Broome Dinosaur Trackmakers - Dinosaur Coast Management Group

Theropods

Theropods were carnivores (meat-eaters). They were bipedal (walked on two legs) and had sharp claws and teeth to catch and devour their prey.

What theropods ate

They may also have scavenged on dead animals.

More about theropods

Like their bird descendants, they probably had good eyesight, a keen sense of smell and a large brain. Spectacular fossils from China and other parts of the world show that most theropods were covered in feathers or a feather-like covering.

The five different types of theropods that made tracks in the Broome Sandstone were medium to large, with hip heights between 80cm and 2m and estimated lengths of 3.5m to 7m.

Megalosauropus broomensis (big lizard foot of Broome)
Yangtzepus clarkei (Clarke’s Yangtze [River] foot)
Broome theropod morphotype A
Broome theropod morphotype B
Broome theropod morphotype C

Morphotypes are distinct types of tracks without formal names.

Megalosauropus broomensis, is the most common theropod track on the Dinosaur Coast and was formally named in 1967.

Theropod track types

Broome theropod morphotype B track — Broome theropod morphotype A track type

Theropod track examples

Theropod trackmakers

Broome theropod morphotype B trackmaker — Broome theropod morphotype A trackmaker

Well known theropods

Allosaurus fragilis, Tyrannosaurus rex and, in Australia, Australovenator wintonensis

Theropod selfies

Sauropods

Sauropods were gigantic, long-necked, quadrupedal (walked on four legs) herbivores (plant-eaters).

What sauropods ate

They ate conifers, cycads and ferns. Their teeth were blunt and good for stripping off vegetation, but like birds and crocodiles they swallowed stones that helped to grind up the tough plant fibres in their stomachs.

Leaves, twigs and roots are low in calories, so sauropods had to eat a huge quantity of plants and had large digestive systems to deal with all this tough plant fibre.

More about sauropods

Sauropod tracks are common in the Broome Sandstone, and indicate that vast herds of these great herbivores once roamed the Dinosaur Coast.

They had five-toed feet and were massive in size, with hip heights of 2 to 5.5m and lengths of 10.5 to 17m.

At least six different types of sauropod tracks have been identified on the Dinosaur Coast:

Oobardjidama foulkesi (Foulkes’ little thunder)
Broome sauropod morphotype A
Broome sauropod morphotype B
Broome sauropod morphotype C
Broome sauropod morphotype D
Broome sauropod morphotype E

Morphotypes are distinct types of tracks without a formal name.

Sauropod track types

Broome sauropod morphotype B track type — Broome sauropod morphotype A track type

Sauropod track examples

Sauropod trackmakers

Broome sauropod morphotype B trackmaker — Broome sauropod morphotype A trackmaker

Well known sauropods

Apatosaurus ajax
Brachiosaurus altithorax and, in Australia, Diamantinasaurus matildae

Sauropod selfies

Ornithopods

The ornithopods that made the tracks in the Broome Sandstone were bipedal (walked on two legs) herbivores (plant-eaters).

What ornithopods ate

They ate conifers, cycads and ferns. They had horny beaks that they used to crop vegetation, which they sliced up with spoon-shaped teeth.

More about ornithopods

All Australian ornithopods were bipedal (walked on two legs), but many larger ornithopods from other parts of the world sometimes walked on four legs.

Ornithopod tracks in the Broome Sandstone show that their trackmakers walked on the very tips of their toes, which were blunt with hoof-like claws. Small ornithopods were fast runners. They were small to very large in size, with hip heights of 0.5 to 3.2m and estimated lengths of approximately 3 to 7.5m.

Four ornithopod track types have been found on the Dinosaur Coast.

Wintonopus latomorum (the stonemasons Winton foot)
Wintonopus middletonae (Middleton’s Winton foot)
Wintonopus hunteri (Hunter’s Winton foot)
Amblydactylus cf. A kortmeyeri (Kortmeyer’s dull digit)

Ornithopod track types

Ornithopod Amblydactylus cf a kortmeyeri track type

Ornithopod Walmadanyichnus hunteri track type — Ornithopod Amblydactylus cf a kortmeyeri track type

Ornithopod track examples

Ornithopod trackmakers

Ornithopod Amblydactylus cf a kortmeyeri trackmaker

Ornithopod Walmadanyichnus hunteri trackmaker — Ornithopod Amblydactylus cf a kortmeyeri trackmaker

Well known ornithopods

Iguanodon bernissartensis, and, in Australia, Diluvicursor pickeringi and Muttaburrasaurus langdoni

Ornithopod selfies

Thyreophorans

Thyreophorans were small to very large in size, with armour plates and spikes, and were quadrupeds (walked on four legs).

What thyreophorans ate

They were herbivores (plant-eaters) and ate low growing foliage. Their teeth were small, triangular and flat.

More about thyreophorans

They include the ankylosaurs and stegosaurs and are often referred to as ‘armoured dinosaurs’. Some thyreophorans had complex nasal passages that looked like ‘crazy straws’, which would have helped them stay cool.

They had relatively small brains for their body size and the hip shape of a modern bird. Thyreophorans that made tracks in the Broome Sandstone were medium-sized, with hip heights of 0.7 to 3m and estimated lengths of 3.5 to 8.5m.

Four thyreophoran track types have been found on the Dinosaur Coast. These were made by three medium-bodied forms, one large-bodied form and two very large-bodied forms: