| 1. |
- Gierlinski, Gerard D., et al.
(author)
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Possible hominin footprints from the late Miocene (c. 5.7 Ma) of Crete?
- 2017
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In: Proceedings of the Geologists' Association. - : Elsevier BV. - 0016-7878. ; 128:5-6, s. 697-710
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- We describe late Miocene tetrapod footprints (tracks) from the Trachilos locality in western Crete (Greece), which show hominin-like characteristics. They occur in an emergent horizon within an otherwise marginal marine succession of Messinian age (latest Miocene), dated to approximately 5.7 Ma (million years), just prior to the Messinian Salinity Crisis. The tracks indicate that the trackmaker lacked claws, and was bipedal, plantigrade, pentadactyl and strongly entaxonic. The impression of the large and non-divergent first digit (hallux) has a narrow neck and bulbous asymmetrical distal pad. The lateral digit impressions become progressively smaller so that the digital region as a whole is strongly asymmetrical. A large, rounded ball impression is associated with the hallux. Morphometric analysis shows the footprints to have outlines that are distinct from modern non-hominin primates and resemble those of hominins. The interpretation of these footprints is potentially controversial. The print morphology suggests that the trackmaker was a basal member of the Glade Hominini, but as Crete is some distance outside the known geographical range of pre-Pleistocene hominins we must also entertain the possibility that they represent a hitherto unknown late Miocene primate that convergently evolved human-like foot anatomy.
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| 2. |
- Xing, Li-Da, et al.
(author)
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Asianopodus-type footprints from the Hekou Group of Honggu District, Lanzhou City, Gansu, China and the “heel” of large theropod tracks
- 2014
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In: Palaeoworld. - : Elsevier BV. - 1871-174X .- 1875-5887. ; 23:3-4, s. 304-313
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- An increasing number of dinosaur tracksites have been reported from the Cretaceous Hekou Group deposits of the Lanzhou-Minhe Basin in theGansu Province region. These include small sites such as the Huazhuang tracksite, from the Honggu District reported here, the Zhongpu tracksitewith multiple track levels but few well-preserved tracks, other small tracksites currently under investigation, and the large and diverse LiujixiaNational Dinosaur Geopark site at Yanguoxia, where intensive study is ongoing. Collectively these sites reveal that ichnofaunas in the HekouGroup are widespread and diverse. The Huazhuang tracksite yields a small assemblage of moderately well-preserved theropod tracks assigned toAsianopodus. This is the first report of Asianopodus from the Hekou Group. Huazhuang Asianopodus belongs to the Eubrontes morphotype. Thelarge theropod tracks from Lanzhou-Minhe Basin were left by large theropod trackmakers with the same general foot morphology. The specimensare described in detail and compared with other theropod track morphotypes from the Lower Cretaceous of China and elsewhere. In general,although the metatarsophalangeal pads of some Jurassic Eubrontes-type tracks are aligned with the axis of digit III, this feature appears mostcommon in the Early Cretaceous theropod (Eubrontes-type) tracks.
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