Re: Hypsilophodontid toes & tracks

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

dinotracker wrote:
> 
>     Congratulations to Dan Pigdon!
> 
> That (http://www.alphalink.com.au/~dannj/larkqury.htm)
> certainly appears to be a hypsie track closely resembling those from the
> Early Cretaceous of Maryland! (The pedal digits may be a bit less pointed
> here, but that could be an effect of substrate condition and of dynamics of
> the trackmaker, etc.)  In the Lark Quarry example, the back of the foot just
> didn't impress the substrate as far back, probably due to running.  Yes,
> that little toe should be digit I.
> 
>     The seemingly artificial darkening of digits II,III, and IV  (but not
> digit I) of the
> track as shown on the website was perceptually misleading, because it's
> clearly 'four on the floor'.

That's because I just put the cast on the scanner, so the light isn't
coming from just one angle. As I said, this method just doesn't do
justice to the true shape of the print (for instance, in the image it is
hard to tell whether it is an imprint or a raised shape).

On a related note, the Gaia 15 paper by Thulborn is about the first
Triassic evidence for dinosaurs in Australia, in the form of "Grallator"
and "Eubrontes" type prints. If only the bones were as widespread and
well preserved as the tracks down here...

http://www.mnhn.ul.pt/Gaia%2015%20papers/Gaia%20(15T-P301-311)-THULBORN.pdf

-- 
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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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