Tropy wielkich teropodów z osadów górnego pliensbachu Gór Świętokrzyskich

Abstract

Gigantic theropod dinosaur footprints from the upper Pliensbachian of the Holy Cross Mountains, Poland.A b s t r a c t . New gigantic theropod dinosaur footprints were discovered in the upper Pliensbachian deposits of the Holy Cross Mountains (Poland). This discovery provides new ichnological evidence for the global occurrence of gigantic predatory dinosaurs in the earliest Jurassic time. Interestingly, this is the third find of gigantic theropod ichnites in the Lower Jurassic of Poland. The first record of gigantic tracks from this area came from the well-known lower Hettangian tracksite in Sołtyków. New finds from the Szydłówek quarry were discovered in siliciclastic strata, which are interpreted as nearshore, shoreface and marginal marine. Hitherto, five isolated specimens of gigantic theropod footprints (40–60 cm long) were found in this tracksite. Another large theropod footprints (30–40 cm) identified at Szyd³ówek, resemble classic theropod ichnotaxa of the Newark Supergroup (i.e., Eubrontes). Intriguing gigantic theropod ichnites from the Holy Cross Mountains are more similar to large prints left byMiddle and Late Jurassic theropods than to those from the Early Jurassic. These footprints seem even larger because of their large metatarsophalangeal area. Relatively large metatarsophalangeal area is often observed in the large theropod footprints from the post-Liassic strata. New paleoichnological finds from Poland suggest rapid increase of predatory dinosaur body size in Early Jurassic time.