Dinosaur limping evidence found in 150 million year old Colorado trackway
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Paleontologists may have uncovered traces of a limping dinosaur thanks to fossilized footprints preserved in stone for more than 150 million years.
In a press release from the University of Queensland (UQ) on November 25, Australian officials announced that the discovery was made on an old road near Ouray, Colorado.
The path, which is over 310 feet long, consists of approximately 130 footprints. The dinosaur that created the path was probably quadrupedal and long-necked, and belonged to the sauropod lineage.
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Speaking to Fox News Digital, UQ paleontologist Anthony Romilio said a long, looping dinosaur trail like the one in Colorado was “very rare”.
“Rolls that turn are even rarer,” he said. “Loop trails… there are only two known in the world, one in Colorado and the other in China.”
The 150-million-year-old footprints of a dinosaur show signs of limping, according to Australian researchers. (Paul Murphey, San Diego Museum of Natural History; De Agostini via Getty Images)
“However, a rockslide destroyed the one in China, leaving it as the only loop dinosaur trail in the world.”
Although the exact species is unknown, Romilio said Camarasaurus and Diplodocus were two dinosaur species that lived in Colorado at that time.
“Camarasaurus was equivalent to being ‘front-wheeled’, with its weight shifting more to the shoulders and forelimbs, and thus has a tendency to leave handprints that are deeper than footprints,” he said.
“Diplodocus, on the other hand, was a ‘rear-wheel drive’ vehicle that transferred weight to the hips, meaning its footprints were deeper than handprints.”
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It is not yet known whether the dinosaur was limping due to a conflict with another dinosaur.
“It is difficult to determine whether other dinosaurs existed at that time,” Romilio said.
The rare Colorado trail features an unusually long series of steps preserved in stone. (Paul Murphey, San Diego Museum of Natural History)
“As paleontologists, we work carefully within the limits of the evidence, and in this case the information does not yet point to an encounter or interaction with another dinosaur,” he added. “However, the loop path is unusual… the idea that the trail maker may have been avoiding something is certainly a compelling speculative interpretation.”
Romilio noted that footprints and trails can only be made while an animal was alive, and the remains can reveal how these ancient creatures walked and ran in ways that fossil bones cannot.
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“In terms of taking road measurements, long-haul roads like this even give us the opportunity to do statistical analysis,” he said.
“By evaluating the difference between steps taken with the left leg and steps taken with the right leg, we found that there was a statistically significant difference between more than 130 footprints.”
Romilio added: “There was clearly a difference, but whether it was due to a previous injury that caused a permanent limp and whether we just preferred one side over the other is speculation. We need a time machine to know for sure.”
Digital mapping tools allow paleontologists to analyze the ancient road with modern precision. (Anthony Romilio, University of Queensland)
Romilio stated that it was local residents, not scientists, who first discovered the site.
“The loop trail has been known to residents since the mid-1950s. It was accessible, frequently visited and quietly appreciated long before it entered scientific discourse,” he said.
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“With the first scientific study conducted roughly five years ago, it was much later that the site was officially made available to researchers.”
The paleontologist said the long trackways made detailed analysis logistically challenging, but thanks to digital tools they were able to analyze them “with much greater precision and completeness than was previously possible.”
Romilio said the road “was accessible, frequently visited, and quietly appreciated long before it entered scientific discourse.” (Paul Murphey, San Diego Museum of Natural History)
The latest discovery is one of many dinosaur-related findings making headlines in 2025.
Earlier this year, a high school student in Connecticut 150 million year old fossil Dating from the Jurassic period from an excavation in Montana.
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Around the same time, scientists announced the discovery of a new dinosaur species called Joaquinraptor casali in Argentina.
