Lower Cretaceous sauropod, theropod, and ornithopod track assemblages from Yunnan Province, China
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Ben Creisler
Jul 15, 2026, 1:45:09 AM (2 days ago) Jul 15
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Ben Creisler
A new paper:
A diverse dinosaur track assemblage from the Lower Cretaceous Matoushan Formation (Aptian–Albian) of the Lufeng Basin, southwestern China, is documented from the Huashiban tracksite, the only confirmed Early Cretaceous dinosaur track locality in Yunnan. Based on our detailed ichnological assessment, the Huashiban track assemblage includes tracks referable to the sauropod ichnogenus Brontopodus, the theropod ichnogenus Iberosauripus, and the ornithopod ichnogenera Caririchnium and Iguanodontipus. These tracks were likely produced by titanosaurian sauropods, tyrannosaurid or carcharodontosaurid theropods, and basal ankylopollexian iguanodontians. Sedimentological analysis indicates deposition in a lakeshore to shallow-lacustrine setting. Track and trackway orientations are strongly clustered NNW–SSE and parallel the reconstructed paleoshoreline, implying that the trackmaker moved along lake margins. Low estimated locomotion speeds, frequent overprinting, and the scarcity of parallel trackways are consistent with resident activity within a stable habitat. The theropod-to-herbivorous track ratio (1:9) reflects a herbivore-dominated community, comparable to other Early Cretaceous ichnofaunas in East Asia. The coexistence of sauropod and ornithopod tracks at the Huashiban tracksite, together with similar assemblages from Shandong, Gansu, and Sichuan provinces in China and the Korea Peninsula, supports a broadly unified Early Cretaceous East Asian dinosaur fauna. The occurrence of Caririchnium in southwestern China further suggests that non-hadrosauriform iguanodontians may have dispersed into East Asia via both northern and southwestern corridors during the Late Jurassic–Early Cretaceous transition, although this hypothesis requires further testing with additional body-fossil discoveries and improved geochronological constraints.
Huan Xu, Tingyuan Yuan, Zhichun Wu, Tao Wang, Junping Wang, Xiong Mo, Hailu You & Xing Xu (2026)
Lower Cretaceous sauropod, theropod, and ornithopod dinosaur track assemblages from Yunnan Province, southwestern China: ichnotaxonomy and paleoecology
Cretaceous Research: 106456
doi: 10.1016/j.cretres.2026.106456
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S019566712600145X
Highlights
Huashiban is Yunnan’s only confirmed Early Cretaceous dinosaur tracksite.
Four ichnotaxa recognized: Brontopodus, Iberosauripus, Iguanodontipus, Caririchnium.
Tracks formed in a lakeshore–shallow lacustrine setting with lake-level changes.
Ichnofauna supports a broadly unified Early Cretaceous East Asian dinosaur fauna.
A southwestern route is suggested for iguanodontian dispersal into East Asia.
Abstract
Lower Cretaceous sauropod, theropod, and ornithopod dinosaur track assemblages from Yunnan Province, southwestern China: ichnotaxonomy and paleoecology
Cretaceous Research: 106456
doi: 10.1016/j.cretres.2026.106456
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S019566712600145X
Highlights
Huashiban is Yunnan’s only confirmed Early Cretaceous dinosaur tracksite.
Four ichnotaxa recognized: Brontopodus, Iberosauripus, Iguanodontipus, Caririchnium.
Tracks formed in a lakeshore–shallow lacustrine setting with lake-level changes.
Ichnofauna supports a broadly unified Early Cretaceous East Asian dinosaur fauna.
A southwestern route is suggested for iguanodontian dispersal into East Asia.
Abstract
A diverse dinosaur track assemblage from the Lower Cretaceous Matoushan Formation (Aptian–Albian) of the Lufeng Basin, southwestern China, is documented from the Huashiban tracksite, the only confirmed Early Cretaceous dinosaur track locality in Yunnan. Based on our detailed ichnological assessment, the Huashiban track assemblage includes tracks referable to the sauropod ichnogenus Brontopodus, the theropod ichnogenus Iberosauripus, and the ornithopod ichnogenera Caririchnium and Iguanodontipus. These tracks were likely produced by titanosaurian sauropods, tyrannosaurid or carcharodontosaurid theropods, and basal ankylopollexian iguanodontians. Sedimentological analysis indicates deposition in a lakeshore to shallow-lacustrine setting. Track and trackway orientations are strongly clustered NNW–SSE and parallel the reconstructed paleoshoreline, implying that the trackmaker moved along lake margins. Low estimated locomotion speeds, frequent overprinting, and the scarcity of parallel trackways are consistent with resident activity within a stable habitat. The theropod-to-herbivorous track ratio (1:9) reflects a herbivore-dominated community, comparable to other Early Cretaceous ichnofaunas in East Asia. The coexistence of sauropod and ornithopod tracks at the Huashiban tracksite, together with similar assemblages from Shandong, Gansu, and Sichuan provinces in China and the Korea Peninsula, supports a broadly unified Early Cretaceous East Asian dinosaur fauna. The occurrence of Caririchnium in southwestern China further suggests that non-hadrosauriform iguanodontians may have dispersed into East Asia via both northern and southwestern corridors during the Late Jurassic–Early Cretaceous transition, although this hypothesis requires further testing with additional body-fossil discoveries and improved geochronological constraints.
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