A Dinosaur Ichnocoenosis from the Waterberg Plateau (Etjo Formation, Lower Jurassic), Namibia

Wagensommer, Alexander; Latiano, Marianna; Mocke, Helke; Porchetti, Simone D’Orazi; Wanke, A.

doi:10.1080/10420940.2016.1168739

Cited by 4 publications

(1 citation statement)

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“…The V-shaped posterior margin of Kayentapus is considered to be one of its more distinguishing attributes [ 53 ], and is noted to occur in the Early Jurassic and then again in the Early Cretaceous as represented by the theropod ichnite Irenesauripus Sternberg [ 56 ]. In addition to the Northern Hemisphere occurrences, Kayentapus has been described from Madagascar [ 57 ] and Namibia [ 51 , 58 ], but has not been formally recognised in Lesotho. Piubelli et al [ 52 ] have considered that several ichnotaxa from Lesotho, namely Deuterotrisauropus socialis , Kleitotrisauropus moshoshoei (originally Kainotrisauropus moshoshoei in Ellenberger, [ 20 ]), Neotrisauropus deambulator , and Neotrisauropus leribeensis may be synonymous with Kayentapus .…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

The first megatheropod tracks from the Lower Jurassic upper Elliot Formation, Karoo Basin, Lesotho

et al. 2017

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A palaeosurface with one megatheropod trackway and several theropod tracks and trackways from the Lower Jurassic upper Elliot Formation (Stormberg Group, Karoo Supergroup) in western Lesotho is described. The majority of the theropod tracks are referable to either Eubrontes or Kayentapus based on their morphological characteristics. The larger megatheropod tracks are 57 cm long and have no Southern Hemisphere equivalent. Morphologically, they are more similar to the Early Jurassic Kayentapus, as well as the much younger Upper Cretaceous ichnogenus Irenesauripus, than to other contemporaneous ichnogenera in southern Africa. Herein they have been placed within the ichnogenus Kayentapus and described as a new ichnospecies (Kayentapus ambrokholohali). The tracks are preserved on ripple marked, very fine-grained sandstone of the Lower Jurassic upper Elliot Formation, and thus were made after the end-Triassic mass extinction event (ETE). This new megatheropod trackway site marks the first occurrence of very large carnivorous dinosaurs (estimated body length >8–9 meters) in the Early Jurassic of southern Gondwana, an evolutionary strategy that was repeatedly pursued and amplified in the following ~135 million years, until the next major biotic crisis at the end-Cretaceous.

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Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%