Ancient reptile footprints are rewriting the history of when animals evolved
4 comments
·May 18, 2025veunes
The detail that really stuck with me was the presence of claws. That small anatomical feature says so much
metalman
And now I need to take a closer look at a small trackway that I brought home, after I might add watching a greater portion erode out of a cliff face and disapear into the surf over a few years, not that there is any shortage of animal fossils and other things like fossilised rain and wave impressions, literaly 1000's of km³. As to the information that can be extracted from a trackway, it would be intetesting to run these past indiginous trackers and have them consult with scientists to train field workers doing palentological research, a realy realy cold trail.
singularity2001
on the other hand I have seen fish with claws
Getting Silurian Hypothesis vibes [1], thinking about subduction, glaciers, the rise and abatement of sea levels, and just plain ol' erosion and corrosion.
That something so incredibly ephemeral as footprints in dirt could survive longer than the rings of Saturn is breathtaking. Except Sharks. Sharks are not only breath-taking, they are forever [2].
[1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Silurian_hypothesis
[2] https://www.reddit.com/r/Astronomy/comments/dp7key/things_in...