Cretaceous turtle tracks from central and southern Mexico

Abstract

Turtle tracks are relatively common in Laurasia during the Mesozoic. In Mexico, Cretaceous turtle tracks have been reported in Coahuila, Zacatecas, and Puebla. Here we describe 20 turtle tracks from the Early Cretaceous Jaltepetongo formation of Oaxaca and the Early Cretaceous San Juan Raya Formation of Puebla. The morphology of the tracks shows that the producers were engaged in different activities, such as swimming, bottom walking, or that were partially buoyant. The presence of turtle tracks indicates marginal environments in both geologic formations. The turtle tracks from San Juan Raya in Puebla add to the diverse ichno-assemblage of dinosaur, pterosaur, turtle, and invertebrate tracks that have been already recorded in the area. The turtle tracks from Oaxaca are the most southern in North America of Early Cretaceous age.