For Dr. Jeremy McLarty, the story of dinosaurs doesn’t end with bones. His recent research trip to Torotoro, Bolivia, focused on studying dinosaur trackways, fossilized footprints, and tail traces that offer a glimpse into the behavior of these ancient creatures. “The primary reason I believe studying dinosaur trackways is important is that it enables us to learn more about dinosaurs than we could from their bones alone,” he explains.
 
Trackways reveal insights into dinosaur behavior that skeletal remains cannot. Changes in direction, crouching, running, or even the occasional tail drag, these subtle behaviors are preserved in the earth itself. “Trackways open up a ‘real-time’ window of what the dinosaurs were doing as they moved across an area,” Dr. McLarty says. “Were they walking or running? Moving randomly or in preferred directions? Questions like these can’t be answered from bones alone.”
 
The Bolivian site holds some of the best-preserved dinosaur tail traces in the world, which Dr. McLarty has been studying since 2021. One goal of this trip was to study new tail traces that were found last year by the research team he works with. Seeing these new tail traces in person was one of the highlights of the trip for Dr. McLarty. “Although these weren’t a fresh discovery, seeing new tail traces for the first time is always very exciting”. 
 
As part of his fieldwork, Dr. McLarty collected 3D scans of the trackways for student research at SWAU. These scans allow students to study and analyze fossil tracks without leaving campus. “The scans bring the tracksite to the student rather than trying to take a student to a distant tracksite,” he says. This approach extends the research season year-round, giving students a unique, hands-on learning experience in paleontology.
 
Looking ahead, Dr. McLarty hopes to study tracksites closer to home, making it easier to involve students in field research. “I would love for students to have the opportunity to participate in research out in the field. It’s a unique and exciting experience, and I want our students to get the chance to be part of it.”
 
Through his work in Bolivia and the incorporation of cutting-edge 3D technology, Dr. McLarty is helping students uncover the secrets of dinosaur behavior, one footprint at a time. For SWAU students, the footprints of the past aren’t just ancient marks, they are windows into discovery, learning, and scientific curiosity.