CRETACEOUS TETRAPOD FOOTPRINT BIOSTRATIGRAPHY, BIOCHRONOLOGY, AND ICHNOFACIES

The global record of Cretaceous tetrapod footprints is dominated by the tracks of non-avian dinosaurs and birds; fewer tracks are known of pterosaurs, crocodylians, turtles, mammals, and other tetrapods. The Cretaceous track record is best known from East Asia (especially China and Korea) and western North America. A moderately extensive record is also known from South America (primarily Argentina and Brazil), but Cretaceous track assemblages from Europe, Africa, and Australia are much more poorly known. Here, we re-examine two global footprint biochrons based on the Cretaceous tetrapod footprint record. An Early Cretaceous biochron is characterized by sauropod and ornithopod tracks. A Late Cretaceous biochron has fewer sauropod tracks but adds the tracks of hadrosaurs, tyrannosaurids, and