First deciphering of large pterosaur footprints and their trackmaker in the Junggar Basin, China

doi:10.1016/j.cretres.2024.106036

IVPP-IR

	First deciphering of large pterosaur footprints and their trackmaker in the Junggar Basin, China
	Li, Yang 1,2,3; Wang, Xiaolin2,4 ; Jiang, Shunxing 2; Song, Junyi 2,4
	2025-03-01
发表期刊	CRETACEOUS RESEARCH
ISSN	0195-6671
卷号	167 页码:10
通讯作者	Wang, Xiaolin(wangxiaolin@ivpp.ac.cn)
摘要	Pterosaur footprints are important trace fossils for understanding the ecological habits of pterosaurs, and they are extremely rare worldwide. Within the Lower Cretaceous of the Junggar Basin of Xinjiang, hundreds of large pterosaur footprints have been unearthed. These imprints underwent a meticulous examination encompassing their dimensions, length-to-width ratio, proportions of digital and metatarsal parts, and divarication between digits of the manus imprints. A new ichnospecies, Pteraichnus junggarensis isp. nov., has been proposed based on these detailed analyses. By comparing these footprints with the anatomical characteristics of local larger pterosaur pedal bone fossils, it is suggested that the large-sized P. junggarensis footprints were produced by Dsungaripterus weii. The successful correlation between pterosaur fossils and their footprints within the Wuerho Pterosaur Fauna marks a momentous stride in deducing trackmakers based on their footprints. Moreover, estimates of pterosaur pes length and hip height were, for the first time, derived from a comprehensive scrutiny of 54 non-pterodactyloid and pterodactyloid specimens. A salient discovery was the markedly reduced ratio of hip height to pes length in non-pterodactyloid pterosaurs in comparison to their pterodactyloid counterparts. By employing fitted linear equations grounded on footprint dimensions, it is posited that the hip height for Noripterus complicidens ranges from 0.10 to 0.20 m, while for D. weii, it ranges from 0.28 to 0.46 m. Additionally, based on the ratio of stride length to hip height in the trackways, it is inferred that the trackmakers exhibited a typical walking gait, with speeds of 0.33 and 0.25 m/s, respectively. (c) 2024 Elsevier Ltd. All rights are reserved, including those for text and data mining, AI training, and similar technologies.
关键词	Pteraichnus junggarensis Pterosaur footprints Trackmaker Locomotive behaviors Lower Cretaceous China
DOI	10.1016/j.cretres.2024.106036
关键词[WOS]	TRACKS ; XINJIANG ; DINOSAUR ; PROVINCE ; TURTLE ; SPEEDS ; BIRD ; AREA
收录类别	SCI
语种	英语
资助项目	University, China[BS202121] ; Fundamental Research Funds for the Liaoning Universities[LJ202410166 031] ; Fundamental Research Funds for the Liaoning Universities[LJ202410166028] ; UNESCO-IUGS IGCP Project[679]
项目资助者	University, China ; Fundamental Research Funds for the Liaoning Universities ; UNESCO-IUGS IGCP Project
WOS研究方向	Geology ; Paleontology
WOS类目	Geology ; Paleontology
WOS记录号	WOS:001363699800001
出版者	ACADEMIC PRESS LTD- ELSEVIER SCIENCE LTD
引用统计
文献类型	期刊论文
条目标识符	http://119.78.100.205/handle/311034/24128
专题	中国科学院古脊椎动物与古人类研究所
通讯作者	Wang, Xiaolin
作者单位	1.Shenyang Normal Univ, Coll Paleontol, Shenyang 110034, Peoples R China 2.Chinese Acad Sci, Inst Vertebrate Paleontol & Paleoanthropol, Key Lab Vertebrate Evolut & Human Origins, Beijing 100044, Peoples R China 3.Minist Nat Resources, Key Lab Evolut Life NE Asia, Shenyang 110034, Peoples R China 4.Univ Chinese Acad Sci, Coll Earth & Planetary Sci, Beijing 100049, Peoples R China
推荐引用方式 GB/T 7714	Li, Yang,Wang, Xiaolin,Jiang, Shunxing,et al. First deciphering of large pterosaur footprints and their trackmaker in the Junggar Basin, China[J]. CRETACEOUS RESEARCH,2025,167:10.
APA	Li, Yang,Wang, Xiaolin,Jiang, Shunxing,&Song, Junyi.(2025).First deciphering of large pterosaur footprints and their trackmaker in the Junggar Basin, China.CRETACEOUS RESEARCH,167,10.
MLA	Li, Yang,et al."First deciphering of large pterosaur footprints and their trackmaker in the Junggar Basin, China".CRETACEOUS RESEARCH 167(2025):10.