Ornithomimosaur Footprints Discovered on Denman Island, British Columbia

Paleontologists have confirmed the discovery of well-preserved three-toed footprints on Denman Island in British Columbia, Canada.

The trackways, dating back approximately 75 to 80 million years to the Late Cretaceous period, were preserved in ancient tidal sediments. They are believed to have been made by ornithomimosaurs — fast, ostrich-like dinosaurs often referred to as “false birds” due to their bird-like appearance.

The footprints show evidence of these dinosaurs moving at high speeds along ancient coastlines, with some tracks displaying claw drags and foraging marks. This suggests they were active in coastal environments, possibly feeding on fish, crabs, and carrion.

The find provides some of the clearest evidence yet that these feathered theropods lived and hunted along Pacific shorelines, challenging earlier assumptions that they primarily inhabited inland areas.

This discovery adds valuable information to our understanding of dinosaur behavior and distribution during the Cretaceous period.