Neoichnology

Here you can find links to various photo sets and associated models of modern tracks.

Some important info below, or just skip ahead to Mammals, Birds, or Invertebrates.

—Please, before using any of these, check out the caveats in this post—

All datasets are hosted on FigShare, and have associated DOI’s, so are citable as “Falkingham <year>, <title> <DOI>.” If you have any questions about how to cite, just shoot me an email.

Currently available: Birds, Mammals, Reptiles, and Invertebrates

Birds

Bird tracks, Snow, Yorkshire UK.

Taxa: Unknown bird
Substrate: Snow
Location: Yorkshire, UK
Upload date: 20/7/2014
Description: Tracks from an unidentified bird in ~ 5mm snow.
Notes: No model. The drag marks from digit III join the individual tracks. This mark is not too dissimilar from some reported ‘tail drag’ marks associated with dinosaur tracks.
Download Link. | DOI: 10.6084/m9.figshare.1111480

Goose* track, mud, Rhode Island USA

Taxa: Goose (*Probably not a goose, but a smaller bird in the area)
Substrate: Mud
Location: Providence, Rhode Island, USA
Upload date: 20/7/2014
Description: This was taken in a drying pond where geese congregated. This impression shows digits and metatarsal impression.
Notes: -none-
Download Link. | DOI: 10.6084/m9.figshare.1111868

Heron, multiple tracks, mud, Flintshire, UK.

Taxa: Heron
Substrate: Mud (Estuary edge)
Location: Flint, Flintshire, UK
Upload date: 05/10/2015
Description: 3-4 tracks in sequence. Quite deep in soft, sticky mud. Little sign of deformation as foot removed.
Notes: -none-
Download Link. | DOI: 10.6084/m9.figshare.1564810

Slipping Seagull

Taxa: Seagull
Substrate: Sand (liquified here)
Location: Rhyl, North Wales, UK
Upload date: 20/4/21
Description: Slip sequence in a trackway
Notes: -none-

Mammals

Deer, Soil (coarse), London, UK

Taxa: Deer
Substrate: Coarse, dry, soil
Location: Richmond Park, London, UK
Upload date: 29/11/2014
Description: Deer track made in dry, coarse soil (small twigs and clasts present)
Notes: -none-
Download Link. | DOI: 10.6084/m9.figshare.1185593

Dog, mud, Herts UK

Taxa: Dog?
Substrate: Deep mud
Location: Hertfordshire, UK
Upload date: 20/7/2014
Description: Deep tracks from what I assume to be a dog (seemed a little too large for a deer or such). Deep mud with interesting entrance/exit asymmetry.
Notes: -none-
Download Link. | DOI: 10.6084/m9.figshare.1111870

Dog, Coarse sand, Tenerife

Taxa: Dog
Substrate: Medium-coarse beach sand
Location: Tenerife
Upload date: 20/7/2014
Description: Dog track made on the beach.
Notes: The sediment collapse between the digits is interesting, especially if you consider how this might be interpreted from the fossil track record without knowing the track maker.
Download Link. | DOI: 10.6084/m9.figshare.1111869

Pig, Mud, Herts UK

Taxa: Pig
Substrate: Deep mud (dirt)
Location: Hertfordshire, UK
Upload date: 20/7/2014
Description: Bioturbated surface created from pigs walking and rooting in mud.
Notes: Some very odd scour marks left by the snout make for a highly complex surface – one that would be extremely difficult to interpret in the fossil record.
Download Link. | DOI: 10.6084/m9.figshare.1111871

Squirrel, Snow, Rhode Island USA

Taxa: Squirrel
Substrate: Deep snow
Location: Hertfordshire, UK
Upload date: 20/7/2014
Description: Tracks made by a bounding Squirrel in deep snow (saw the squirrel make them).
Notes: I was struck how much the 4 feet + body look so much like a single larger track when the kinematics distort the impressions. Look at it long enough and you might see a theropod track with pad impressions!
Download Link. | DOI: 10.6084/m9.figshare.1111873

Squirrel, Sand, Herts UK

Taxa: Squirrel (+bird)
Substrate: Very shallow dirt (muddy sand)
Location: Hertfordshire, UK
Upload date: 20/7/2014
Description: Tracks made by what I believe was a squirrel – 3 tracks showing manus/pes overprinting. A bird track is also present.
Notes: -none-
Download Link. | DOI: 10.6084/m9.figshare.1111872

Human, Mud/Soil, Wirral UK

Taxa: Human (shod)
Substrate: Dirt/Soil potentially of multiple consistencies (see below)
Location: Neston, UK
Upload date: 24/6/2015
Description: Human tracks made on a soil slope.
Notes: What’s interesting is that I don’t think these were made by a single individual, but rather the gradual erosion of the substrate by successive people walking in the same area. People choose to step on the previous impressions as they are flatter than the rest of the slope and provide a more level footing. No Scale – Sorry, this was a spur of the moment thing and I didn’t have anything for scale handy (very naughty I know!), but felt it was interesting enough to share.
Download Link. | DOI: 10.6084/m9.figshare.1461651

Shod Human, Rippled beach sand, West Kirby, UK

Taxa: Human (shod)
Substrate: moist beach sand (medium-coarse)
Location: West Kirby, UK
Upload date: 18/8/2015
Description: Human footprint on a heavily rippled beach. Sole of shoe clear.
Notes: Interesting preservation in the slip/fault of the centre section of substrate during toe-off.
Download Link | DOI: 10.6084/m9.figshare.1512808

Shod Human + Dog, Deep [cracked] mud, Neston, Wirral, UK.

Human in Wellington Boot, Mud + Grass, Wirral, UK

Taxa: Human (shod)
Substrate: Mud including Grass
Location: Wirral, UK
Upload date: 22/12/2015
Description: Footprint of Wellington Boot.
Notes: –
Download Link | DOI: 10.6084/m9.figshare.2056728

Horse Trackway/Trampled Ground

Taxa: Horse
Substrate: Slightly moist beach sand
Location: West Kirby, UK
Upload date: 22/09/2015
Description: An area trampled by horse tracks, presumably 2-3 horses crossed the area, but not certain.
Notes: A classic example of when track information can appear as a series of ‘holes’ seemingly without belonging to obvious trackways.
Download Link | DOI: 10.6084/m9.figshare.1551979

Horse prints and raindrop impressions

Taxa: Horse
Substrate: Moist sand post-rain
Location: Wirral, UK
Upload date: 22/12/2015
Description: An area trampled by horse tracks, and presented a rained on surface.
Notes: A great example of raindrop impressions around footprints.
Download Link | DOI: 10.6084/m9.figshare.2056731.v1

Rhino tracks, deep mud<

Taxa: Rhinoceros
Substrate: Mud
Location</em: Chester, UK
Upload date: 04/9/2016
Description: Individual tracks from a large Rhino, one in deep mud, the other shallower.
Notes:Photos taken from a limited position – orange in the texture indicates areas obscured to the camera. Models are not scaled.

Reptiles

Crocodiles, Various

See this post for more details.
Download Link | DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.31711
If using, please cite the files, and the original publication:
Milàn, J. and R. Hedegaard (2010). “Interspecific variation in tracks and trackways from extant crocodiles.” New Mexico Museum of Natural History and Science Bulletin 51: 15-30.

Invertebrates

Cricket (injured), Sand, UK

Taxa: Black Cricket (injured, missing one hind limb)
Substrate: Sand + grit
Location: UK
Upload date: 20/7/2014
Description: Walking trackway of injured cricket.
Notes: This was a cricket fed to a leopard gecko. The initial feeding attempt was unsuccessful, and the cricket walked away minus one hind limb. The result is an asymmetrical trackway.
Download Link. | DOI: 10.6084/m9.figshare.1111867