Kinematics from footprints: Analysis of a possible dinosaur predation event in the Cretaceous Era

Motivation is enhanced by challenging students with interesting and open-ended questions. In this talk, a methodology for studying the locomotion of extinct animals based on their footprint trackways is developed and applied to a possible predation event recorded in a Cretaceous Era deposit.\footnote{J.O. Farlow, ``Lower Cretaceous Dinosaur Tracks, Paluxy River Valley, Texas,'' South Central Geological Society of America, Baylor University, 1987.} Students usually love learning about dinosaurs, an unexpected treat in a physics class. This example can be used in the classroom to help build critical thinking skills as the students decide whether the evidence supports a predation scenario or not.