An unusual sauropod turning trackway from the Early Cretaceous of Shandong Province, China

Xing, Lida; Marty, Daniel; Wang, Kebai; Lockley, Martin G.; Chen, Shuqing; Xu, Xing; Liu, Yongqing; Kuang, Hongwei; Zhang, Jianping; Hao, Ran; Persons, W. Scott

doi:10.1016/j.palaeo.2015.07.036

Cited by 19 publications

(2 citation statements)

References 30 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…Trackway ontogenetic variability has been previously suggested by Lockley et al (2002) but behavioral factors may also play a role in trackway pattern (i.e., such a turning during locomotion; see Swiss examples in Meyer, 1993;Marty, 2008;Stevens et al, 2016, fig. 13.7;and globally Meyer et al, 1994;Mezga and Bajraktarević, 1999;Wright, 2005;Ishigaki and Matsumoto, 2009;Xing et al, 2015a;Goodell et al, 2021;Lockley et al, 2021). The high WAP/ PL, WAP/WAM and manus supination for smaller pedal and manual sizes has been noted previously at the Swiss Chevenez-Combe Ronde (CRO) track site where behavioral changes are considered a determining factor (Marty, 2008).…”

Section: Cluster and Principal Component Analysismentioning

confidence: 87%

Sauropod Trackway Morphometrics: An Exploratory Study Using Highway A16 Excavation at the Courtedoux-Tchâfouè Track Site (Late Jurassic, NW Switzerland)

et al. 2022

Self Cite

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Ichnogeneric classification of sauropod trackways is determined using qualitative and quantitative descriptions of morphological parameters. More recently, the validity of several of these parameters has been called into question (e.g., trackway gauge). This paper aims to test traditional and more novel landmark-based geometric morphometric (GM) analysis to describe sauropod tracks and trackways. The Courtedoux-Tchâfouè (TCH) tracksite, in NW Switzerland, has been used as a test site because it hosted several Late Jurassic sauropod track-bearing levels, over a short time period (∼40 ka), creating a time capsule of sauropod activity. Exploratory statistical analyses suggest that the TCH trackway dataset can be partitioned into clusters based on trackway parameters (e.g., width of pes angulation pattern/pes length) that demonstrate differences between trackways. Nevertheless, clustering reflected a moderate degree of intercluster similarity and a continuum in TCH trackway morphologies. The GM analysis of TCH pes impressions, from several trackways, indicates a similar morphotype and did not significantly differentiate pes tracks from various stratigraphic levels. Currently, the results indicate that neither linear nor landmark-based geometric morphometric methods strongly segregate tracks at TCH nor show a time-control (i.e., via stratigraphic level) over the short interval studied. The methods reinforce that sauropod pes impression shape is conservative and that combining morphological methods to be inclusive of sauropod trackway data is important. The TCH site demonstrates that variability may reflect morphological continuums and behavioural factors and does not unambiguously differentiate unique sauropod trackmakers. More exploration on the minimum number of trackway parameters as predictors of sauropod ichnotaxonomy is needed. Integrating complementary techniques will provide more insight and practical means of identification and delineation of sauropod tracks and their trackways.

show abstract

Section: Cluster and Principal Component Analysismentioning

confidence: 87%

Sauropod Trackway Morphometrics: An Exploratory Study Using Highway A16 Excavation at the Courtedoux-Tchâfouè Track Site (Late Jurassic, NW Switzerland)

et al. 2022

Self Cite

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…12, 169-171;Meyer, 1990;Meyer, 1993;Stevens, Ernst & Marty, 2016), and the USA (Lockley & Hunt, 1995: pp. 164-165;Goodell et al, 2021); the Lower Cretaceous of China (Xing et al, 2015a); the upper Lower Cretaceous of China (Xing et al, 2015b); the lower Upper Cretaceous of Croatia (Dalla Vecchia, 1994;Leghissa & Leonardi, 1990;Mezga & Bajraktarević, 1999); and the Upper Cretaceous of Spain (Vila et al, 2008). However, although some of these trackways record a 180 turn by their trackmaker, in most cases the degree of directional change is much more gradual than that evinced by AODF 904.S3, wherein the three preserved tracks imply that a 180 turn was achieved in just two strides (Fig.…”

Section: Description Of Track Morphotypesmentioning

confidence: 99%

A diverse Late Cretaceous vertebrate tracksite from the Winton Formation of Queensland, Australia

Poropat

White

Ziegler

et al. 2021

PeerJ

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

The Upper Cretaceous ‘upper’ Winton Formation of Queensland, Australia is world famous for hosting Dinosaur Stampede National Monument at Lark Quarry Conservation Park, a somewhat controversial tracksite that preserves thousands of tridactyl dinosaur tracks attributed to ornithopods and theropods. Herein, we describe the Snake Creek Tracksite, a new vertebrate ichnoassemblage from the ‘upper’ Winton Formation, originally situated on Karoola Station but now relocated to the Australian Age of Dinosaurs Museum of Natural History. This site preserves the first sauropod tracks reported from eastern Australia, a small number of theropod and ornithopod tracks, the first fossilised crocodyliform and ?turtle tracks reported from Australia, and possible lungfish and actinopterygian feeding traces. The sauropod trackways are wide-gauge, with manus tracks bearing an ungual impression on digit I, and anteriorly tapered pes tracks with straight or concave forward posterior margins. These tracks support the hypothesis that at least one sauropod taxon from the ‘upper’ Winton Formation retained a pollex claw (previously hypothesised for Diamantinasaurus matildae based on body fossils). Many of the crocodyliform trackways indicate underwater walking. The Snake Creek Tracksite reconciles the sauropod-, crocodyliform-, turtle-, and lungfish-dominated body fossil record of the ‘upper’ Winton Formation with its heretofore ornithopod- and theropod-dominated ichnofossil record.

show abstract

Wide-gauge sauropod trackways from the Early Jurassic of Sichuan, China: oldest sauropod trackways from Asia with special emphasis on a specimen showing a narrow turn

et al. 2016

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

An unusual sauropod turning trackway from the Early Cretaceous of Shandong Province, China

Cited by 19 publications

References 30 publications

Sauropod Trackway Morphometrics: An Exploratory Study Using Highway A16 Excavation at the Courtedoux-Tchâfouè Track Site (Late Jurassic, NW Switzerland)

Sauropod Trackway Morphometrics: An Exploratory Study Using Highway A16 Excavation at the Courtedoux-Tchâfouè Track Site (Late Jurassic, NW Switzerland)

A diverse Late Cretaceous vertebrate tracksite from the Winton Formation of Queensland, Australia

Wide-gauge sauropod trackways from the Early Jurassic of Sichuan, China: oldest sauropod trackways from Asia with special emphasis on a specimen showing a narrow turn

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About