The Eternal Trail

Were Jurassic dinosaurs social creatures? Is the legendary Bigfoot merely a myth? Can you determine the shape of a ram's horns from its footprints? Paleontologist Martin Lockley answers these questions and many more in this highly original chronology of tracking and track-making. From the earliest fossilized prints left by a millipede on a volcanic island to Neil Armstrong's footprint, forever embedded in the lunar dust, Lockley reinterprets the story of evolution, recorded over millions of years in the strata and substrata of our planet and its environs. In the process, he offers a new, holistic approach to tracking -- one that highlights the self-organizing principles at work in the natural world -- and demonstrates how the science of tracking is giving us new insights into the biology, behavior, and evolutionary history of a diverse array of extinct animals. Filled with fascinating anecdotes and surprising discoveries, The Eternal Trail initiates us into the art and science of tracking, while offering a poetic reflection on the continuity of life.

Martin Lockley is Professor of Geology and Paleontology at the University of Colorado, Denver. A recipient of the Chancellors Lecturer Award, Lockley has led tracking expeditions all over the world. His other books include Dinosaur Tracks and Other Fossil Footprints of Europe (with Christian Meyer) and Tracking Dinosaurs.