New reports of dinosaur tracksites in the Tuchengzi Formation in the newly established Yanqing Global Geopark, Beijing, China, support previous inferences that the track assemblages from this formation are saurischian-dominated. More specifically, the assemblages appear theropod-dominated, with the majority of well-preserved tracks conforming to the Grallator type (sensus lato), thus representing relatively small trackmakers. Such ichnofaunas supplement the skeletal record from this unit that lacks theropods thus far, proving a larger diversity of dinosaur faunas in that region. Sauropods are represented by medium to large sized and narrow and wide-gauge groups, respectively. The latter correspond with earlier discoveries of titanosauriform skeletons in the same unit. Previous records of ornithischian tracks cannot be positively confirmed. Purported occurrences are re-evaluated here, the trackways and imprints, except of a single possible specimen, re-assigned to theropods. Palecologically the Tuchengzi ichnofauna is characteristic of semi-arid fluvio-lacustrine inland basins with Upper Jurassic-Lower Cretaceous deposits in northern China that all show assemblages with abundant theropod and sauropod tracks and minor components of ornithopod, pterosaur and bird tracks.
School of the Earth Sciences and Resources, China University of Geosciences, Beijing 100083, China;School of the Earth Sciences and Resources, China University of Geosciences, Beijing 100083, China;Dinosaur Trackers Research Group, University of Colorado Denver, PO Box 173364, Denver, CO 80217, United States of America;Peace Region Palaeontology Research Centre, Box 1540, Tumbler Ridge, British Columbia V0C 2W0, Canada;Saurierwelt Paläontologisches Museum, Alte Richt 7, D-92318 Neumarkt, Germany;Fundación Conjunto Paleontológico de Teruel–Dinópolis, Teruel, Aragón E-44002, Spain;Peace Region Palaeontology Research Centre, Box 1540, Tumbler Ridge, British Columbia V0C 2W0, Canada;Department of Biological Sciences, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta T6G 2E9, Canada;Institute of Evolutionary Biology, University Witten/Herdecke, Stockumerstr. 10–12, 58454 Witten, Germany;School of the Earth Sciences and Resources, China University of Geosciences, Beijing 100083, China
Recommended Citation:
Lida Xing,Jianping Zhang,Martin G. Lockley,et al. Hints of the Early Jehol Biota: Important Dinosaur Footprint Assemblages from the Jurassic-Cretaceous Boundary Tuchengzi Formation in Beijing, China[J]. PLOS ONE,2015-01-01,10(4)