Anthropological Services Ontario

Tracks at the ROM

In the course of renovations of a tiled floor in 2006 at the Royal Ontario Museum, Toronto, a plaster cast of tracks of a human child was discovered underneath the tiles.

Human tracks, plaster cast (detail). © C. Lee (2006)		Close-up of animal tracks. From left to right: hare, badger, fox, deer © C. Lee (2006)
Presentation of animal tracks next to diorama, ca. 1957 (ROM archives).

ASO scientist Dr. Chantal Lee was present at the initial assessment. She was able to match this find to the description and dimensions of a bequest to the ROM in 1978 by the late Mrs. Melton. Remarkably, the cast matches in size, style and material the tracks of hare, badger, fox and deer that have been in possession of the ROM's Natural History Education station since 1955.