Across South Africa, paleontologists have encountered various mysterious bird-like footprints resembling the tracks of modern-day birds. The tracks date to the Late Triassic and Early Jurassic periods in a new study for PLoS ONE.
During this time, birds and dinosaurs co-existed, and both prints are commonly found preserved on the same surfaces. Researchers are still determining what ancient animal made these tracks. But, the find places bird-like feet with three-toed footprints at 60 million years older than the world's oldest known bird, Protravis texensis.
