Ancient Bird-Like Footprints Reveal Prehistoric Mystery Animals in Southern Africa

Researchers have discovered bird-like footprints dating back over 210 million years in southern Africa. The footprints, known as Trisauropodiscus, exhibit two distinct morphologies, one similar to non-bird dinosaur tracks and the other resembling bird footprints. These tracks predate the earliest known body fossils of true birds by 60 million years and suggest the origin of bird-like feet as early as the Late Triassic Period. The trackmakers could be early dinosaurs or reptiles that convergently evolved bird-like feet.