Re: Hypsilophodontid toes & tracks

[Dann Pigdon <dannj@alphalink.com.au>]

dinotracker wrote:

> 
>     Yes, Dann, (at least some) 'Hypsies' had 'four on the floor'.  And when
> they came to a stop, they had five 'on the floor', up front.  They were
> remarkable and very successful little animals!
> 

Thanks. It just raises one question though: What animals made all of
those three-toed ornithopod footprints found around Australia? I don't
recall seeing any with a fourth toe impression. Could perhaps Australian
hypsies (if they were the track makers) have reduced their first toes,
unlike their relatives from other parts of the world? Now there's a
radical thought - that something unusual happened to Australian faunae!

Or could most of the Oz tracks be running impressions? Would the first
toe be in full contact with the ground in a fast run? The Lark Quarry
tracks seem to show only the tips of the toes, and judging by the depth
of the "heel" marks they seem to have been propelling themselves
forward. Or are most of the tracks actually undertracks, with shallower
first-toe impressions now gone?

The only articulated hypsie foot I know of from Oz is the partial
articulated skeleton from Dinosaur Cove (with the osteomyelitic leg). I
can't tell from photos exactly how the foot looked (although it looks
well preserved). Anyone with first-hand experience with the beastie in
question?

-- 
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Dann Pigdon                   Australian Dinosaurs:
GIS / Archaeologist         http://www.geocities.com/dannsdinosaurs
Melbourne, Australia        http://www.alphalink.com.au/~dannj/
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