Manus track preservation bias as a key factor for assessing trackmaker identity and quadrupedalism in basal Ornithopods
Castanera, Diego (Universidad de Zaragoza. Grupo Aragosaurus-IUCA)
Vila Ginestí, Bernat (Institut Català de Paleontologia Miquel Crusafont)
Razzolini, Novella L. (Institut Català de Paleontologia Miquel Crusafont)
Falkingham, Peter L. (University of London. Royal Veterinary College (Hatfield, Regne Unit))
Canudo, José Ignacio (Universidad de Zaragoza. Grupo Aragosaurus-IUCA)
Manning, Phillip L. (University of Manchester. School of Earth, Atmospheric and Environmental Sciences)
Galobart, Àngel (Institut Català de Paleontologia Miquel Crusafont)

Fecha:	2013
Resumen:	Background: The Las Cerradicas site (Tithonian-Berriasian), Teruel, Spain, preserves at least seventeen dinosaur trackways, some of them formerly attributed to quadrupedal ornithopods, sauropods and theropods. The exposure of new track evidence allows a more detailed interpretation of the controversial tridactyl trackways as well as the modes of locomotion and taxonomic affinities of the trackmakers. - Methodology/Principal Findings: Detailed stratigraphic analysis reveals four different levels where footprints have been preserved in different modes. Within the tridactyl trackways, manus tracks are mainly present in a specific horizon relative to surface tracks. The presence of manus tracks is interpreted as evidence of an ornithopod trackmaker. Cross-sections produced from photogrammetric digital models show different depths of the pes and manus, suggesting covariance in loading between the forelimbs and the hindlimbs. - Conclusions/Significance: Several features (digital pads, length/width ratio, claw marks) of some ornithopod pes tracks from Las Cerradicas are reminiscent of theropod pedal morphology. This morphological convergence, combined with the shallow nature of the manus tracks, which reduces preservation potential, opens a new window into the interpretation of these tridactyl tracks. Thus, trackmaker assignations during the Jurassic-Cretaceous interval of purported theropod trackways may potentially represent ornithopods. Moreover, the Las Cerradicas trackways are further evidence for quadrupedalism among some basal small- to medium-sized ornithopods from this time interval.
Ayudas:	Ministerio de Educación, Cultura y Deporte AP2008-01340
Derechos:	Aquest document està subjecte a una llicència d'ús Creative Commons. Es permet la reproducció total o parcial, la distribució, la comunicació pública de l'obra i la creació d'obres derivades, fins i tot amb finalitats comercials, sempre i quan es reconegui l'autoria de l'obra original.
Lengua:	Anglès
Documento:	Article ; recerca ; Versió publicada
Publicado en:	PloS one, Vol. 8, Issue 1 (January 2013) , art. e54177, ISSN 1932-6203

DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0054177
PMID: 23349817

13 p, 13.2 MB

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