New Dinosaur Tracks in the Triassic, Jurassic, and Cretaceous of Poland

Recent ichnological investigations across the Triassic, Jurassic, and Cretaceous strata of Poland have yielded significant new dinosaur track discoveries. These finds, spanning various geological periods and locations, provide critical insights into Mesozoic paleogeography and suggest potential evolutionary trends such as island dwarfism among Late Jurassic theropods and ornithopods.

Introduction

Historically, reports of dinosaur tracks from the Upper Triassic of Poland have been scarce, predominantly limited to Rhaetian fluvial-lacustrine deposits in the Tatra Mountains and more recently in Silesia. While Jurassic footprints are well-documented in the Holy Cross Mountains—particularly within Hettangian strata—Upper Jurassic records have remained relatively underrepresented. Field investigations conducted in 2006 and 2007 aimed to address these gaps, resulting in the discovery of new sites across the Holy Cross Mountains and the Roztocze region.

Skarszyny Site (Upper Triassic)

Located in the Norian deposits of the Holy Cross Mountains, the Skarszyny site has produced tracks preserved as natural casts within coarse-clastic sediments. The material includes both small and large tetradactyl footprints. A small specimen (8.5 cm long, 8 cm wide, Muz. PIG 1712.II.1) is morphologically consistent with Evazoum. In contrast, a larger specimen (40 cm long, 30 cm wide) corresponds to Pseudotetrasauropus, located at coordinates N 50º52.080’ and E 21º20.414’.

Smilow Quarry (Lower Jurassic)

The Pliensbachian Drzewica Formation at the Śmiłów quarry represents a siliciclastic foreshore environment. New ichnological material from this site includes medium-sized theropod footprints (approximately 20 cm long and 14 cm wide), falling within the size range of Anchisauripus or Grallator. This theropod trackway is situated at GPS N 51º13.676‘ and E 20º54.940‘. Additionally, a nearby sauropod trackway exhibiting a Parabrontopodus pattern was identified, with pedal prints measuring approximately 43 cm in length and 32 cm in width (N 51º13.679’ and E 20º54.942‘).

Jewish Gully (Upper Jurassic)

In Bałtów, the Oxfordian Bałtów Coral Limestones within the “Jewish Gully” have yielded a distinct ichnofauna. Discoveries include a small theropod footprint (17.7 cm long, 12.8 cm wide) displaying features characteristic of Jialingpus, as well as two larger theropod footprints resembling Therangospodus. These are associated with two short trackways of small ornithopods resembling Dinehichnus.

Mlynarka Mount (Upper Cretaceous)

The Maastrichtian strata of the Roztocze region, specifically at the Szopowe quarry on Młynarka Mount, have revealed tracks imprinted in arenaceous limestone. Notable finds include:

• A trackway of a didactyl maniraptoran resembling Velociraptorichnus (16 cm long), located at N 50º30.789’ and E 23º03.784’. Calculations based on the trackway suggest a high speed of approximately 50 km/h.
• An unusual bird-like ichnite similar to Saurexallopus.
• A large, functionally tetradactyl footprint (35 cm long, 20.5 cm wide) that fits the description of Macropodosaurus, possibly indicating a therizinosauroid trackmaker.

Discussion and Paleogeographical Implications

The Late Jurassic ichnofauna from the Holy Cross Mountains exhibits a notable trend toward small body size, suggesting a potential dwarfism trend. This may have been driven by the arid climatic conditions prevalent on the limited landmasses of the Polish archipelagos during the Oxfordian.

Furthermore, the Late Cretaceous tracks from the Roztocze Hills present a paleogeographical dilemma. The presence of taxa like Velociraptorichnus and Macropodosaurus supports either a direct faunal connection with Asia or, more likely, a high-latitude North Atlantic dispersal route between North America and Europe during the latest Cretaceous. This discovery underscores the importance of the European archipelago in understanding dinosaur migration and evolution during the Maastrichtian.

Scientific Citation:
Gierliński, G. D. (2007): New dinosaur tracks in the Triassic, Jurassic and Cretaceous of Poland. In: IV Jornadas Internacionales sobre Paleontología de Dinosaurios y su Entorno. Libro de Resúmenes: 29-32.

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1. Detailed views of Evazoum sp. (Muz. PIG 1712.II.1) and Pseudotetrasauropus sp. tracks from the Norian sediments at Skarszyny.