Joanna L. Wright

New pterosaur tracks (Pteraichnidae) from the Late Cretaceous Uhangri Formation, southwestern Korea

Numerous footprints of dinosaurs, pterosaurs and birds, together with arthropod tracks, have been discovered in the upper Cretaceous Uhangri Formation which crops out along the south- western coastline of South Korea. This ichnofauna contains the first pterosaur tracks reported from Asia. The digitigrade tridactyl manus impressions exhibit features of a typical pterosaur hand print. The pes impressions, however, show features that are different from pterosaur footprints reported pre- viously: there is no visible trace of impressions of individual digits, and the toes are triangular or rounded in shape distally without distinct claw impressions. As these features clearly distinguish the Uhangri tracks from Pteraichnus and Purbeckopus, we assign them to a new genus, Haenamichnus which accommodates the new ichnospecies, Haenamichnus uhangriensis. The prints are five to six times larger than those of Pteraichnus, and are currently the largest pterosaur ichnites known. They show virtually no trace of the 5th phalange of the pes, indicating that they were made by pterodactyloids; moreover, features of the tracks suggest that they can be attributed to azhdarchids, the commonest pterosaur of the Late Cretaceous. The longest pterosaur trackway yet known from any track site (length 7.3 m) and consisting of 14 pairs of foot impressions, was also found in the Uhangri Formation and suggests that azhdarchids, at least, were competent terrestrial locomotors. The fossil track site at Uhangri represents the first occurrence of the tracks of pterosaurs, dinosaurs and web- footed birds all on the same level. This demonstrates that pterosaurs and birds visited the same habitat, but the large size disparity suggests that they occupied different ecological niches.

Some Observations on the Dinosaur Tracks at Münchehagen (Lower Cretaceous), Germany

Dinosaur tracks at the Dinosaurier-Freilichtmuseum Munchehagen are well-known and are the reason the site is designated part of the German National Monument system. Although both sauropod and ornithopod tracks have been described in some detail, additional observations are presented herein. These include observations on the gauge and heteropody of sauropods and evidence for quadrupedal progression by ornithopods. Theropod tracks are also recorded in the region at this time and have proven to be taxonomically controversial. Most of the in situ tracks on the “main” surface are those of sauropods preserved on a single large ripple-marked sandstone bedding plane. The sauropod tracks are nearly parallel but the trackmakers were evidently going in two different directions and therefore not travelling together. The presence of ornithopod tracks in close stratigraphic proximity to the main sauropod track layer, (and perhaps on the same layer) is interesting and raises questions about the close spatial and tempora...

Pterosaur swim tracks and other ichnological evidence of behaviour and ecology

Abstract New finds of pterosaur tracks (cf. Pteraichnus) from the Summerville and Sundance formations (Late Jurassic) of western North America associated with elongate scrape marks and small circular paired depressions indicate that pterosaurs could swim, or at least float in water, and that they may have fed on small animals living at the sediment surface in shallow water. In this respect their behaviour resembled certain seabirds. The ichnological evidence for pterosaur ‘swim’ and ‘feeding’ traces consists of scrape marks interpreted as traces left when the paddling limb of a pterosaur registered on the substrate, and small circular paired depressions as traces left when the beak of a pterosaur was probing for food. Such traces resulting from aquatic activity are consistent with the nearshore environments in which pterosaur bones and trackways have been found. There is growing evidence for an extensive and complex Pteraichnus ichnofacies in the Late Jurassic of western North America; over 80 specimens have been collected with many more remaining in the field. In particular we draw attention to the large quantitative data base that is available for morphometric, size-frequency studies and the potential for behavioural studies of individual locomotion and flocking. In addition the sites hold considerable promise for understanding what appears to be the world’s largest pterosaur ichnofacies in the context of ancient depositional environments and regional sequence stratigraphy.

A Paleontology Network Inquiry Consortium: Impact on Teacher Practice

The Paleontology Science Network Inquiry Consortium consists of a University School of Education and Geology Department and 20 regional schools districts. The pilot group of twenty secondary science teachers represented eighteen schools from these districts. The program was designed to meet the following program objectives. (a) Increased knowledge of science discipline, (b) Knowledge of inquiry-based pedagogy, (c) Skill development in teaching in a standards-based classroom, (d) Support for implementing science inquiries in classrooms. The program goal was to help experienced science teachers do inquiry-based science in their classroom. The pilot group were experienced, successful teachers, traditional in nature, have not done inquiry prior to the program but expressed interest in learning how to do successful inquiry. Four domains composed this research agenda. (a) The teacher beliefs about inquiry and their belief about their ability to implement in classroom, (b) The teachers knowledge base for implementing inquiry, (c) The teacher inquiry/research experience, (d) The students science learning from teacher-designed, inquiry–based instruction, including conceptual knowledge, reasoning, and the nature of science. The project objective was to investigate the teachers attitudes about their readiness to implement an inquiry and to determine whether they actually were able to implement a meaningful student inquiry.

Reading About Dinosaurs – An Annotated Bibliography of Books

During the last decade, there has been a steady increase in the publication of books about dinosaurs, written by both experts and writers outside the field of paleontology. Such a growing and accessible literature is of great use to paleontology students, dinosaur enthusiasts, teachers, and the general public. Dinosaur books also provide an important resource for writers of popular science articles and children’s literature. An annotated bibliography of dinosaur books is, therefore, a useful resource allowing prospective readers some insight into the content, scope, and quality of available literature. It will also help professionals and enthusiasts with existing libraries to identify titles they may be missing. Any attempt at reviewing or summarizing literature in a particular field is subjective to some degree. For this reason, we have attempted to focus on a description of the content and scope of the books rather than indulge in undue opinion on the quality of writing or work. Our annotations are brief, and they are not book reviews. We have also indicated whether the authors) or contributors are professional paleontologists – also referred to as experts or authorities. We have ventured some subjective opinion about the best books and drawn attention to books that fall into particular categories. We have not included children’s books in the list, owing to their vast numbers and limited scientific content. Similarly, we have not included paleontology books that outline the entire fossil or vertebrate record and confine discussion of dinosaurs to specific chapters or sections. Even so, the list of available “dinosaur books,” as we define them, is quite substantial and growing steadily. The reader with a comprehensive collection can easily amass a collection with more than 100 titles.