layer may belong to a nimravid, a saber-toothed, bobcat-sized predator such as Hoplophoneus. The lack of claw marks supports evidence of retractable claws, similar to modern felines.

Tapir or rhinoceros ancestor (29 million years ago): Three-toed, rounded hoofprints are believed to have been made by a large herbivore such as an ancient tapir or rhinoceros.

“These tracks offer a rare window into ancient ecosystems,” said Nicholas Famoso, the monument’s paleontology program manager. “They add behavioral context to the body fossils we’ve collected over the years and help us better understand the climate and environmental conditions of prehistoric Oregon.”

The trace fossils are distinct from body fossils such as bones and teeth in that they capture the daily activities of long-extinct animals. Bennett utilized photogrammetry, stitching together thousands of photographs to create 3D models of the tracks, several of which had remained in museum storage since the 1980s.

“The fossil tracks not only help us confirm the existence of these animals in this time and place, but they also tell us how they lived,”  Bennett said.

The newly published study, “Following their footsteps: Report of vertebrate fossil tracks from John Day Fossil Beds National Monument, Oregon, USA,” is available at doi.org/10.26879/1413.

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John Day Fossil Beds National Monument is home to one of the longest and most complete fossil records of plants and animals from the age of mammals and flowering plants. Encompassing nearly 14,000 acres of protected lands, the park has preserved millions of years of geologic and evolutionary history. The Thomas Condon Paleontology and Visitor Center houses thousands of fossil specimens and features an active research laboratory open to the public.