This Piece of Rock In The Grand Canyon Revealed A Vital Piece of History

Identifying the Species

After much observation and analysis, palaeontologists concluded that the marking was from a creature known as an Ichniotherium. Apparently, these tracks are about 280 million years old and were made when the Grand Canyon was nothing but a sandy desert.

Heitor Francischini via NPS

The marks were believed to have been made by diadectomorphs, a group of amphibians closely similar to the first reptiles. Palaeontologists were surprised to see an amphibian living in such a dry environment since they needed the water to lay eggs.