Review of Japanese Cenozoic (Miocene–Modern) Vertebrate Tracks

Abstract

One hundred and seventy three Cenozoic vertebrate track sites from Miocene to 1600 A.D have been reported in Japan. Three ichnofaunas can be recognized: a perissodactyl and artiodactyl ichnofauna in the Miocene, an artiodactyl and proboscidean ichnofauna in the Plio-Pleistocene, and human ichnofauna from about 900–800 B.C. to about 1400–1600 A.D. Track data indicate that a predominance of large vertebrates in fluvio-lacustrine environment in lowland changed from perissodactyls to proboscidean through Miocene to Plio-Pleistocene, and ancient people then occupied lowlands instead of large animals. Pes length of proboscidean tracks revealed temporal variation, and the relationship between proboscidean body sizes and tracks was observed. The Cenozoic Japanese proboscidean trackways can be distinguished on the basis of trackway width, as narrow- and wide-gauge, but the difference between of those narrow- and wide-gauge trackways probably indicates generic level differences. The Cenozoic Japanese bird tracks can be identified as four types: ?crane (Family Gruidae?), ?heron (Family Ardeidae?), ?stork (Family Ciconiidae?), and ?shorebird tracks.