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Grallator

Grallator ["GRA-luh-tor"] is an ichnogenus (form taxon based on footprints) which covers a common type of small, three-toed print made by a variety of bipedal theropod dinosaurs. Grallator-type footprints have been found in formations dating from the Early Triassic through to the early Cretaceous periods. They are found in the United States, Canada, Europe, Australia, Brazil (Sousa and Santa Maria Formations) and China,[1] but are most abundant on the east coast of North America, especially the Triassic and Early Jurassic formations of the northern part of the Newark Supergroup.[2][3] The name Grallator translates into "stilt walker", although the actual length and form of the trackmaking legs varied by species, usually unidentified. The related term "Grallae" is an ancient name for the presumed group of long-legged wading birds, such as storks and herons. These footprints were given this name by their discoverer, Edward Hitchcock, in 1858.[2]

Grallator
Temporal range: Early Triassic-Early Cretaceous
~250–100 Ma
Typical footprint form
Trace fossil classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Clade: Dinosauria
Clade: Saurischia
Clade: Theropoda
Ichnofamily: Grallatoridae
Ichnogenus: Grallator
Hitchcock, 1858
Type ichnospecies
Grallator cursorius
Hitchcock, 1858
Ichnospecies

Many, see text

Synonyms
  • Hunanpus

Grallator footprints are characteristically three-toed (tridactyl) and range from 10 to 20 centimeters (or 4 to 8 inches) long. Though the tracks show only three toes, the trackmakers likely had between four and five toes on their feet. While it is usually impossible to match these prints with the exact dinosaur species that left them, it is sometimes possible to narrow down potential trackmakers by comparing the proportions in individual Grallator ichnospecies with known dinosaurs of the same formation. For example, Grallator tracks identified from the Yixian Formation may have been left by Caudipteryx.[3]

Species edit

 
Grallator toscanus from Monte Pisano (Italy)

Source:[4]

  • Subgenus G. (Coelurosaurichnus)
    • G. (C.) palmipes
      • G. (C.) p. exiguus (Ellenberger, 1970)
  • Subgenus G. (Grallator)
    • G. (G.) zvierzi Gierlinski, 1991
  • G. andeolensis Gand, Vianey-Liaud, Demathieu, & Garric, 2000
  • G. angustidigitus (Ellenberger, 1970)
  • G. angustus (Ellenberger, 1974)
    • G. a. cursor Ellenberger, 1974
  • G. cursorius Hitchcock, 1858 (ichnotype)
  • G. cuneatus Hitchcock, 1858
  • G. damanei Ellenberger, 1970
  • G. deambulator (Ellenberger, 1970)
  • G. digitigradus (Ellenberger, 1974)
  • G. emeiensis Zhen, Li, Han & Yang, 1995
  • G. formosus Hitchcock, 1858
  • G. gracilis Hitchcock, 1865
  • G. graciosus (Ellenberger, 1970)
  • G. grancier (Courel & Demathieu, 2000)
  • G. ingens (Ellenberger, 1970)
  • G. jiuquwanensis (Zeng, 1982) =Hunanpus
  • G. kehli (Beurlen, 1950)
  • G. kronbergeri (Rehnelt, 1959)
  • G. lacunensis (Ellenberger, 1970)
  • G. leribeensis (Ellenberger, 1970)
  • G. limnosus Zhen, Li, & Rao, 1985
  • G. madseni Irby, 1995
  • G. magnificus (Ellenberger, 1970)
  • G. matsiengensis Ellenberger, 1970
  • G. maximus Lapparent & Monetnat, 1967
  • G. minimus (Ellenberger, 1970)
  • G. minor (Ellenberger, 1970)
  • G. moeni (Beurlen, 1950)
  • G. mokanametsongensis (Ellenberger, 1974)
  • G. molapoi Ellenberger, 1974
  • G. morijiensis (Ellenberger, 1970)
  • G. moshoeshoei (Ellenberger, 1970)
  • G. olonensis Lapparent & Monetnat, 1967
  • G. palissyi (Gand, 1976)
  • G. paulstris (Ellenberger, 1970)
  • G. perriauxi (Demathieu & Gand, 1972)
  • G. princeps (Ellenberger, 1970)
  • G. protocrassidigitus (Ellenberger, 1970)
  • G. rapidus (Ellenberger, 1974)
  • G. romanovskyi (Gabunia & Kurbatov)
  • G. quthingensis (Ellenberger, 1974)
  • G. rectilineus (Ellenberger, 1970)
  • G. sabinensis (Gand & Pellier, 1976)
  • G. sassendorfensis (Kuhn, 1958)
  • G. sauclierensis Demathieu & Sciau, 1992
  • G. schlauersbachensis (Weiss, 1934)
  • G. socialis (Ellenberger, 1970)
  • G. ssatoi Yabe, Inai, & Shikama, 1940
  • G. tenuis Hitchcock, 1858
  • G. toscanus (Huene, 1941)
  • G. variabilis Lapparent & Monetnat, 1967

Paleopathology edit

Fossil tracks can be informative about theropod pathologies but apparently pathological traits may be due to unusual behaviors. Sandstone stratum dating to the Norian in southern Wales preserves tracks of an individual with a deformed digit III attributed to the ichnogenus Anchisauripus. The distal end of the digit was consistently flexed. However, this apparent pathology could be caused by the animal rotating the tip of that digit when lifting the foot.[5]

Occurrences edit

Grallator-type footprints have been found in formations dating from the Early Triassic through to the early Cretaceous periods. They are found in the United States, Canada, Europe, Australia, Brazil (Sousa and Santa Maria Formations) and China,[1] but are most abundant on the east coast of North America, especially the Triassic and Early Jurassic formations of the northern part of the Newark Supergroup.[2][3]

Newark Supergroup tracks edit

 
Negative footprint of G. cuneatus showing skin impressions

The most famous, and archetypal tracks that conform to the Grallator type are those found on the East Coast of North America, specifically from the Late Triassic to Early Jurassic Newark Supergroup. These footprints were likely made by an unidentified, primitive dinosaur similar to Coelophysis.[2] The Newark Supergroup footprints show digits II, III and IV, but no trace of the shorter digits I and V which would likely have been present in a dinosaur of this stage. The outer two digits would have been stubby and ineffective, not touching the ground during walking or running.[2] Despite losing most of their effectiveness, dinosaur evolution had not yet removed these digits to fully streamline the foot. This is known because rare specimens are found with traces of these outer digits. Digits II, III and IV have 3, 4 and 5 phalanges respectively, giving Grallator a ?-3-4-5-? digital formula.

Although the Newark Supergroup Grallator tracks were made by a bipedal saurischian dinosaur, they can easily be mistaken for those of the late Triassic ichnogenus Atreipus.[6] The trackmaker of Atreipus prints was a quadrupedal ornithischian. The reason for this similarity is a lack of divergence in the foot evolution of the two distinct groups of dinosaurs: ornithischians and saurischians.

 
Eubrontes (= Grallator) in the Lower Jurassic Moenave Formation at the St. George Dinosaur Discovery Site at Johnson Farm, southwestern Utah.

Wales edit

In January 2021, while walking with her father Richard Wilder, a four-year-old girl called Lily Wilder found a 215- to 220-million year-old dinosaur footprint at Bendricks Bay in the Vale of Glamorgan, Wales.[7][8][9]

Experts believe that the footprint was most likely left by a dinosaur (grallator) that stood about 75 centimeters (29.5 inches) tall and 2.5 meters (about 8 feet) long and walked on its two hind feet.[10][11]

The scientists called the girl's discovery "the finest impression of a 215 million-year-old dinosaur print found in Britain in a decade".[7] Karl-James Langford of Archaeology Cymru considered the find to be "internationally important".[7][12] Cindy Howells, a palaeontologist at Amgueddfa Cymru – National Museum Wales, described it as "one of the best-preserved examples from anywhere in the UK" and said that it "will really aid palaeontologists to get a better idea about how these early dinosaurs walked".[9]

See also edit

References edit

  1. ^ a b Grallator at Fossilworks.org
  2. ^ a b c d e Weishampel, D. B. & L. Young. 1996. Dinosaurs of the East Coast. The Johns Hopkins University Press
  3. ^ a b c Xing Li-da, Harris, J. D., Feng Xiang-yang, and Zhang Zhi-jun. (2009). "Theropod (Dinosauria: Saurischia) tracks from Lower Cretaceous Yixian Formation at Sihetun Village, Liaoning Province, China and possible track makers." Geological Bulletin of China, 28(6): 705–712.
  4. ^ "Paleofile". Retrieved 5 April 2011.
  5. ^ Molnar, R. E., 2001, Theropod paleopathology: a literature survey: In: Mesozoic Vertebrate Life, edited by Tanke, D. H., and Carpenter, K., Indiana University Press, p. 337-363.
  6. ^ Safran, J. and Rainforth, E. C. (2004). "Distinguishing the tridactyl dinosaurian ichnogenus Atreipus and Grallator: where are the latest Triassic Ornithischia in the Newark Supergroup?" 7 March 2016 at the Wayback Machine Abstracts with Programs, Geological Society of America, 36(2): 96.
  7. ^ a b c "Paleontologists stunned by a perfectly preserved dinosaur footprint discovered by a 4-year-old girl". Business Insider. Retrieved 1 February 2021.
  8. ^ Wakefield, Owen; Shaw, Amelia (30 January 2021). "Girl, 4 finds 215 million-year-old dinosaur footprint along the Welsh coast". North Wales Live. Retrieved 1 February 2021.
  9. ^ a b "Britain's biggest turn-offs named". The Week UK. Retrieved 1 February 2021.
  10. ^ "Lily's Dinosaur: 4yo girl discovers 220 million year old dinosaur footprint". The Science Insight. February 2021. Retrieved 1 February 2021.
  11. ^ Papenfuss, Mary (30 January 2021). "Girl Discovers 220-Million-Year-Old Dinosaur Footprint On Beach Walk With Dad". HuffPost. Retrieved 1 February 2021.
  12. ^ Wakefield, Owen (29 January 2021). "Perfect 215-million-year-old dinosaur print found by girl, 4, on beach". WalesOnline. Retrieved 1 February 2021.

Further reading edit

  • Calvo, Jorge Orlando; Rivera, Cynthia (2018). "Huellas de dinosaurios en la costa oeste del embalse Ezequiel Ramos Mexía y alrededores (Cretácico Superior, Provincia de Neuquén, República Argentina)". Boletín de la Sociedad Geológica Mexicana. 70 (2): 449 ‒ 497. doi:10.18268/BSGM2018v70n2a11.

grallator, ichnogenus, form, taxon, based, footprints, which, covers, common, type, small, three, toed, print, made, variety, bipedal, theropod, dinosaurs, type, footprints, have, been, found, formations, dating, from, early, triassic, through, early, cretaceo. Grallator GRA luh tor is an ichnogenus form taxon based on footprints which covers a common type of small three toed print made by a variety of bipedal theropod dinosaurs Grallator type footprints have been found in formations dating from the Early Triassic through to the early Cretaceous periods They are found in the United States Canada Europe Australia Brazil Sousa and Santa Maria Formations and China 1 but are most abundant on the east coast of North America especially the Triassic and Early Jurassic formations of the northern part of the Newark Supergroup 2 3 The name Grallator translates into stilt walker although the actual length and form of the trackmaking legs varied by species usually unidentified The related term Grallae is an ancient name for the presumed group of long legged wading birds such as storks and herons These footprints were given this name by their discoverer Edward Hitchcock in 1858 2 GrallatorTemporal range Early Triassic Early Cretaceous 250 100 Ma PreꞒ Ꞓ O S D C P T J K Pg NTypical footprint formTrace fossil classificationDomain EukaryotaKingdom AnimaliaPhylum ChordataClade DinosauriaClade SaurischiaClade TheropodaIchnofamily GrallatoridaeIchnogenus GrallatorHitchcock 1858Type ichnospecies Grallator cursoriusHitchcock 1858IchnospeciesMany see textSynonymsHunanpusGrallator footprints are characteristically three toed tridactyl and range from 10 to 20 centimeters or 4 to 8 inches long Though the tracks show only three toes the trackmakers likely had between four and five toes on their feet While it is usually impossible to match these prints with the exact dinosaur species that left them it is sometimes possible to narrow down potential trackmakers by comparing the proportions in individual Grallator ichnospecies with known dinosaurs of the same formation For example Grallator tracks identified from the Yixian Formation may have been left by Caudipteryx 3 Contents 1 Species 2 Paleopathology 3 Occurrences 3 1 Newark Supergroup tracks 3 2 Wales 4 See also 5 References 6 Further readingSpecies edit nbsp Grallator toscanus from Monte Pisano Italy Source 4 Subgenus G Coelurosaurichnus G C palmipes G C p exiguus Ellenberger 1970 Subgenus G Grallator G G zvierzi Gierlinski 1991 G andeolensis Gand Vianey Liaud Demathieu amp Garric 2000 G angustidigitus Ellenberger 1970 G angustus Ellenberger 1974 G a cursor Ellenberger 1974 G cursorius Hitchcock 1858 ichnotype G cuneatus Hitchcock 1858 G damanei Ellenberger 1970 G deambulator Ellenberger 1970 G digitigradus Ellenberger 1974 G emeiensis Zhen Li Han amp Yang 1995 G formosus Hitchcock 1858 G gracilis Hitchcock 1865 G graciosus Ellenberger 1970 G grancier Courel amp Demathieu 2000 G ingens Ellenberger 1970 G jiuquwanensis Zeng 1982 Hunanpus G kehli Beurlen 1950 G kronbergeri Rehnelt 1959 G lacunensis Ellenberger 1970 G leribeensis Ellenberger 1970 G limnosus Zhen Li amp Rao 1985 G madseni Irby 1995 G magnificus Ellenberger 1970 G matsiengensis Ellenberger 1970 G maximus Lapparent amp Monetnat 1967 G minimus Ellenberger 1970 G minor Ellenberger 1970 G moeni Beurlen 1950 G mokanametsongensis Ellenberger 1974 G molapoi Ellenberger 1974 G morijiensis Ellenberger 1970 G moshoeshoei Ellenberger 1970 G olonensis Lapparent amp Monetnat 1967 G palissyi Gand 1976 G paulstris Ellenberger 1970 G perriauxi Demathieu amp Gand 1972 G princeps Ellenberger 1970 G protocrassidigitus Ellenberger 1970 G rapidus Ellenberger 1974 G romanovskyi Gabunia amp Kurbatov G quthingensis Ellenberger 1974 G rectilineus Ellenberger 1970 G sabinensis Gand amp Pellier 1976 G sassendorfensis Kuhn 1958 G sauclierensis Demathieu amp Sciau 1992 G schlauersbachensis Weiss 1934 G socialis Ellenberger 1970 G ssatoi Yabe Inai amp Shikama 1940 G tenuis Hitchcock 1858 G toscanus Huene 1941 G variabilis Lapparent amp Monetnat 1967Paleopathology editFossil tracks can be informative about theropod pathologies but apparently pathological traits may be due to unusual behaviors Sandstone stratum dating to the Norian in southern Wales preserves tracks of an individual with a deformed digit III attributed to the ichnogenus Anchisauripus The distal end of the digit was consistently flexed However this apparent pathology could be caused by the animal rotating the tip of that digit when lifting the foot 5 Occurrences editGrallator type footprints have been found in formations dating from the Early Triassic through to the early Cretaceous periods They are found in the United States Canada Europe Australia Brazil Sousa and Santa Maria Formations and China 1 but are most abundant on the east coast of North America especially the Triassic and Early Jurassic formations of the northern part of the Newark Supergroup 2 3 Newark Supergroup tracks edit nbsp Negative footprint of G cuneatus showing skin impressionsThe most famous and archetypal tracks that conform to the Grallator type are those found on the East Coast of North America specifically from the Late Triassic to Early Jurassic Newark Supergroup These footprints were likely made by an unidentified primitive dinosaur similar to Coelophysis 2 The Newark Supergroup footprints show digits II III and IV but no trace of the shorter digits I and V which would likely have been present in a dinosaur of this stage The outer two digits would have been stubby and ineffective not touching the ground during walking or running 2 Despite losing most of their effectiveness dinosaur evolution had not yet removed these digits to fully streamline the foot This is known because rare specimens are found with traces of these outer digits Digits II III and IV have 3 4 and 5 phalanges respectively giving Grallator a 3 4 5 digital formula Although the Newark Supergroup Grallator tracks were made by a bipedal saurischian dinosaur they can easily be mistaken for those of the late Triassic ichnogenus Atreipus 6 The trackmaker of Atreipus prints was a quadrupedal ornithischian The reason for this similarity is a lack of divergence in the foot evolution of the two distinct groups of dinosaurs ornithischians and saurischians nbsp Eubrontes Grallator in the Lower Jurassic Moenave Formation at the St George Dinosaur Discovery Site at Johnson Farm southwestern Utah Wales edit In January 2021 while walking with her father Richard Wilder a four year old girl called Lily Wilder found a 215 to 220 million year old dinosaur footprint at Bendricks Bay in the Vale of Glamorgan Wales 7 8 9 Experts believe that the footprint was most likely left by a dinosaur grallator that stood about 75 centimeters 29 5 inches tall and 2 5 meters about 8 feet long and walked on its two hind feet 10 11 The scientists called the girl s discovery the finest impression of a 215 million year old dinosaur print found in Britain in a decade 7 Karl James Langford of Archaeology Cymru considered the find to be internationally important 7 12 Cindy Howells a palaeontologist at Amgueddfa Cymru National Museum Wales described it as one of the best preserved examples from anywhere in the UK and said that it will really aid palaeontologists to get a better idea about how these early dinosaurs walked 9 See also edit nbsp Dinosaurs portal nbsp Paleontology portalList of dinosaur ichnogeneraReferences edit a b Grallator at Fossilworks org a b c d e Weishampel D B amp L Young 1996 Dinosaurs of the East Coast The Johns Hopkins University Press a b c Xing Li da Harris J D Feng Xiang yang and Zhang Zhi jun 2009 Theropod Dinosauria Saurischia tracks from Lower Cretaceous Yixian Formation at Sihetun Village Liaoning Province China and possible track makers Geological Bulletin of China 28 6 705 712 Paleofile Retrieved 5 April 2011 Molnar R E 2001 Theropod paleopathology a literature survey In Mesozoic Vertebrate Life edited by Tanke D H and Carpenter K Indiana University Press p 337 363 Safran J and Rainforth E C 2004 Distinguishing the tridactyl dinosaurian ichnogenus Atreipus and Grallator where are the latest Triassic Ornithischia in the Newark Supergroup Archived 7 March 2016 at the Wayback Machine Abstracts with Programs Geological Society of America 36 2 96 a b c Paleontologists stunned by a perfectly preserved dinosaur footprint discovered by a 4 year old girl Business Insider Retrieved 1 February 2021 Wakefield Owen Shaw Amelia 30 January 2021 Girl 4 finds 215 million year old dinosaur footprint along the Welsh coast North Wales Live Retrieved 1 February 2021 a b Britain s biggest turn offs named The Week UK Retrieved 1 February 2021 Lily s Dinosaur 4yo girl discovers 220 million year old dinosaur footprint The Science Insight February 2021 Retrieved 1 February 2021 Papenfuss Mary 30 January 2021 Girl Discovers 220 Million Year Old Dinosaur Footprint On Beach Walk With Dad HuffPost Retrieved 1 February 2021 Wakefield Owen 29 January 2021 Perfect 215 million year old dinosaur print found by girl 4 on beach WalesOnline Retrieved 1 February 2021 Further reading editCalvo Jorge Orlando Rivera Cynthia 2018 Huellas de dinosaurios en la costa oeste del embalse Ezequiel Ramos Mexia y alrededores Cretacico Superior Provincia de Neuquen Republica Argentina Boletin de la Sociedad Geologica Mexicana 70 2 449 497 doi 10 18268 BSGM2018v70n2a11 Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Grallator amp oldid 1206237036, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,

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