The Eternal Trail: A Tracker Looks at Evolution

by Martin Lockley

Were Jurassic dinosaurs social creatures? Is the legendary Bigfoot merely a myth? Can you determine the shape of a ram's horns from its footprints? Paleontologist Martin Lockley answers these questions and many more in this highly original chronology of tracking and track-making. From the earliest fossilized prints left by a millipede on a volcanic island to Neil Armstrong's footprint, forever embedded in the lunar dust, Lockley reinterprets the story of evolution, recorded over millions of years in the strata and substrata of our planet and its environs. In the process, he offers a new, holistic approach to tracking -- one that highlights the self-organizing principles at work in the natural world -- and demonstrates how the science of tracking is giving us new insights into the biology, behavior, and evolutionary history of a diverse array of extinct animals. Filled with fascinating anecdotes and surprising discoveries, The Eternal Trail initiates us into the art and science of tracking, while offering a poetic reflection on the continuity of life.

352 pages, Paperback

First published August 26, 1999

Reviews

[P.]

This is a wonderful, wonderfully written book written by a man, Martin Lockley, who has already written four other books about palentological tracks and their meaning, provenance, and use. Can we say eccentric or barmy? This focus on tracks reminds me of Gen. Patton's belief that in order to succeed, he had to pick a small area and focus his entire life around excellence in that area. Lackey has done this. But the book is filled with insight, detailed description and the thrill of the chase. Lackey and his Dinosaur Tracks team at Colorado State University have assembled an impressive bibliography of works on tracking and have contributed mightly to that list.

The author takes 'tracking' well beyond what an uitlander might consider possible. "The Eternal Trail, a tracker looks at evolution" also looks at cosmology, religion, eschatology, epistomology, etc. But he does label his speculations which one is thankful for. A jarring note is his usage of 'Bushmen' still. I think this is no longer PC,
we should use terms like 'San", '!Kung', 'Khosian speakers', etc.

[Alexander Polsky]

Somewhat in the John McPhee vein of non-fiction, this book should be a classic, but isn't quite. The author is a paleontologist, specializing in dinosaur tracks. He's made the book more than just a scientific study, including the many colorful characters in paleoentology's history, including more than a few frauds.

There's great detail -- like the only T. Rex footprint (found by Boy Scouts in New Mexico).

And there's plenty of controversy. The problem with this book, which I picked up used, is the problem with many interesting older science books (this dates to 1999) -- this book was "state of the art" in 1999, but many of the controversies in it have been resolved since publication. The narrative is still fascinating, but one wonders if the author's intuition on T Rex (hunter or scavenger -- he goes for scavenger) still holds, for example.

So it leaves me with questions on whether the current science described is still current, but the history of footprint interpretation remains valid.

[And Rea]

I love this book! Easy to read, yet deep and well thought out, this book is is fun and fascinating. Lockley winds his way through the entire history of the world by examining the tracks left behind all of its creatures. It hits upon misconceptions, hypothesis, counter-arguments,creationism, holism, why you have five fingers, why rams horns curve, reasons for other common shapes and body types, etc. It is truly interesting and unexpected. It gets a bit random at the ends, but is definitely a good book.