New Dinosaur Papers in Ichnos

[Andrew RC Milner <andrew@hanmansfossils.com>]

For those interested ....

Getty, P. R., 2005.  Excavated and _In Situ_ Dinosaur Footprints from the 
Murray Quarry (Early Jurassic East Berlin Formation), Holyoke, 
Massachusetts, USA.  Ichnos 12(3):163-178.

Abstract: The Murray Quarry was operated during the 1920s and 1930s in 
sediments of the Early Jurassic East Berlin Formation. I examined 149 
footprints of bipedal dinosaurs on three excavated slabs from the Murray 
Quarry and the in situ track bed. The three slabs I examined are on display 
at Forest Park, Springfield, MA; the Wistariahurst Museum in Holyoke, MA; 
and Mount Holyoke College in South Hadley, MA. The footprints belong to 
three ichnogenera, _Eubrontes_, _Anchisauripus_, and _Grallator_; however, 
evidence such as length parameters suggests that these ichnogenera might be 
synonymous. Most of the footprints are referable to _Eubrontes_ and 
_Anchisauripus_, which are large- and medium-sized ichnotaxa, respectively. 
Only two footprints are referable to _Grallator_, a small ichnotaxon. These 
ichnotaxa are thought to have been made by theropods, suggesting that there 
is a preservation bias in favor of carnivores, or that theropods dominated 
the fauna. The variable morphology of the footprints suggests that they were 
made over a period of time during which the substrate desiccated. Major 
results included a high percentage of trotting dinosaurs based on trackway 
evidence, 43% of the total number of trackways. Additionally, two trackways 
show evidence for running. There are no preferred trackway orientations.


Matsukawa, M., Shibata, K., Kukihara, R., Koarai, K., and Lockley, M. G., 
2005.  Review of Japanese Dinosaur Track Localities: Implications for 
Ichnotaxonomy, Paleogeography and Stratigraphic Correlation.  Ichnos 
12(3):201-222

Abstract: Nine dinosaur ichnospecies from the Lower Jurassic to Upper 
Cretaceous of Japan, including two that are new, are described herein. The 
new ichnotaxa are _Asianopodus pulvinicalx_ ichnogen. et ichnosp. nov. and 
_Schizograllator otariensis_ ichnosp. nov. The Japanese ichnotaxa are allied 
to Lower Jurassic ichnospecies in South China, North America, Western Europe 
and South Africa, and Upper Jurassic to Lower Cretaceous ichnospecies from 
Southeast and East Asia. This suggests they were part of a global ichnofauna 
before continental drift began in the Middle Jurassic, leading to the 
development of a more endemic dinosaur fauna in the Cretaceous. At least two 
assemblages, an ornithopod-gracile-toed theropod-dominated community, in 
northeastern Asia, and a robust theropod- and sauropod-dominated community 
in the southern part of the continent, existed in the Cretaceous. This 
parallels North American dinosaur distribution patterns in the Cretaceous 
and seems to be a reflection of paleolatitudinal controls.


Ellenberger, P., Mossman, D. J., Mossman, A. D., and Lockley, M. G., 2005. 
Bushmen Cave Paintings of Ornithopod Dinosaurs: Paleolithic Trackers 
Interpret Early Jurassic Footprints.  Ichnos 12(3):223-226.

Abstract: Remnants of Bushmen cave paintings showing representations of 
dinosaurs evidently reconstructed from footprints, trackways and skeletal 
remains have been found in Lesotho. This is a region of prolific dinosaur 
trackways preserved in Lower Jurassic sedimentary rocks, and the Bushman 
culture is renowned for extraordinary skill in the tracking of modern 
animals. It is probable that the track and trackmaker representations depict 
ornithopod dinosaurs. The track drawings are accurate, and the trackmaker 
representations show that Bushman artists anticipated modern reconstructions 
of bipedal dinosaurs and produced depictions that are more realistic than 
many paleontological reconstructions that endured until quite recently.

Cheers,

Andrew R. C. Milner
City Paleontologist
St. George Dinosaur Discovery Site at Johnson Farm
2180 East Riverside Drive
St. George, Utah 84790
USA

http://www.dinotrax.com

Tracksite Phone: (435) 574-3466
Cell: (435) 705-0173
Tracksite Fax: (435) 627-0340
Home Phone: (435) 477-9467
Email: amilner@sgcity.org
or andrew@hanmansfossils.com

"There is no branch of detective science which is so important and so much
neglected as the art of tracing footsteps" -- Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, 1891