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Here is something from last week's virtual SVP conference... my colleague and I made the news, and not for our use of banned words. https://www.livescience.com/pterosaurs-walked-in-rain.html?fbclid=IwAR0fn9ovHHOHdCcuc0P0tdYJNi0E7D_KULlPv7ajP2KngC-Yc4LMHaJ3asg

Good day all. I'm new here so let me introduce myself. I'm Robert, an amateur gold prospector, fisherman and lots more. I have found nothing too interesting during my gold panning adventures well not for an untrained gold fevered eye anyways but have found tons of modern aged bones that looks old at least a few hundred years old. Anyways now since thats out of the ways I was driving through Arizona when I reached the top of the hill at the sitegreaves national forest sign off of 260. I pulled over to let my semi truck cool down and chose to hike a bit. I sat down on a rock and found a small track. Its not as big as my hand nor is it extremely noticeable, maybe the size of one of those bbq/Chick-fil-A sauce dipping things tad bigger i guess. Anyways I took a picture what do you think? Just an coincidence?

Formation: Thaynes Fm. NOT Nugget Sandstone. Age: Early to Middle Triassic I’ve got a real brain puzzler here. I believe it is a trackway given the regular spacing and exact same prints but I don’t know what would have made it. I’ve put the north arrow to point out a third partial track. What do you think?

Hello dear members, Today I'd like to talk about my latest fieldtrip, to the Late Triassic tracksite of Zone, Lombardy prealps, Italy. However, I'd like to make it clear that it involved no fossil collecting, because of the scientific interest of the site and of italian laws, that prevent (almost) any form of this activity. I know there is the "Fossil sites" section, but I thought that here my post would have reached more people. I apologize in case this is not allowed. Let's not waste any more time! Italy is quite well know for its tracksites, in particular those bearing dinosaur tracks: Altamura (the largest tracksite in Europe!) and Lavini di Marco, just to give an example. On the other hand sites of Late Triassic age, bearing archosaurian footprints are poorly documented. Zone is a tiny village located nearby the Lake Iseo, in the Southern prealps, some 80 km (50 mi) east of Milan (see the red arrow on the map below). Back in the Late Triassic (Carnian) this area was an alluvial fan, characterized by a semiarid climate and, further to the south, by the occurrence of a series of volcanic edifices. Tracks are, in fact, preserved in terrigenous-volcaniclastic beds. Ripple marks and groove casts can be found too. The material is represented by a total of about 70 footprints, arranged in six trackways on two different layers. The older displays three trackways that cross each other, the younger three distinct trackways. Footprints are only moderately preserved, nonetheless several anatomical details are evident on those of the younger level. In addition to traditional mapping methods, a laser scanner was employed to obtain high-quality 3D digital models. Let's talk about who left this footprints for us to admire! Those of the younger level are referred to a quadrupedal trackmaker with plantigrade, pentadactyl pes (distal portion of the hind limb) and manus (distal portion of the fore limb). They have been assigned to the ichnogenus Brachychirotherium, known by a global distribution and probably left by a crurotarsan archosaur. It is not clear whether it was a rauisuchian (predator) or an aetosaur (armored vegetarian). On the field, I must admit that I was a little disappointed. Judging by the pictures published in the 2009 paper that described the outcrop, at least two trackways were quite distinct and visible. However, that was not the case: only 4 tracks (two manus and two pes) were indeed immediately identifiable. I guess that's possibly due to two factors: on the one hand weathering (the fine grained sandstone is very fragile), on the other hand inclination of solar rays. Tracks are best visible in raking light, but I visited at around 10-11 am in a clear February day. In the summer period I'm quite sure that much more could be seen!! In order to highlight the footprints and compare with the presente state, I chose to show also a pictures taken from the paper: you can distinghuish it easily, because it is in b/w. Today this is the best that you could ask for in this section (older layer) The overall best preserved manus-pes track, in the younger layer. Reconstruction of this set of footrprints Close up of the Manus, scale bar is 5 cm (2 in). total lenght of the track: some 30 cm (11,8 in). The second best preserved manus-pes association Reconstruction of a rauisuchian (on the left) and an aetosaur (on the right). On top lower right digital model of the best preserved trackway (I showed you the picture of the first two sets of imprints). A rauisuchian The significance of the Zone tracksite is that it represents the first definite ichnological record of archosaur tracks found in Lombardy and footprints are among the best preserved, although an upcoming paper is going to feature recently found tracks that are even better preserved (and I gave my contribution in the excavation campaign!). On the field, I must admit that I was a little disappointed. Judging by the pictures published in the 2009 paper that described the outcrop, at least two trackways were quite distinct and visible. However, that was not the case: only 4 tracks (two manus and two pes) were indeed immediately identifiable. I guess that's possibly due to two factors: on the one hand weathering (the fine grained sandstone is very fragile), on the other hand inclination of solar rays. Tracks are best visible in raking light, but I visited at around 10-11 am in a clear February day. In the summer period I'm quite sure that much more could be seen!! Anyway, it was a great experience: easy access, few people walking by, great scientific value! I hope that you liked my short report, Fabio

Went back for the final piece today. After thinking about it all night I knew I wanted to add it to the collection. Thanks to @FossilsNS for his help. this is a another alabama coal mine fine but not the same as the ferns I posted. Beautiful trackway with all the little prints going across it. This is awesome since this was made by something that was alive 300 million years ago.

Mercer County, New Jersey, USA. Hello, I recently found these two specimens and was wondering if they look good for Triassic tracks. If so, I heard they are very difficult to attribute to a certain species but any information or leads on that would be greatly appreciated (or should I just stick to the Cretaceous streams ). Note - these are NOT from the spot I found my last trackway (#5 on link below), I've just been obsessed lately with finding similar spots close to home. As always, all help is greatly appreciated! -Frank

I have a dinosauromorph foot print is it rare? I will upload photos of my collection when I get home later today so stay updated.

Hi friends, I have several of these fossils. I think they look like some sort of worm fossil but can't find anything on the internet similar for comparison. I really don't think it is trilobite tracks because it is deeper. Sorry, I could only get 2 of my pictures to upload. Thanks so much, I would really appreciate any info.

If anyone is familiar with Permian tracks, can anyone ID these? All I can tell is that they appear to be synapsid tracks, but not Dimetrodon. I'm assuming that means Edaphosaurus is out too, but that's all I can figure. the ONLY details still known are that they're Permian tracks from somewhere in Arizona. There's no more information available. There's 4 plates... 1-pic 1 2-pics 2,3,4 3-pics 5 4-pics 6,7

Hello everyone. I am an incredibly novice fossil hunter from Pennsylvania. From where I live, it is heavy Carboniferous territory. One of the items on my bucket list is to eventually find something from a temnospondyl, even if it is nothing more than a trackway or even better - a bone fragment! Would anyone be willing to share with me advice on what to look for / or what has helped them in finding anything from a Temnospondyl or Lepospondyl? Do they appear more in certain rocks than others? I live in the Pittsburgh area, near where Fedexia was discovered ten years ago. I'm hoping to eventually find something related to Fedexia or another temnospondyli. From what I'm realizing, these little guys are hard to come by. Any advice? Thanks everyone!

Not sure if these are fossil tracks or not. There is more than one and they are all similar. Maybe some kind of sea creature digging? They were steps to a creek so I can’t place a certain age to them. The age around here is Late Cretaceous so sometime around that time is most likely. Denton, Texas, USA.

Made an incredible discovery at home tonight when I noticed tiny baby dinosaur tracks about only 5.1mm long on a ripple slab I had found. I've never seen baby footprints so small before, so I'm amazed. No wonder I didn't notice them for nearly two weeks after I had found them this month! Since there seems to be a partial adult on the edge it makes me wonder if this dinosaur was walking with its new born baby.

I have started recently being able to hunt dinosaur footprints and while I don't want to cover the ones that are naturally visible I may want some of the lower quality or hard to see tracks to stand out. Anyone prepare tracks themselves or know of a good clear coating? I've heard of rustoleum but I am unsure if it's paint or spray I should be using.

Listing for dimetrodon manus track from el pueblo, NM. Five claw tip impressions but these are the only pics provided. Any thoughts?

This is another update from one of my older posts where we questioned whether or not my dinosaur track slate is authentic or fake. A reliable friend helped me out with this mission. A lot of controversy was behind this fossil. This thick paint/polish applied to these rocks makes it very difficult to determine what is actually is. I decided to completely start from scratch and remove all paint. When I purchased these tracks, I knew little to nothing about these matters...Now I want to share this post to help anyone else who is interested in buying a dinosaur track online to avoid deception. You have to be very careful. ONLY BUY FROM A RELIABLE SOURCE. Please ask for as many pictures as possible from different angles from the seller and ask as many questions as possible. Locality, who, when, background, etc. There should be no reason why the seller wouldn’t be more than happy to help. When I see that thick polish/paint applied to the tracks, I avoid those listings like the plague, because it usually means something’s off, at least from my experience (others agree). Also note that listings with muliple tracks on one rock is subject to even greater suspicion. More the reason to ask questions and request better pictures. With these being sold I see two strategies played out: 1.) The seller takes a rock with one or two real tracks, and then paints on other fakes to deceive you into thinking, “oh...well this track on the left is clearly a footprint, So the other ones painted must be too...I just don’t see it as much.” And 2.) The seller takes rocks that are similar shale, etc. and paints any groove that looks like a toe, paints another one, and there you have it...a “footprint”. Before you know it, you have 20 small, medium, and large completely fabricated tracks on one rock...all fake. But back to my fossil, below are pictures of the process from beginning to end. I still have a little more work to do, but the fossil already looks much better. I dedicated 2 hours to the cleaning. A lot of scrubing. I was happy to find that the Eubrontes track was authentic. Unfortunately the other tracks, not so much. There may be something else there.. but not sure...doubtful. If there are any, they’re definitely not as evident as the Eubrontes. What I used to remove the paint: 1.) Goo Gone (does a great job for cleaning bones and other fossils in general without leaving any marks or damage, great suggestion by @DPS Ammonite). I suggest the spray. Reason being because it’s easier to apply with one hand and scrub with the other. 2.) One roll of paper towels, or rags ( but be prepared to use a ton of rags). I personally did what I can with the paper towels and then used the rags towards the end to give it a better scrub. If anyone has any other questions please privately DM me. I encourage It. I can advise further in terms of where to avoid.

In St George Utah a massive dinosaur track was discovered (and actually is probably all over the entire city). But the focus today is not on the spectacular tracks but the teeth. They had a few on display but I was told they found a lot, enough for a cabinet full. This is Early Jurassic. Here are a few example of a dilophosaurid type dinosaur Here is an example of smaller theropod.

I’m hoping someone can tell me if this is a paw track of some sort? There are three indentations on this rock of very similar shape and size. (four inches wide) Or would it have been impossible for this type of rock to have had any tyoe of tracks? The rock was in my barn in middle Tennessee. Thanks.

This is a follow-up from another post of mine regarding some dinosaur tracks I purchased a while back. We decided that that the Eubrontes track is 100% real, but some of the other footprints may be questionable or exaggerated. The stain that was used sort of makes it hard to tell. I’m not the biggest fan of this dark polish, so I was thinking I might want to remove it and apply a much lighter, more subtle polish to correctly identify which are really dino tracks vs. not. The seller told me that it’s a shoe polish that can be removed. My issue is, I’m not sure how to go about it doing it. How do I do this without damaging the specimen ? Will water and a rag potentially damage it? or is there another better way of going about it? Of course in the end event that it’s not removable it’s not the end of the world because it still a very nice piece, but like I said, I would prefer a more professional look, as I’m trying to get a little more serious about my collection. Appreciate the help and thanks

Fossils Stolen from Death Valley National Park Release Date: March 28, 2017 Contact: NPS Investigative Services Branch Tip Line: 888-653-0009 https://www.scribd.com/document/343346806/Stolen-Fossils#from_embed Fossils Tracks Stolen from Death Valley National Park By: Jesus Reyes, News Channel 3, March 28, 2017 http://www.kesq.com/news/fossils-stolen-from-death-valley-national-park/421278918 Fossils Tracks Stolen from Death Valley National Park KTNV News http://www.ktnv.com/news/fossils-stolen-from-death-valley-national-park National Park Service investigating theft of fossil footprints from Death Valley, Las Vegas Review-Journal http://www.reviewjournal.com/local/nevada/national-park-service-investigating-theft-fossil-footprints-death-valley A related article: Ancient beasts roamed this secret spot in Death Valley, but you probably can't go, Los Angeles times, http://www.latimes.com/local/california/la-me-death-valley-fossils-20161116-story.html Yours, Paul H.

I have a piece of Coconino sandstone with tracks from a three toed critter I'd appreciate some help identifying. Thank you.

Hello, I'm new to the forum and pretty new to fossil collecting. Most of my collection consists of fossilized footprints on slabs of Arizona flagstone that was going to go into a walkway and patio. But I did take a trip to Colorado last year and hit up a couple of publicly accessible sites where I collected fossilized clams and crinoids with my 9yo daughter. I can't wait to go back. What brought me to the forum was wanting to identify the tracks I've found. I think most of them are Chelichnus, but I have at least one slab with a three toed critter running across it. I'd love to hook up with groups for fossil hunting in the Northern California and Western Nevada areas, though I know fossils are pretty scare around here. Maybe I'll just buy a few more pallets of flagstone and watch videos of fossil hunting, lol. There is a pretty amazing rock shop with a huge fossil collection west of here, but buying doesn't match the thrill of finding. Anyway, I think I'll be glad I joined up with the forum here. Thanks for listening.

UNLV researchers puzzle over tracks left near Gold Butte that predate dinosaurs by Henry Brean, Las Vegas review-Journal. November 6, 2016 http://www.lasvegasnow.com/news/ancient-reptile-footprints-found-in-nevada/605337375 http://www.reviewjournal.com/news/science-and-technology/unlv-researchers-puzzle-over-tracks-left-near-gold-butte-predate Stephen Rowland In The News, University of Las Vegas https://www.liedinstitute.com/news/experts/in-the-news/83463 Desert Sands Freeze-Framed Dinosaur Tracks By Linda Faas, Mesquite Citizen Journal http://mesquitecitizen.com/viewnews.php?newsid=6772&id=16 Yours, Paul H. Triassic Gold Butte Clark county

I was looking around a friends rock quarry and found this mudstone slab covered in what looks like bird tracks. Are they? and if so how should I preserve them. I have Paleobond sealer. Should I use it? Thanks

Recently bought a couple of Grallator dinosaur footprints. A Podokesaurus South Hadley, MA in the Connecticut River Valley. and one from La Grand-Combe, the Mont Lozère, France. Curious to see what others have.