Through a process similar to one we went through on this Web site, scientists have come to believe that the dinosaur that made the mysterious tracks was a Dilophosaurus. But how big was it and what did it look like?

Home

Creating Dinosaurs from Tracks

The Discovery

Comparing Footprints

Dino Filing Cabinet

How Old are the Tracks

We have a match!

How fast was it?

Scientists and Artists

For bipedal dinosaurs, a track's length can be used to estimate the approximate size of the track maker.

A rough estimate of the distance of the toe to hip is four to five times the length of the leg.

Our track maker created a 17" foot print. How long was his or her leg?
Dilophosaurus fossilized skeletons were found in the western half of the United States. While skeletons and a knowledge of anatomy help us to understand how these animals were put together it still remains for the artists to breathe life into the Dilophosaurus.
Scars on the muscles bones reveal where muscles attached. From these scars artists and scientists can draw in muscle structure and the dilophosaurus takes on a new shape.
Artists trace the muscles adding a layer of skin and the Dilophosaurus outline takes shape.
Because animal coloration cannot be determined from fossil evidence, artists use the appearance of modern animals as a guide to coloring dinosaurs.
Sculptors take the same images to create a scale model of the Dilophosaurus.

...And the final product!

This model can be seen at Dinosaur State Park in Rocky Hill, Connecticut.