Crocodile tail traces and dinosaur footprints. Bathonian?- Callovian. Imilchil. High Central Atlas. Morocco

Abstract

Three types of ichnites from a new site discovered in Imilchil were studied and described. The structures of pes and manus prints and tail traces of tetrapods provide data to separate: real ichnites (theropod footprints and crocodile tail drag marks); and sauropod’ subtraces. Most of the theropod footprints are deformed by collapse of their walls, the sauropod subtraces show the strong deformation of about ten well-stratified sedimentary levels. The surface on which we can see theropod and crocodile ichnites is the tracking surface, i. e. the original surface on which they were printed.

Keywords

• tail drag
• footprints
• crocodiles
• dinosaurs
• Imilchil megatracksite
• Morocco