Taxons
Ceratopsipes
Ceratopsipes goldenensis Lockley & Hunt, 1995 - ceratopsian dinosaur trackway in the Cretaceous of Colorado, USA.
Ceratopsians are the "horned dinosaurs". They were large, quadrupedal, herbivorous dinosaurs having a beaked skull and a frill - an extension of bone behind the skull that partially covered the neck. Ceratopsian dinosaurs are known from the Jurassic and Cretaceous. The last members of the group died out at the Cretaceous-Tertiary boundary, 65 million years ago.
Seen here is a ceratopsian dinosaur trackway. Ceratopsian footprints are very rare. The best examples are in Colorado's Laramie Formation, a nonmarine, coastal plain to deltaic succession of mostly mixed siliciclastic sedimentary rocks - sandstones, siltstones, claystones, and coals. The footprints here consist of convex bulges on the basal surfaces of structurally-tilted sandstone beds.
The ichnospecies Ceratopsipes goldenensis was named based on footprints at this locality. The trackmaker was very likely Triceratops, the # 1 most famous ceratopsian dinosaur.
From on-site signage:
Triceratops Tracks
Several tracks of Triceratops, or a closely related horned dinosaur were first discovered in this area and named Ceratopsipes goldenensis (meaning tracks of a horned dinosaur from Golden). By happy coincidence, the first Triceratops known to science also comes from the greater Denver area near 13th Avenue and Federal Blvd. Growing to a length of almost 25 feet, Triceratops and other members of the horned dinosaur family were herbivorous animals that roamed in herds. Their trademark horns and frills that covered their necks probably served for defense. A replica Triceratops skull is on display in the clubhouse at the Fossil Trace Golf Club.
These tracks (identified by small signs) help us understand that Triceratops walked with a narrow gait and erect front limbs than with a wide, sprawling gait as previously depicted. In 1887, the first Triceratops bones known to science were also discovered locally at a site near 13th Avenue and Federal Boulevard in Denver.
Nearby one may see many other traces of life such as burrows, probably made by invertebrates and impressions of plant debris. Note that you are looking at all tracks and traces from the underside - in negative aspect - what one might call a worm’s eye view. All of these trace fossils indicate that the Golden area once had a warm, temperate to subtropical climate.
Classification: Animalia, Chordata, Vertebrata, Reptilia, Archosauria, Dinosauria, Ornithischia, Marginocephalia, Ceratopsia, Ceratopsidae
Stratigraphy: Laramie Formation, Maastrichtian Stage, upper Upper Cretaceous
Locality: outcrop along Triceratops Trail, Parfet Prehistoric Preserve, southern side of the town of Golden, Colorado, USA (~vicinity of 39° 44' 35.24" North latitude, 105° 13’ 09.69" West longitude)
Some info. from:
Lockley & Hunt (1995) - Ceratopsid tracks and associated ichnofauna from the Laramie Formation (Upper Cretaceous: Maastrichtian) of Colorado. Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology 15: 592-614.
![Diagram featuring the holotype (BNMNH-PV030) skull of the troodontid Papiliovenator neimengguensis, from the Bayan Mandahu Formation. Abbreviations: a, angular; d, dentary; f, frontal; j, jugal; l, lacrimal; m, maxilla; n, nasal; p, parietal; q, quadrate; s, surangular; sp, splenial.[1]
References
↑ (2022). "A new troodontid from the Upper Cretaceous Gobi Basin of inner Mongolia, China". Cretaceous Research 130: Article 105052. DOI:10.1016/j.cretres.2021.105052.](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/8/8e/Papiliovenator_skull.png/330px-Papiliovenator_skull.png)
![Reconstruction of the terrestrial paleoenvironmental setting of the Sao Khua Formation by Renata Cunha.
In the center, a generalized spinosaurid feeds on a sauropod. This trophic relationship is hypothesized based on isolated tooth crowns found in association with a sauropod skeleton [67]. In the background, a small pack of the ornithomimosaur theropod Kinnareemimus. Both sauropods and ornithomimosaurs (as part of the “herbivorous” theropods) were found to be positively associated with terrestrial paleoenvironments by Butler and Barrett [15].
(cropped from File:Spinosaurid and Kinnareemimus.PNG)](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/6/62/Kinnareemimus_pack.png/330px-Kinnareemimus_pack.png)
![Skeletal diagram featuring the optimal remains of the holotype of Graciliceratops mongoliensis: ZPAL MgD-I/156.[1] Found in the Bayan Shireh Formation, in the original description the remains were referred to the genus Microceratops (now obsolete).[2] However, Sereno in 2000 noted that there was no base for this referral, then, he created a new genus and species for this specimen.[1] The holotype is very fragmented (specially the skull), consisting of:[2]
Fragmented skull; 4 cervical, 12 dorsal and 7 sacral vertebrae; right scapula; proximal end of left scapula; left coracoid; right humerus, radius and fragmentary ulna; proximal and distal end of left humerus; proximal fragments of both pubis; fragments of both illium and fragment of right ischium; right femur, tibia and nearly complete pes; distal part of left tibia, fragmentary left pes; tarsals and isolated ribs.[2]
The sacral vertebrae are not fused, an indicator of the immaturity of this specimen; the estimated adult size is about 2 meters long or similar to Protoceratops.[2][1] Right quadratojugal, quadrate and fragmentary jugal were reversed in order to get an optimal view.](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/6/6a/Graciliceratops_Skeleton_Reconstruction.jpg/330px-Graciliceratops_Skeleton_Reconstruction.jpg)
