LARGE DINOSAUR FOOT
Struthiomimus altus
Late Cretaceous
Hell Creek Formation, Wibaux Co., eastern Montana
The "ostrich-mimic" Struthiomimus was a member of the Ornithomimosaur family, fast, fleet-footed plant-eaters (though some may have been omnivores), with large eyes and a small head atop a relatively slender neck. Struthiomimus's apparent speed would have been its only defense against the dromosaurs and tyrannosaurs found in the Campanian fossil beds in the same area. One can sense the powerful spring in this large foot specimen, considerably more robust than the now-off-limits examples from Central Asia, from the three large claws with deep blood grooves, to the heavy metatarsals, with good bone texture in places and warm woody patination, 23 1/2 inches around the length of its curve, presented upright on an ebonized metal display stand.