RT Journal Article
T1 Fast-running theropods tracks from the Early Cretaceous of La Rioja, Spain
A1 Navarro Lorbés, Pablo
A1 Ruiz Pérez, Javier
A1 Díaz Martínez, Ignacio
A1 Isasmendi, Erik
A1 Sáez Benito, Patxi
A1 Viera, Luis
A1 Pereda Suberbiola, Xabier
A1 Torices Hernández, Angélica
AB Theropod behaviour and biodynamics are intriguing questions that paleontology has been trying to resolve for a long time. The lack of extant groups with similar bipedalism has made it hard to answer some of the questions on the matter, yet theoretical biomechanical models have shed some light on the question of how fast theropods could run and what kind of movement they showed. The study of dinosaur tracks can help answer some of these questions due to the very nature of tracks as a product of the interaction of these animals with the environment. Two trackways belonging to fast-running theropods from the Lower Cretaceous Enciso Group of Igea (La Rioja) are presented here and compared with other fast-running theropod trackways published to date. The Lower Cretaceous Iberian fossil record and some features present in these footprints and trackways suggest a basal tetanuran, probably a carcharodontosaurid or spinosaurid, as a plausible trackmaker. Speed analysis shows that these trackways, with speed ranges of 6.5–10.3 and 8.8–12.4 ms−1, testify to some of the top speeds ever calculated for theropod tracks, shedding light on the question of dinosaur biodynamics and how these animals moved.
PB Nature publishing group
SN 2045-2322
YR 2021
FD 2021
LK https://hdl.handle.net/20.500.14352/8623
UL https://hdl.handle.net/20.500.14352/8623
LA eng
NO Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovación (MICINN)/FEDER
NO Universidad de La Rioja
NO Gobierno Vasco
NO Gobierno de La Rioja
DS Docta Complutense
RD 6 abr 2025