Stegopodus
Stegopodus was a new ichnogenus erected in 1998 for the second set of stegosaur tracks from the Morrison Formation.[3] The tracks were found near Arches National Park, also in Utah.[3] Unlike the first, this trackway preserved traces of the forefeet. Fossil remains indicate that stegosaurs have five digits on the forefeet and three weight-bearing digits on the hind feet.[3] From this, paleontologists were able to successfully predict the appearance of stegosaur tracks in 1990, six years in advance of the first actual discovery of Morrison stegosaur tracks.[3] Since the erection of Stegopodus, more trackways have been found, however none have preserved traces of the front feet, and stegosaur traces remain rare.[3]
Stegopodus | |
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Life restoration of Stegosaurus, the possible trackmaker of Stegopodus | |
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Genus: | †Stegopodus |
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†Stegopodus czerkasi Lockley, Hunt & Foster, 1998[2] | |
Footnotes
- http://fossilworks.org/?a=taxonInfo&taxon_no=294824
- http://fossilworks.org/?a=taxonInfo&taxon_no=294825
- "Walk and Don't Look Back: The Footprints; Stegosaurs" Foster (2007) pg. 238
References
- Foster, J. (2007). Jurassic West: The Dinosaurs of the Morrison Formation and Their World. Indiana University Press. 389pp.
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