Ethological variations in gauge in sauropod trackways from the Berriasian of Spain

Castanera, Diego; Pascual, Carlos; Hernández, Nieves; Barco, José Luis

doi:10.1111/j.1502-3931.2012.00304.x

Cited by 42 publications

(42 citation statements)

References 26 publications

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“…However, the surface is not large enough (no turning trackways) to interpret this as milling. In Las Cuestas I level III most of the trackways are straight (directional), but at least one trackway also shows considerable changes in the direction of travel (Castanera et al, 2012) and could therefore be interpreted as milling.…”

Section: Orientation Patterns Of the Iberian Sauropod Trackwaysmentioning

confidence: 99%

Sauropod trackways of the Iberian Peninsula: palaeoetological and palaeoenvironmental implications

Castanera

Vila

Razzolini

et al. 2014

Journal of Iberian Geology

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More than a hundred sauropod tracksites, ranging in age from Middle Jurassic (Bathonian) to Late Cretaceous (Maastrichtian), are reported from the Iberian Peninsula (Spain and Portugal). Sauropod trackway orientation patterns throughout an entire geographic area such as the Iberian Peninsula and over different time periods may provide new data about the palaeoecology and behavioural patterns of sauropods. The studied tracksites exhibit two main trackway orientation patterns, directional and random, indicating different behaviours in gregarious or solitary (milling) individuals. Gregarious behavioural patterns are mainly observed within Parabrontopodus/Breviparopus-like and Brontopodus-like ichnotypes of a single size class (either small or medium-sized), indicating age segregation. Among the gregarious sauropods the former ichnotype is linked with inland environments, while the latter is mainly linked with coastal environments. Solitary trackways are mainly of medium-sized to large individuals, are also linked with both inland (Parabrontopodus/Breviparopus-like) and coastal environments (Parabrontopodus/Breviparopus-like, Brontopodus-like), and belong to the above-mentioned ichnotypes as well as to Polyonyx-like ichnotypes. Thus, no obvious link between gregarious behaviour and the palaeoenvironmental setting can be inferred from the sauropod track record of the Iberian Peninsula. Nonetheless, sauropod trackways showing titanosauriform characters (Brontopoduslike) are more common in coastal environments, contrary to what might be expected given this group's apparent taxonomic preference for inland environments.Keywords: Sauropod trackways, palaeoecology, gregarious behaviour, Jurassic, Cretaceous, Iberian Peninsula Resumen El registro Ibérico (España y Portugal) de icnitas de saurópodos está representado por más de cien yacimientos cuya edad varía desde el Jurásico Medio (Batoniense) al Cretácico Superior (Maastrichtiense). El estudio de la orientación de los rastros, en un área determinada como la Península Ibérica y en diferentes edades, nos ha permitido obtener nuevos datos sobre el comportamiento de los saurópodos. Los rastros de los yacimientos estudiados presentan dos patrones de movimiento distintos, direccionales y aleatorios, que reflejan distintos comportamientos en individuos gregarios o solitarios (deambulantes). El patrón que indica comportamiento gregario se observa en los icnotipos "Parabrontopodus/Breviparopus-like" y "Brontopodus-like" en saurópodos del mismo tamaño (pequeño o medio), lo que indica segregación por edad. El primer icnotipo se ha conservado en sedimentos depositados en ambientes terrestres mientras que el segundo lo hace fundamentalmente en ambientes costeros. Los rastros solitarios son, en su mayoría, de saurópodos de tamaño medio o grande, conservados tanto en medios terrestres ("Parabrontopodus/Breviparopus-like"), como costeros ("Parabrontopodus/Breviparopus-like" y "Brontopodus-like") y pertenecen a los dos icnotipos mencionados anteriormente y a un tercero: "Polyonyx...

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Section: Orientation Patterns Of the Iberian Sauropod Trackwaysmentioning

confidence: 99%

Sauropod trackways of the Iberian Peninsula: palaeoetological and palaeoenvironmental implications

Castanera

Vila

Razzolini

et al. 2014

Journal of Iberian Geology

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“…The pace angulation is higher in the first part of the trackway, in the middle part decreases, and increases apparently at the end (varies between 85 ° and 105 °). According to Castanera et al (2012) these changes are consistent with a turning trackway.…”

Section: Trackway Ls7amentioning

confidence: 52%

“…In Spain, several trackways have been found in the Oncala Group of Berriasian in age (e.g., Casanovas et al 1992;1995a;1995b. 1995cMeijide et al, 2001;Pascual-Arribas et al, 2008;PascualArribas and Hernández-Medrano, 2010;Castanera et al, 2012). None of them have subrectangular footprints or digits I and II impression forwardly directed.…”

Section: Trackway Ls7cmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…In short trackways, it is difficult to know whether the studied part is straight, or corresponds to a turning trackway of variable amplitude. This is important because changes in direction produce different values in the step length, the rotation of manus and pes for quadrupeds, or trackway gauge (Casanovas et al 1997;Calvo and Mazzetta 2004;González Riga and Calvo 2009;Ishigaky and Matsumoto, 2009;Castanera et al, 2012) that could be misinterpreted (e.g., limping gaits, different trackmakers). For example, Ishigaki and Matsumoto (2009) studied a long sauropod trackway with some variable values related to changes in direction.…”

Section: Palaeoecologymentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Pascual-Arribas et al, 2008;Castanera et al, 2012). Marginal areas of shallow carbonate-precipitating lacustrine or palustrine environments have been proposed as propitious places for the formation of ichnological sites (Scrivner and Bottjer, 1986).…”

Section: Trackway Ls7cmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Unusual sauropod tracks in the Jurassic-Cretaceous transition. Cameros Basin (Burgos, Spain)

Fernández-Baldor¹,

Díaz-Martínez

Contreras³

et al. 2015

Journal of Iberian Geology

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The Las Sereas site includes at least 14 ichnological outcrops along 5.6 km, in the Lara area, southwest Burgos Province. 67 ichnites of dinosaurs are documented at Las Sereas 7, identified as theropod and sauropod trackways occurring in shallow carbonates of lacustrine environment. Sauropod trackways have intermediate-gauge and low heteropody, and show different anatomical features to other tracks found in the ichnological record, especially in the disposition and orientation of pes digits. They are similar to Polyonyx from the Middle Jurassic of Portugal. However, since they do not preserve reliable manus data they are classified as aff. Polyonyx. The three sauropod trackways are related to the same kind of trackmaker. They differ from each other only in size, and gregarious behavior has not been detected. Analysis of these trackways reveals changes in travel direction even when there are few tracks in each sequence. At the Las Sereas 7 tracksite, the pace length (PL), width of the angulation pattern (WAP) and the WAP/PL ratio and depth analysis via photogrammetry show a direction change in two sauropod trackways. This tracksite and that at La Pedraja are unique in the Tithonian-Berriasian interval of the Iberian Peninsula that occur in a lacustrine environment, and could be indicate of the relationship between the diversity of Iberian, Tithonian-Berriasian sauropod tracks and sedimentary environments.Keywords: Dinosaurs, Sauropod tracks, Tithonian, Berriasian, Cameros Basin, Iberia Resumen El yacimiento de Las Sereas se compone de al menos 14 afloramientos icníticos que se localizan a lo largo de 5,6 Km de longitud en la comarca de Lara, en el sureste de la provincia de Burgos. En el afloramiento de Las Sereas 7 se han documentado 67 icnitas de dinosaurios, identificadas como terópodas y saurópodas, producidas en un ambiente lacustre carbonatado somero. Las rastros saurópodos son de anchura intermedia y heteropodia baja mostrando caracteres anatómicos diferentes a los encontrados en el registro icnológico conocido, en especial en lo referente a la disposición y orientación de los dedos del pie. La mayor semejanza de estas icnitas saurópodas se establece con Polyonyx del Jurásico Medio de Portugal, pero al carecer de datos fiables sobre la anatomía de las manos en Las Sereas, clasificamos estas icnitas de Burgos como aff. Polyonyx. Los tres rastros saurópodos de Burgos se atribuyen a un mismo icnopoyeta, diferenciándose entre sí sólo por el tamaño, y sin que se haya detectado un comportamiento gregario. En el estudio de estos rastros pueden recogerse datos que informen sobre trayectos con cambio de dirección, incluso cuando lo que se conserva es una serie relativamente corta de pasos. En Las Sereas 7 la combinación de los valores de varios parámetros -longitud de paso (PL), pauta de anchura de angulación (WAP) y relación WAP/PL -y el estudio de la profundidad de las icnitas por fotogrametría permiten interpretar un cambio de dirección en dos de los rastros saurópodos. Este yacimiento y el de La Pedraja...

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The Mesozoic Vertebrate Radiation in Terrestrial Settings

Bernardi

Petti

Piñuela

et al. 2016

Topics in Geobiology

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Ethological variations in gauge in sauropod trackways from the Berriasian of Spain

Cited by 42 publications

References 26 publications

Sauropod trackways of the Iberian Peninsula: palaeoetological and palaeoenvironmental implications

Sauropod trackways of the Iberian Peninsula: palaeoetological and palaeoenvironmental implications

Unusual sauropod tracks in the Jurassic-Cretaceous transition. Cameros Basin (Burgos, Spain)

The Mesozoic Vertebrate Radiation in Terrestrial Settings

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