Native Americans noticed fossil tracks in their environment and had explanations for them involving mythological creatures. Examples show pictographs and petroglyphs that seem to reproduce fossil tracks, proving they had observed them. At Cub Creek in Dinosaur National Monument, a panel of large lizard petroglyphs is located near a fossil track site. The petroglyphs are proportioned to represent creatures around 30 feet long, correlating with the size of dinosaurs that left tracks at the nearby site. This suggests the giant lizards depicted were inspired by observing fossil tracks in the area.

1. THE INFLUENCE OF
FOSSIL FOOTPRINTS
ON ROCK ART
© Peter Faris, 2008

2. Dinosaur Ridge, west of Denver, CO.

3. Dinosaur Ridge, west of Denver, CO.
For Native American peoples who
depended on hunting, attention to
animal tracks could mean the
difference between life and death.
They would have invariably seen
fossil trackways in their
environment and must have had
explanations for this phenomenon.

4. Shay Canyon, Indian Creek, UT.

5. Picketwire Canyonlands, CO.

6. Picketwire Canyonlands, CO.

7. Potash Road trackway, Moab, UT.

8. Potash Road trackway, Moab, UT.
Their explanations for these tracks
often involved beliefs in great
mythological creatures.
A Navajo name for such fossil
tracks is Naasho’illbahitsho Biikee’
(big lizard tracks).

9. Examples of images seemingly
reproducing fossil tracks as
pictographs and petroglyphs have
been found, proving that they had
noticed them.

10. Chirotherium track, Joseph City, NM.
Mayor and Serjeant, 2001.

11. This petroglyph is located only a few
feet from the Chirotherium track.
Mayor and Serjeant, 2001.

12. Joseph City, NM.
Mayor and Serjeant, 2001.

13. Another site of
fossilized
dinosaur tracks is
found at Flag
Point, in the
Escalante-Grand
Staircase National
Monument, UT.

14. Near the tracksite a pictograph panel
appears to accurately reproduce one of the
three-toed dinosaur tracks.

15. At Cub Creek in Dinosaur
National Monument, UT, a
panel of large lizard
petroglyphs are focusing on a
small Fremont style human
figure (ca. 1400 to 1000 BP).

16. The largest lizard measures approx. 6’ in
length.
In proportion to the size of
the human figure this would
represent a creature of about
30’ in length.

17. All together there
are eight large
lizards on, and
around, the main
panel. Clearly
gigantic lizards
were highly
significant at Cub
Creek.

18. Over 100 fossil track sites have been
recorded in and around Dinosaur National
Monument. One, the Cub Creek trackway
is located a couple of miles upstream
from the petroglyph panel.
Photo: 2005, John Meyer, BLM, Vernal,
UT.

19. This site has tracks of over 50 individual
vertebrates (Martin Lockley, 1995).
Photo: John Meyer, BLM, Vernal, UT, 2005.

20. John Meyer, BLM, Vernal, UT, 2005

21. Photo: 2005, John Meyer, BLM, Vernal, UT.
Therapod track at the Cub Creek track
site.

22. Tracks at the Cub Creek track site.
Photo: 2005, John Meyer, BLM, Vernal, UT.

23. Lizard track, Lobo Valley, TX.

24. Cub Creek petroglyph site,
Dinosaur National
Monument, UT.
I believe it is
possible that the
giant lizards at Cub
Creek were inspired by the
“giant lizard
tracks”nearby.