A review of footprints from the Wessex Formation (Wealden Group, Lower Cretaceous) at Hanover Point, the Isle of Wight, southern England

Abstract

Hanover Point on the Isle of Wight, England, is a Lower Cretaceous (Barremian) site yielding a large number of dinosaur footprints from the Wessex Formation. These footprints, hitherto often referred to as 'Iguanodon' tracks, have generated interest and speculation since the beginning of the Victorian era. Today, Hanover Point largely yields sandstone casts (convex hyporeliefs) of footprints but also includes some impressions (concave epireliefs), a few of which form short trackways. The majority belongs to large ornithopods, many with foot lengths in excess of 50 cm. Theropods and the occasional thyreophoran track are also represented. The site represents the Wessex Formation within the Wealden Group and can be described ichnologically as a category 3a deposit. Most of the large ornithopod footprints have a distinctive quadripartite morphology and are best assigned to the ichnogenus Caririchnium or in some cases Amblydactylus. Few are morphologically compatible with Iguanodontipus which was described from pre-Wealden deposits and appears to be little represented in the Wealden ichnofaunas.

Tracking Dinosaurs on the Isle of Wight: a review of tracks, sites, and current research

“…Although less common than ornithischian tracks, saurischian (theropod and sauropod) tracks are found throughout the Wealden. Theropod prints are frequently encountered and are recognized using the criteria used by Thulborn () and occur occasionally as casts and on wave‐cut rock platforms (Lockwood et al ., ). Sauropod footprints are rare on the Isle of Wight.…”

“…Most of the dinosaur footprints from all track‐bearing horizons are ornithischian, mainly ornithopodan, in origin (Martill & Naish, ). They range in size from small (< 12 cm) to very large (> 68 cm) (Lockwood et al ., ), and provide an indication of the density and diversity of dinosaurs present at the time of deposition (Radley et al ., ). Several distinct ornithopod footprint morphotypes have been reported from the Isle of Wight and ichnotaxomic work is ongoing (Lockwood et al ., ; Lockley et al ., ).…”

“…Despite regular mention of tracks in studies dealing with the Wealden Group, a detailed study of all the dinosaur footprints and tracksites found on the island is overdue, and is the focus of current research (Lockwood, Lockley & Pond, ). The present paper is intended to supplement such ongoing research.…”

Tracking Lower Cretaceous Dinosaurs in China: a new database for comparison with ichnofaunal data from Korea, the Americas, Europe, Africa and Australia

“…As outlined elsewhere in this volume (Lockley et al ., ; Lockwood, Lockley & Pond, ; Pond et al ., ) ichnofaunas from the Wealden Group are among the first ever reported from the Lower Cretaceous. Historically most reports refer to Iguanodon tracks, which appear to be the dominant track type (Lockwood et al ., ).…”

“…As outlined elsewhere in this volume (Lockley et al ., ; Lockwood, Lockley & Pond, ; Pond et al ., ) ichnofaunas from the Wealden Group are among the first ever reported from the Lower Cretaceous. Historically most reports refer to Iguanodon tracks, which appear to be the dominant track type (Lockwood et al ., ). However, because the rules of the International Code of Zoological Nomenclature (ICZN) do not permit use of a genus name based on skeletal material to describe trace fossils, Sarjeant, Delair & Lockley () erected the ichnogenus Iguanodontipus , based on relatively small pre‐Wealden ichnites from the Purbeck Group (Tithonian‐Berriasian).…”