New Dinosaur Tracks from the Upper Cretaceous of Xiakou Village (Nanzhang County) and Jiuxian Town (Yuan’an County), Hubei Province, China
Year: 2026
Type: article
Abstract: This study fills a knowledge gap in the distribution of the Upper Cretaceous dinosaur tracks in central China by examining two newly discovered tracksites near Xiakou village (Nanzhang County) and Jiuxian town (Yuan’an County), Hubei Province. Eleven Isolated tracks were analyzed to identify the ichnofauna assemblage. Morphometric analysis indicates the presence of tridactyl and rounded morphologies. The tridactyl tracks are consistent with a small-sized theropod and ornithischian ichnofauna, whereas the rounded shape remains ichnotaxonomically indeterminate. These tracks are the first reported dinosaur ichnite from central China at this age. Despite limited preservation, this research highlights how extromorphological factors influence track morphology, a key issue in ichnological studies. Overall, it contributes new data on the presence of dinosaur ichnofauna in China during the late Mesozoic.
Source: Geosciences
Authors: Noura Lkebir, Xiongwei Zeng, Long Cheng, Zhijun Niu
Institutions: China Geological Survey, China University of Geosciences
Language: English
Subfield: Paleontology
Field: Earth and Planetary Sciences
Domain: Physical Sciences
Open Access status: gold
Estimated APC paid: $2,172
OpenAlex ID: W7155048788