Living dinosaurs

Birds are the only descendants of dinosaurs to live past the end of the Cretaceous Period. Their small size probably helped them survive. How big are these sandpiper footprints compared to dinosaur footprints?

Lisa looks down at some markings in the muddy riverbed. She raises her hands in excitement.

Lisa: Spotted sandpiper!

Richard: Oh, Okay!

Lisa points out the straight line of probe marks in the mud with her hiking pole.

Lisa: Little probe marks.

Richard: Oh, look at that. So, bill probe marks as the as the spotted sandpiper was walking along the the little puddles here looking for some kind of invertebrates, I guess.

The probe marks move between two murky puddles in the muddy riverbed.

Lisa: The footprints aren’t really good but the probe marks are nice.

Richard: So all these in here.

Lisa: We can do better. But they’re here.

Richard: They are here.