Dinosaur Tracks Research Articles

Early Jurassic theropod elongate tracks with metatarsal marks from Yunnan, China

ABSTRACT Elongate tracks with metatarsal marks are a rare type of dinosaur track that have been identified in various locations around the world. These tracks have been attributed to both theropods and ornithischians, and the mechanism of their formation has remained elusive. In this study, we describe well-preserved elongate tracks with metatarsal marks from two adjacent track sites in the Lower Jurassic Fengjiahe Formation in Yunnan Province, China. These tracks occur together with ‘normal’ tridactyl tracks that lack a metatarsal mark. The tracks were produced by theropod dinosaurs and are consistent with the classic Lower Jurassic Eubrontes-Grallator-Kayentapus assemblage found in the United States. We propose that these elongate tracks are formed by deep penetrations of the foot in soft substrate, where sediment collapses above parts of the descending foot, leaving a shallow surface track that preserves a metatarsal mark. Our findings provide new insights into the locomotion and behaviour of Early Jurassic theropod dinosaurs and highlight the importance of Yunnan Province in the study of dinosaur tracks in China.

New records of dinosaur tracks in eastern Tibet and a review of Middle Jurassic dinosaur faunas from the eastern Tethys, southwest China

ABSTRACT We report five new dinosaur track sites in Chaya County, about 120 km southeast of Changdu City. The track assemblages are dominated by sauropods (45 tracks), which have been identified tentatively as cf. Brontopodus. Also present are two thyreophoran trackways consisting of 13 tracks that show strong similarities with the ichnogenus Deltapodus, the potential trackmakers of which were probably stegosaurids. The sauropod tracks from the Chaya region are dominated by large tracks with different affinities if compared to those of the Changdu area. The isolated sauropod tracks from Changdu and Chaya regions show similar morphological patterns, but those from the Chaya region lack large scale tracks. This paper compares and discusses the known ichno and body fossil records of sauropods, theropods, and ornithischians from the Middle Jurassic of Yunnan, Sichuan, and eastern Tibet and their importance for our understanding of dinosaur faunas from this region. The absence of basal neornithischian records in the Yunnan and Changdu regions is likely a preservational bias but also an ecological pecularity cannot be completely excluded. The palaeogeographic position of the four sampled skeleton and track sites suggests the possible existence of a corridor through which faunal exchanges were taking place throughout the Jurassic.

Fossil footprints at the late Lower Paleolithic site of Schöningen (Germany): A new line of research to reconstruct animal and hominin paleoecology

The ca. 300 ka Paleolithic sites of Schöningen in northern Germany yielded a number of localities with archeological and paleontological remains representing a rich paleoenvironmental record of the late Middle Pleistocene in northern Europe. An important line of research focused on the ichnology of two localities: Schöningen 13 I-Fs2 and Schöningen 13 II-2 Untere Berme. Here we present the first detailed study of these fossil footprints, which provides insights on Schöningen's paleoenvironment and a snapshot of the mammals once living in the area. Herds of elephants and other species of herbivores congregated along the muddy shores of a paleolake during birch, pine and grass-rich woodland phases. In addition, three potential hominin footprints, probably belonging to a late Homo heidelbergensis, are recorded at Schöningen 13 II-2 Untere Berme. This confirms the complementary potential of ichnology in reconstructing a reliable picture of prehistoric sites.

First report of sauropod and ornithopod tracks from the Upper Cretaceous of Tibet, China

Dinosaurs were abundant and diverse during the Cretaceous period, but relevant reports from the Tibet Plateau are far rare. Here, we report a new dinosaur tracksite from Zonggei Formation of continental alluvial fan in Dingqing County, which is the first discovery of Upper Cretaceous sauropod and ornithopod dinosaurs in Tibet, China. Four track layers have been found at this tracksite, three of them showing well-preserved and densely-packed dinosaur footprints. Most abundant are sauropod tracks (probably titanosaur) on a trampled area, making it impossible to distinct trackways. One clear ornithopod (probably hadrosaur) trackway is composed of eight consecutive pes, tracks permitting to analyse the gait of the trackmaker. The ichnoassemblage provides evidence for the presence of abundant dinosaurs in the Late Cretaceous of the Tibet region.

First report of a Late Triassic dinosaur track from the Zigui Basin, Middle Yangtze region, China

Trace fossils offer a great potential to enhance our understanding of the rise of dinosaurs and their interactions with the environment. Here, we report a Rhaetian theropod footprint found in the Shazhenxi Formation of the Zigui Basin, representing the stratigraphically oldest dinosaur track recorded from the Middle Yangtze region and has great significance for understanding the Late Triassic theropods and their distribution across East Asia. The tridactyl track is assigned to cf. Eubrontes isp. and shows a similar morphology with some tracks from the Sichuan Basin, indicating that Eubrontes had a wider spatial distribution in the Upper Triassic than previously thought. This work highlights the great interest and importance of palaeoichnological prospecting in the Triassic deposits of the Zigui Basin.

New Pleistocene avian ichnosites on South Africa’s Cape south coast

Twelve new avian ichnosites have been identified on South Africa’s Cape south coast, adding to the 29 sites previously identified. More than half of these 41 avian ichnosites are found along a 9-km stretch of coastline east of Still Bay. The new sites provide the first southern African trace fossil records of the dove, stork and heron families, as well as a possible ostrich trackway and evidence of probable ostrich eggshell fragments. They buttress the previous inference of large avian chronospecies during the Pleistocene. The preponderance of large- and mediumsized tracks can be attributed to a bias whereby fossil tracks of larger, heavier birds are easier to recognise and interpret. Four of the longest fossil avian trackways ever to be identified occur within a 350-m stretch of coastline in the Driefontein area, east of Still Bay. The new findings provide an enhanced picture of the Pleistocene avifauna of the region. Many of the new sites are fragile and have limited prospects to endure, emphasising the need to document them through photogrammetry, and to regularly explore the coastline in high-yield areas in search of further sites.

Dinosaur tracks from the Frontier Formation, Montana: preservation, distribution and palaeoecological significance for the middle Cretaceous terrestrial ecosystems of North America

ABSTRACT The Coniacian-Santonian stages in western North America are characterized by a sparse fossil record. We present here the first account of dinosaur tracks from nine sites in the Frontier Formation (Coniacian-Santonian) of southwestern Montana. Tracks are largely preserved in distal alluvial facies as sandstone casts, with a single example of shallow epirelief impression interpreted as undertrack. Sandstone casts show significant relief, kinematic features (i.e., scale marks), and variable morphologies, arguing for a strong substrate control on their preservation. Putative producers are assigned to ornithopod, ankylosaurian, and theropod dinosaurs in decreasing order of abundance. This record reflects a composition similar to those of other middle Cretaceous formations in North America. Moreover, ankylosaurian tracks of the Frontier Formation represent the first known from Coniacian strata in North America. The incorporation of body and trace fossils yielded by the Frontier Formation indicates the presence of a fauna with North American endemic elements. The establishment of Coniacian-Santonian dinosaurian palaeocommunities akin to those observed in Campanian and Maastrichtian formations may reflect the trend towards provincialism attested for the end of the Mesozoic in North America.

New dinosaur swim tracks from the Middle Jurassic Zhanghe Formation in Yunnan, China

ABSTRACT Recently, dinosaur tracks were discovered in the vicinity of Zhemujiu village in Yimen County, Yunnan Province, representing the first dinosaur footprints found in the purplish-red sandy mudstone of Lower Jurassic Zhanghe Formation. This marks a significant discovery as evidence of dinosaurs from this formation has previously only been reported from body fossils. Nearly 100 tracks were observed at the site and two morphotypes were identified: Characichnos-like morphotype A, and Wintonopus-like morphotype B. Some dinosaurs scraped the substrate with the distal portions of their digits (morphotype A), while others punted by pushing either the digital plantar surface against the sediment or plunging their digits vertically into the sediment (morphotype B). These track morphotypes suggest small-bodied dinosaurs swam (fully buoyant) and punted (partially buoyant) aqueous palaeo-environments (respectively). The orientation of these Zhemujiu tracks indicates that some dinosaurs were moving along the same axis as the flow of the water while others were moving perpendicular to it, yet despite the high abundance and shared orientations of tracks, we find no evidence of gregarious behaviour. This Zhemujiu tracksite discovery expands our understanding of dinosaur swimming behaviour in the Mesozoic era, as well as the occurrence of these track morphologies in China.

Lower Cretaceous dinosaur tracks from the Danxia landscape in Leshan, Southwest China

The identification of dinosaur tracks at a courtyard location in a restaurant in Leshan City, Sichuan Province, China became an international news story due to the unusual location of the discovery. Careful analysis of these ‘restaurant tracks’ indicates that they originate in the track-rich, Lower Cretaceous Jiaguan Formation, and are Brontopodus type sauropod tracks typical of the saurischian dominated Sichuan Basin ichnofauna of this epoch. Studies of the weathering of the Leshan Buddha at Mount Lingyun, a world heritage site only 5.5 km from the restaurant, indicate similar lithologies that allow estimation of weathering rates.

Porto Primavera Ichnofossil Geosite, Brazil: Geoconservation Measures in a Protected Area

Porto Primavera geosite comprises aeolian sandstones with tetrapod trace fossil cropping out at the Porto Primavera Hydroelectric Power Plant, São Paulo State, Brazil. The Upper Cretaceous Rio Paraná Formation, which contains these tracks, is composed of medium–fine quartzarenites well- sorted and supermature, with typically large tabular/trough cross-bedding. They accumulated in complexes of large barchanoid dunes, moved by winds to the south-west. The Porto Primavera association consists of tracks of theropod dinosaurs and small mammals preserved in concave epirelief. These rare records in aeolian desert environments from the Late Cretaceous of Brazil indicate that even the interior Caiuá desert was occupied by organisms. The study focused on the characterization of the ichnofossils, assessing their susceptibility to degradation by natural and anthropogenic processes, and proposing measures to manage the geosite. Because the risk of degradation of the geosite is high, it is proposed that prior to their removal the slabs should be replaced with synthetic resin replicas made using silicone rubber moulds. The sense of disconnection between the objects and their natural geological context could be addressed by depositing the objects near the geosite in the Museum of Regional Memory. The geosite is indicated as a new holostratotype to the Rio Paraná Formation.

The ichnology of shallow-marine and transitional environments

Abstract The ichnology between marine and non-marine environments is a key field of work concerning the understanding of the variation of environmental parameters in inland-to-offshore transitional environments. In order to understand the geological and palaeobiological processes at these locations, this Special Publication attempts to discuss records in shallow-marine and transitional environments throughout the Phanerozoic, including topics such as ichnotaxonomy, ichnofacies analysis, ichnofabric analysis for records from both shallow-marine and transitional environments, and neoichnological aspects. The volume includes 14 papers in total: one focused on aspects of neoichnology in rock iguanas in coastal settings, nine concerning various shallow-marine palaeoenvironment topics and four addressing issues about dinosaur tracks in transitional environments.

A new giant theropod dinosaur track from the Middle Jurassic of the Cleveland Basin, Yorkshire, UK

A new specimen of a rare large theropod dinosaur print of Middle Jurassic age is described from the Long Nab Member of the Scalby Formation, Cleveland Basin, Yorkshire. This is only the sixth specimen of this type recorded from the Cleveland Basin since they were first discovered in 1934. The present specimen is included in the same, but slightly modified morphotype Bxviii as some of the previous ones, since it shows additional features including an elongated metapodium. The specimen is assigned to the ichnogenus Megalosauripus , and was possibly made by a Megalosaurus -like theropod. The elongated metapodium may be the result of resting or crouching behaviour.

The first dinosaur track assemblages from the Upper Cretaceous Shaxian Formation, Fujian Province, southeastern China

The record of Upper Cretaceous dinosaurs in China is dominated by skeletal body fossils, while the dinosaur track record has remained sparse. The new discovery of dinosaur tracks from the Shaxian Formation in Longxiang Village, Fujian Province, is the largest Upper Cretaceous ichnofauna known from China and the first recorded “evidence of” dinosaurs in Fujian Province. There are 247 tracks comprising 23 trackways and 14 isolated tracks. Ornithopod tracks showing three different sizes. Scarcely present are sauropod and small–medium tridactyl theropod tracks, while large form is missing. Remarkable is the presence of different deinonychosaur tracks. The unusual dinosaur tracks assemblage from Longxiang broadens the knowledge of the evolution of dinosaurs in the East Asian Late Cretaceous faunas.

The first dinosaurs in China: Dating Late Triassic footprint fossils from the Sichuan Basin

Dinosaur footprints from the Upper Triassic Xujiahe Formation (T3x3) in the Sichuan Basin are the earliest records of dinosaurs from China. Hitherto, little has been known about dinosaurs from the Late Triassic of eastern Tethys and their geochronological ages. Here, we report abundant new dinosaur tracks from the Upper Triassic Tianquan track site, in Ya’an city, western Sichuan Basin. The tracks are assigned to cf. Pengxianpus isp., cf. Kayentapus isp. and elements of the Grallator-Anchisauripus-Eubrontes plexus based on morphospace analysis of key traits. These tracks were all produced by small theropod dinosaurs. The track-bearing beds are dated to 218.4 ± 4.7 Ma, a mid-Norian age, based on a group of the youngest detrital zircons. These earliest dinosaurs in the eastern Tethys appear to have migrated in from regions in western Tethys at similar paleolatitudes, and their movements may have been limited by substantially fluctuating paleoclimates. These theropod tracks from eastern Tethys provide additional evidence of the rise of dinosaurs to ecological dominance at a time of fluctuating paleoclimatic conditions corresponding to the mid-Norian Warming Event.

Evaluation and Geoconservation of Dinosaur Footprint Paleontological Heritage at the Khon Kaen National Geopark in Northeastern Thailand

Evaluation and Geoconservation of Dinosaur Footprint Paleontological Heritage at the Khon Kaen National Geopark in Northeastern Thailand

Ornithopod tracks and bones: Paleoecology and an unusual evidence of quadrupedal locomotion in the Lower Cretaceous of eastern Iberia (Teruel, Spain)

Dinosaur tracks and osteological remains in the El Castellar Formation (upper Hauterivian–lower Barremian) in the Peñagolosa subbasin, southwest sector of the Maestrazgo Basin (Teruel Province, Spain), are scarce and fragmentary, respectively. Here, we report several unexpected, well-defined natural casts of large ornithopods from several sites of the El Castellar Formation. Moreover, an unusual manus-pes track set preserved as convex hyporelief has been found in the lowermost sandstone level of the Camarillas Formation, the first evidence of dinosaur for the base of this unit at the Peñagolosa subbasin. The ichnological comparison allows us to ascribe the studied tracks to Caririchnium. Their trackmakers were large styracosternans related to Iguanodon, and the presence of a manus-pes track set verifies that some of them may have a quadrupedal locomotion. This associated manus-pes track set constitutes one of the oldest ichnological pieces of evidence of quadrupedalism in large ornithopods from the Lower Cretaceous of Iberia and increases the limited record of this kind of track in the Lower Cretaceous of Europe. In addition, we describe some osteological fossils of these dinosaurs from the El Castellar Formation. These skeletal remains are related to medium to large-sized styracosternans, some of which closely resemble those of other European styracosternans such as Iguanodon. The evidence provided here verifies that these dinosaurs were frequent components in the coastal wetland, and fluvial to deltaic systems developed, during the late Hauterivian–early Barremian, in the Peñagolosa subbasin, possibly because these may have had a source of fresh vegetation and may have provided protection.

Does expanding wood use in construction and textile markets contribute to climate change mitigation?

Wood use is expanding to new markets, driven by the need to substitute fossil-intensive products and energy. Wood products can contribute to climate change mitigation, if they have a lower fossil footprint than alternative products serving the same function. However, the climate change mitigation potential is contingent on the net fossil and biogenic emissions over time, as well as the realism of the counterfactual scenario and market assumptions. This study aims to improve the consistency of assessing the avoided fossil emissions attributed to changes in wood use, and to estimate the additional mitigation potential of increased wood use in construction and textile markets based on wood harvested in Finland. The results show that, compared to baseline, an increase in the market share of wood leads to an increase in atmospheric CO2 concentration by 2050. Thus, the substitution impacts of wood use are not large enough to compensate for the reduction in forest carbon sinks in the short and medium term. This outcome is further aggravated, considering the decarbonization of the energy sector driven by the Paris Agreement, which lowers the fossil emissions of competing sectors more than those of the forest sector. The expected decarbonization is a highly desirable trend, but it will further lengthen the carbon parity period associated with an increase in wood harvest. This creates a strong motive to pursue shifts in wood uses instead of merely expanding all wood uses.

Arched footprints preserve the motions of fossil hominin feet.

The longitudinal arch of the human foot is viewed as a pivotal adaptation for bipedal walking and running. Fossil footprints from Laetoli, Tanzania, and Ileret, Kenya, are believed to provide direct evidence of longitudinally arched feet in hominins from the Pliocene and Pleistocene, respectively. We studied the dynamics of track formation using biplanar X-ray, three-dimensional animation and discrete element particle simulation. Here, we demonstrate that longitudinally arched footprints are false indicators of foot anatomy; instead they are generated through a specific pattern of foot kinematics that is characteristic of human walking. Analyses of fossil hominin tracks from Laetoli show only partial evidence of this walking style, with a similar heel strike but a different pattern of propulsion. The earliest known evidence for fully modern human-like bipedal kinematics comes from the early Pleistocene Ileret tracks, which were presumably made by members of the genus Homo. This result signals important differences in the foot kinematics recorded at Laetoli and Ileret and underscores an emerging picture of locomotor diversity within the hominin clade.

The first record of dinosaur track from Hubei Province, Central China

ABSTRACT A newly discovered dinosaur tracksite in the Middle Jurassic Xietan Formation of the Zigui Basin, is the first reported from Hubei Province, China. Access to the site is difficult due to the steep inclination (~60°) of the track-bearing beds. The tracks are poorly preserved and occur in a fragmented mudstone substrate. However, it is possible to identify a sauropod trackway and isolated tridactyl (theropod) tracks, suggesting a saurischian dominated ichnofauna. The preserved sauropod trackway falls into the range of a typical wide gauge sequence and, together with the overall shape of the imprints and low heteropody, points to the ichnogenus Brontopodus. The tracks are of relatively small size and can possibly be attributed to juveniles of a large species or, alternatively, to adults of a small species of eusauropods. The tridactyl tracks are incomplete and cannot be assigned to a distinct ichnotaxon with certainty.

A new lithostratigraphic profile for Cretaceous to Paleogene successions in the West and Central African Rift System, Koum Basin, northern Cameroon

Six new formations (Gaba, Roumi, Poula, Mbissiri, Lende andKali) are proposed for Cretaceous to Paleogene sediments of the Koum Basin, northern Cameroon. The Koum Basin is one of numerous sedimentary basins lining the West and Central African Rift System and presents a complex evolutionary history involving extensional shearing and compressional events spanning the Cretaceous to Paleogene. Recent discoveries of hydrocarbons in associated basin such as Doba in Chad,motivated exploration of the Koum Basin. However, existing studies of the Koum Basin lack a viable lithostratigraphic framework, which is crucial for ongoing exploration efforts in this basin. The present study integrates lithologic, petrographic and palaeontologic data to map, stack and correlate several outcrop sections across the basin. Facies analysis suggests that deposition occurred in a fluvio-lacustrine palaeodeposional environment. The new units were described following the guidelines of the International Stratigraphic Guide. An updated geologicmap depicts the spatial distribution of the lithostratigraphic units that make up the Koum Basin. Palynomorphs, bivalves and dinosaur footprints are used to date the studied sections.