Reconstructing Late Jurassic Theropod Diversity in Chile Through Dinosaur Tracks
- 演化之聲
- 3 days ago
- 4 min read
Non-avian dinosaur fossils have been discovered on nearly every continent. In Chile, several different groups of dinosaurs have been identified from fossil remains. However, compared to skeletal fossils, dinosaur track fossils are far more abundant in Chile, and these tracks have greatly expanded the dinosaur record of the country.
At present, most dinosaur track fossils in Chile have been discovered in northern Chile and range in age from the Late Jurassic to the Early Cretaceous. In a 2025 study, researchers described track fossils from an Oxfordian-aged formation of the Late Jurassic in northern Chile for the first time and confirmed the presence of theropod dinosaurs ranging from gigantic to very small body sizes in the region.
The track-bearing deposits were formed in a distal alluvial fan under semi-arid conditions, with strongly seasonal river systems. Because the sediments mainly consisted of cohesive mud, they were favorable for preserving footprints. Based on their stratigraphic position, the track-bearing layers were divided into five levels, designated Maj1, Maj2, Maj3, Maj4, and Maj5.
When describing dinosaur tracks, researchers measure data such as footprint length, width, and toe length, as well as trackway parameters including pace length (the distance between consecutive left and right footprints) and stride length (the distance between successive footprints of the same foot). The following sections introduce the trackways and isolated footprints described in the study in stratigraphic order.
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