Ornithopod dinosaur tracks from the Lower Jurassic of Queensland
1994; Taylor & Francis; Volume: 18; Issue: 3 Linguagem: Inglês
10.1080/03115519408619498
ISSN1752-0754
Autores Tópico(s)Evolution and Paleontology Studies
ResumoAbstract Natural casts of seven small footprints have been identified on a single weathered block derived from the Precipice Sandstone (Lower Jurassic) of the Carnarvon Gorge, southeastern Queensland. The footprints are attributed to ornithopod dinosaurs and are referred to the ichnogenus Anomoepus. They appear to be most similar to the ichnospecies Anomoepus gracillimus, originally defined on footprints from the Lower Jurassic of the northeastern United States. This identification is consistent with the presumed age of the Precipice Sandstone, since Anomoepus or closely related ichnotaxa are common in Lower Jurassic sediments of the United States, Europe and southern Africa but have never been identified with certainty in Triassic sediments. The tracks described here were made by at least four dinosaurs, all estimated to have been about 30 cm high at the hip and less than 1·3 m in total length. In their general appearance these animals probably resembled the small plant-eating dinosaur Fabrosaurus (Lesothosaurus), from the Lower Jurassic of southern Africa. Tracks of two animals provide estimates of walking speeds between 0·68 and 0·80 m/s (2·4 and 2·9 km/h). These footprints are the earliest evidence for the existence of ornithischian dinosaurs in Australia. Key words: Lower Jurassicdinosaur tracksOrnithischiaOrnithopodaichnogenus Anomoepus QueenslandAustralia
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