Abstract

An increasing number of reports of Mesozoic vertebrate tracks in the western United States has resulted in a preliminary database recording approximately 300 tracksites. Synthesis of the available data reveals that tracks are consistently more abundant than body fossils in the majority of formations leading to the fundamental question - “is the track record more complete and more representative than the body-fossil record?” Comparisons of the track record with the body-fossil record also suggest that ichnofaunas often sample ancient animal communities that are poorly represented or unknown from the skeletal record.

The strong correlation between ichnofaunas and sedimentary facies, and the potential of some ichnofaunas for biostratigraphic correlation, clearly indicates that the time has come for serious study of vertebrate ichnofacies and their utility in paleoecology and palichnostratigraphy.