Genus
Ichnogenus Formal taxon Extinct

Deltapodus

Whyte and Romano 1995

Deltapodus is an ichnogenus of stegosaurian dinosaur footprint. Three ichnospecies have been described in the genus: Deltapodus brodricki from England and the United States, Deltapodus ibericus from Spain and Portugal, and Deltapodus curriei from China. Other tracks referable to the genus but not assignable to a species are also known.

Temporal range
Triassic
Jurassic
Cretaceous
Paleogene
Neogene
252 201 145 66 0 Ma
PBDB occurrences
35
Group
Dinosaures
Herbivore Ground dwelling, gregarious Terrestrial
Deltapodus
click to enlarge
Morphological variation in the Deltapodus ibericus holotype trackway from the CT-1 tracksite. (a) False-color depth maps and interpretative outline drawings of a selection of manus–pes sets within the trackway. Note the variation in manus (from crescent, kidney to semicircular shapes) and pes (reversed delta, semirectangular, and oval shapes) tracks depending on the manus–pes set. Note also that some manus are overprinted by the pes. (b) Mediotype of the pes impressions based on 4 specimens with a mean footprint length of 0.48 m. Note that the morphology of the posterior part of the print is slightly biased (more quadrangular) because this area in track 1CA17p is broken. (c) Mediotype of the manus impressions based on 2 specimens with a mean footprint width of 0.37 m. (d–f) Pictures of a selection of the best-preserved tracks (manus–pes set 1CA23, pes 1CA17p and manus 1CA3m). The false color depth maps were generated with the software CloudCompare (https://www.cloudcompare.org/) and the mediotypes with the software DigTrace (https://www.digtrace.co.uk/). © D. Castanera, L. Mampel & A. Cobos · CC BY 4.0 · Wikimedia
PBDB ↗ Wikipedia ↗
Classification
Dinosauria Unranked clade
›
Ornithischia Unranked clade
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Parapredentata Unranked clade
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Saphornithischia Unranked clade
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Prionodontia Unranked clade
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Genasauria Unranked clade
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Thyreophora Unranked clade
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Thyreophoroidea Superfamily
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Eurypoda Unranked clade
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Stegosauria Unranked clade
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Deltapodus Genus
Fossil sites 35 geolocated sites
Distribution
Top countries
🇪🇸 Spain
18
🇵🇹 Portugal
6
🇬🇧 United Kingdom
4
🇨🇳 China
4
🇫🇷 France
1
🇺🇸 United States
1
🇮🇳 India
1
Geological formations
Villar del Arzobispo
9
Lourinhã
6
Artoles
3
Saltwick
2
Hutubihe
2
Camarillas
2
Yanan
1
Dongdaqiao
1
Lealt Shale
1
Scalby
1
Temporal distribution
Maastrichtian (72.2–66 Ma)
1
Barremian (125.77–121.4 Ma)
6
Hauterivian (132.6–125.77 Ma)
1
Berriasian (143.1–137.05 Ma)
4
Tithonian (149.2–143.1 Ma)
11
Kimmeridgian (154.8–149.2 Ma)
6
Bathonian (168.2–165.3 Ma)
4
Aalenian (174.7–170.9 Ma)
2
Species (3)
Deltapodus brodricki 175 Ma
Deltapodus curriei 143 Ma
Deltapodus ibericus 155 Ma
Images 1
Bibliography
Original description
M. A. Whyte and M. Romano. 1995. Probable sauropod footprints from the Middle Jurassic of Yorkshire, England. Aspects of Sauropod Paleobiology. GAIA 10:15-26
Bibliography (20)
D. Castanera, L. Mampel, and A. Cobos. 2024. The complexity of tracking stegosaurs and their gregarious behavior. Scientific Reports 14(1):14833:1-16 DOI ↗
L. Xing, H. Klein, and M. G. Lockley, H. Li, B. Tong, Y. Ye, H. Dai, C. Chunyong, D. Wang, A. Romilio, W. S. Persons. 2023. New records of dinosaur tracks in eastern Tibet and a review of Middle Jurassic dinosaur faunas from the eastern Tethys, southwest China. Historical Biology DOI ↗
L. Xing, M. G. Lockley, and C. Jia, H. Klein, K. Niu, L. Zhang, C. Chou, A. Romilio, D. Wang, Y. Zhang, W. S. Persons, M. Wang. 2021. Lower Cretaceous avian-dominated, theropod, thyreophoran, pterosaur and turtle track assemblages from the Tugulu Group, Xinjiang, China: ichnotaxonomy and palaeoecology. PeerJ 9:e11476:1-73 DOI ↗
P. E. dePolo, S. L. Brusatte, and T. J. Challands, D. Foffa, M. Wilkinson, N. D. L. Clark, J. Hoad, P. V. L. G. d. C. Pereira, D. A. Ross, T. J. Wade. 2020. Novel track morphotypes from new tracksites indicate increased Middle Jurassic dinosaur diversity on the Isle of Skye, Scotland. PLOS ONE 15(3):e0229640:1-50 DOI ↗
L. Rozada, R. Allain, and R. Vullo, J. Goedert, D. Augier, A. Jean, J. Marchal, C. Peyre de Fabrègues, M. Qvarnström, R. Royo-Torres. 2020. A Lower Cretaceous Lagerstätte from France: a taphonomic overview of the Angeac‐Charente vertebrate assemblage. Lethaia 54:141-165 DOI ↗
P. M. Galton and K. Ayyasami. 2017. Purported latest bone of a plated dinosaur (Ornithischia: Stegosauria), a "dermal plate" from the Maastrichtian (Upper Cretaceous) of southern India. Neues Jahrbuch für Geologie und Paläontologie Abhandlungen 285(1):91-96 DOI ↗
J. Herrero Gascón and F. Pérez-Lorente. 2017. Hoof-like unguals, skin, and foot movements deduced from Deltapodus casts of the Galve Basin (Upper Jurassic–Lower Cretaceous, Teruel, Spain). Ichnos 24(1):146-161 DOI ↗
J. Milàn, L. M. Chiappe, and D. B. Loope, J. I. Kirkland, M. G. Lockley. 2015. First report on dinosaur tracks from the Burro Canyon Formation, San Juan County, Utah, USA – evidence of a diverse, hitherto unknown Lower Cretaceous dinosaur fauna. Annales Societatis Geologorum Poloniae 85:515-525 DOI ↗
C. Pascual-Arribas and N. Hernández-Medrano. 2015. Nuevas huellas de estegosáuridos en el Titoniense-Berriasiense de la Cuenca de Cameros (Formación Magaña) [New tracks of stegosaurids in the Tithonian-Berriasian of the Cameros Basin (Magaña Formation)]. Revista de la Sociedad Geológica de España 28(2):15-27
L. Xing, M. G. Lockley, and Y. Tang, H. Klein, J. Zhang, W. S. Persons, H. Dai, Y. Ye. 2015. Theropod and ornithischian footprints from the Middle Jurassic Yanan Formation of Zizhou County, Shaanxi, China. Ichnos 22(1):1-11 DOI ↗
J. Herrero Gascón and F. Pérez-Lorente. 2013. Icnitas terópodas, saurópodas y tireóforas (Jurásico Superior-Cretácico Inferior) en Moscardón (Teruel, España) [Theropod, sauropod and thyreophoran footprints (Late Jurassic-Early Cretaceous) found in Moscardón (Teruel, Spain)]. Geogaceta 54:67-70
L. Xing, M. G. Lockley, and R. T. McCrea, G. D. Gierlinski, L. G. Buckley, J. Zhang, L. Qi, C. Jia. 2013. First record of Deltapodus tracks from the Early Cretaceous of China. Cretaceous Research 42(1):55-65 DOI ↗
L. Alcalá, A. Cobos, and E. Espilez, F. Gascó, L. Mampel, C. Martín Escorza, R. Royo-Torres. 2012. Icnitas de dinosaurios en la Formación Villar del Arzobispo de Ababuj (Teruel, España) [Dinosaur footprints from the Villar del Arzobispo Formation in Ababuj (Teruel, Spain)]. Geogaceta 51:35-38
C. Pascual, J. I. Canudo, and N. Hernández, J. L. Barco, D. Castanera. 2012. First record of stegosaur dinosaur tracks in the Lower Cretaceous (Berriasian) of Europe (Oncala group, Soria, Spain). Geodiversitas 34(2):297-312 DOI ↗
O. Mateus, J. Milàn, and M. Romano, M. A. Whyte. 2011. New finds of stegosaur tracks from the Upper Jurassic Lourinhã Formation, Portugal. Acta Palaeontologica Polonica 56(3):651-658 DOI ↗
A. Cobos, R. Royo-Torres, and L. Alcalá, L. Mampel. 2010. An Iberian stegosaurs paradise: The Villar del Arzobispo Formation (Tithonian–Berriasian) in Teruel (Spain). Palaeogeography, Palaeoclimatology, Palaeoecology 293(1-2):223-236 DOI ↗
O. Mateus and J. Milàn. 2010. A diverse Upper Jurassic dinosaur ichnofauna from central-west Portugal. Lethaia 43:245-257 DOI ↗
L. Piñuela, J. C. García-Ramos, and J. I. Ruiz-Omeñaca. 2007. El yacimiento de icnitas de dinosaurios de Tereñes (Ribadesella, Asturias) [The dinosaur track locality of Tereñes (Ribadesella, Asturias)]. XXIII Jornadas de la Sociedad Española de Paleontología. Libro de Resúmenes
M. Romano and M. A. Whyte. 2003. Jurassic dinosaur tracks and trackways of the Cleveland Basin, Yorkshire: preservation, diversity and distribution. Proceedings of the Yorkshire Geological Society 54(3):185-215 DOI ↗
M. A. Whyte and M. Romano. 1995. Probable sauropod footprints from the Middle Jurassic of Yorkshire, England. Aspects of Sauropod Paleobiology. GAIA 10:15-26