Synapsid tetrapod — Chelichnus bucklandi

Geologic period: Permian

Age: Permian; exact age of the Smithsonian display trackway is not established in the current verified source set.

Feeding: Cannot be determined from this trackway alone.

Locomotion: Walking tetrapod movement is directly recorded by the sequence of footprints.

Body plan: Body not preserved; only trace evidence is present.

Evidence: Footprint shape and trackway geometry are direct evidence. Exact biological trackmaker identity is less certain than identification from body fossils.

Why it matters: Trackways preserve behavior that bones often cannot, including movement, foot placement and interaction with the ground.

Plain Language Identity: A Permian tetrapod trace fossil classified as Chelichnus bucklandi.

What You Are Looking At: A sequence of fossil footprints — evidence of an animal moving across an ancient surface rather than the animal's body.

Preservation: Trace fossil / trackway.

Open Questions: Do not present a particular animal reconstruction as the confirmed maker of the tracks.

Source Urls: https://naturalhistory.si.edu/visit/virtual-tour/current-exhibits/deep-time-virtual-tour-fossil-list

Enrichment Method: SAGE curated research pass; evidence separated from inference

Scientific name: Chelichnus bucklandi

Evidence / representation: comparative_trace_fossil_visual

comparative_trace_fossil_visual

Reading Deep Time: How Rocks, Fossils and Time Become Evidence.

Media license: CC BY-SA 4.0

https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0