What can you tell from this fossil about where the animal lived and how it moved how could you learn more about the extinct animal?

Answer 1

Fossil footprints can tell us how the animal moved. The stride length, or the distance between two footprints, tell how fast the animal moved. The longer the stride length, the faster the movement was. Footprints give clues about the animal's weight. The deeper the footprint, the heavier the animal would have been. The size and shape of teeth tell us what kind of food the animal ate, which can give clues about where the animal lived. Animals that ate fish would have lived in or near water, for example. The type of rock the fossils were found in tell us what kind of ground the animal walked on. Scientists learn more about extinct animals by studying live animals and using computer models and simulations. They study living animals to see how their muscles move and how their bones fit together. Computer models and simulations help scientists test their ideas, for example about how fast an animal might be able to run.

Answer 2

From the fossil, we can infer the animal's skeletal structure and potential habitat, such as whether it lived on land or water. By studying its limb morphology, we can estimate its locomotion capabilities and potential speed. To learn more about the extinct animal, one could conduct further analysis on its diet, behavior, and surrounding environment through more fossils, isotopic analysis, or computer simulations.