Texas Memorial Museum

Exhibits: Outdoor

Glen Rose Dinosaur Tracks

Famous around the world as the first—and among the best—sauropod tracks ever found, the Glen Rose Dinosaur Tracks at the Texas Memorial Museum are deteriorating.

“Years of constant exposure to moisture have taken their toll,” explained Director Ed Theriot. “The tracks need to be relocated and preserved. Climate control is essential.”

The tracks were discovered in the bed of the Paluxy River, about 5 miles northwest of Glen Rose, Texas. Collected in 1939 as part of a Work Projects Administration project, they are among the finest examples of dinosaur tracks ever found.

“Two sections were removed from the riverbed,” says Theriot. “One section went to the American Museum of Natural History and the other came to UT-Austin. The section we have shows two distinct sets of tracks.”

The broad footprints of the first set were made by the hind feet of a sauropod dinosaur that may have been 40–50 feet long, weighing 30 tons. The distance between prints indicates a stride of almost 10 feet. The deep, post-hole shaped holes were made by the front feet, which were not as broad as the rear feet. A second trackway of three-toed prints was made by a theropod dinosaur. The theropod, walking on hind legs with a stride of about 9 feet, was perhaps 30 feet in length. The absence of tail-drag marks indicates that both dinosaurs held their tails aloft.

“We speculate that the theropod was on the attack,” says Theriot. “Its tracks run alongside the sauropod’s and then disappear; it perhaps jumped on the sauropod’s back.”

“Once we raise funds to move the tracks,” says Theriot, “we can begin planning an exhibit and educational programs around them. They will be a wonderful tool for teaching about dinosaurs, their habits and their environments.”