Cretaceous dinosaur tracks in Brenton Formation of South Africa (free pdf)
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Ben Creisler
Jan 29, 2026, 4:13:16 PM (4 days ago) Jan 29
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Ben Creisler
A new paper:
Free pdf:
Charles W. Helm, Mark G. Dixon, Willo M. Stear & Fred Van Berkel (2026)
Cretaceous dinosaur tracks in the Brenton Formation, Western Cape
South African Journal of Science 122(1/2): Art. #22809.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.17159/sajs.2026/22809
https://sajs.co.za/article/view/22809
Dinosaur tracks, probably aged ~132 Ma, have been identified in South Africa’s Western Cape Province, where they occur within the Brenton Formation of the Cretaceous Uitenhage Group. At least one dinosaur bone has previously been identified from the Brenton Formation. Tracks are evident both in profile in low cliff exposures and as pedestalled surface tracks or penetrative undertracks on a mudstone/siltstone surface that is ephemerally exposed within an intertidal zone. The trackmaker assemblage is interpreted to include theropods, possibly ornithopods and possibly sauropods. These form the probable youngest reported dinosaur tracks in southern Africa, the second record of dinosaur tracks from the southern African Cretaceous, and the second record from the Western Cape Province. The first dinosaur tracks to be identified in the Western Cape Province were recently reported from Robberg Formation deposits (also from the Uitenhage Group) aged ~140 Ma.
Significance:
Cretaceous dinosaur tracks have been identified in the Brenton Formation.
These form the second report of dinosaur tracks in the Western Cape Province of South Africa
At an estimated 132 million years old, these tracks would be the youngest dinosaur tracks thus far identified in southern Africa.
The tracks are evident in profile view in cliffs and in plan view.
Tracks of theropods, possible ornithopods and possible sauropods have been identified.
A search for dinosaur tracks in other suitable formations of similar age in the Western Cape is indicated.
Charles W. Helm, Mark G. Dixon, Willo M. Stear & Fred Van Berkel (2026)
Cretaceous dinosaur tracks in the Brenton Formation, Western Cape
South African Journal of Science 122(1/2): Art. #22809.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.17159/sajs.2026/22809
https://sajs.co.za/article/view/22809
Dinosaur tracks, probably aged ~132 Ma, have been identified in South Africa’s Western Cape Province, where they occur within the Brenton Formation of the Cretaceous Uitenhage Group. At least one dinosaur bone has previously been identified from the Brenton Formation. Tracks are evident both in profile in low cliff exposures and as pedestalled surface tracks or penetrative undertracks on a mudstone/siltstone surface that is ephemerally exposed within an intertidal zone. The trackmaker assemblage is interpreted to include theropods, possibly ornithopods and possibly sauropods. These form the probable youngest reported dinosaur tracks in southern Africa, the second record of dinosaur tracks from the southern African Cretaceous, and the second record from the Western Cape Province. The first dinosaur tracks to be identified in the Western Cape Province were recently reported from Robberg Formation deposits (also from the Uitenhage Group) aged ~140 Ma.
Significance:
Cretaceous dinosaur tracks have been identified in the Brenton Formation.
These form the second report of dinosaur tracks in the Western Cape Province of South Africa
At an estimated 132 million years old, these tracks would be the youngest dinosaur tracks thus far identified in southern Africa.
The tracks are evident in profile view in cliffs and in plan view.
Tracks of theropods, possible ornithopods and possible sauropods have been identified.
A search for dinosaur tracks in other suitable formations of similar age in the Western Cape is indicated.
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