Re: dino tracks near Syracuse?

["Rob Gay" <rob@dinodomain.com>]

>All we can really say is that teh maker of the ichnofossils were
gregarious, but really, we cant even say that can we.  We cant say that what
appears to be five trackways made by four legged animals are such, because,
wel, what if they were made by something we dotn know
 about yet.  What if what looks like two sets of a four legged animal was
actualyl made by a single eight legged animal.  I obviously dont think this
is likely at all, but its the same logic; we cant say anything about it
because we dotn know anything about it, except that there is something that
looks like a footprint.We cant even say its a footprint then can we, we can
only say it looks like one.  f it has the characteristics we expect a foot
print to have, then why is it immpossible to rule outthat there are other
 characteristics that would allow us to further refine the classification?<
We may not be able to assign _Grallator_ to any specific theropod genus
(indeed, it probably does not corespond to any one genus.), but we can infer
that it is theropod based on features of the foot skeleton preserved in the
trackway (sharp claws, ratios). Same goes for sauropods. Not to many other
animals have U-shaped mani. For further information, I'd see Paul Olsen's
publication (which you can order for free from his webpage), determining the
"family" level relationships of ichnotaxa. I don't have the website or the
ref handy at the moment, but I'm sure HP Irmis does, among other people
(come on Randy, you know you love me).
Peace,
Rob

Student of Geology
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