Genus
Ichnogenus Extinct

Anomoepus

Hitchcock 1848

Anomoepus is the name assigned to several fossil footprints first reported from Early Jurassic beds of the Connecticut River Valley, Massachusetts, US in 1802.

Temporal range
Triassic
Jurassic
Cretaceous
Paleogene
Neogene
252 201 145 66 0 Ma
PBDB occurrences
158
Group
Dinosaures
Herbivore Ground dwelling, gregarious Terrestrial
Anomoepus
click to enlarge
Moyeni dinosaur tracks. Photographs of plaster casts (positives) of Grallator track 6 (A) and Anomoepus track 8 (B) made at the Moyeni tracksite by the authors. Tracks are shown at the same scale (10 cm), and hatching pattern indicates broken surfaces. The Grallator hind foot print was made by pedal digits II–IV; the trackmaker's phalangeal formula was 3–4–5. Digits I and V did not contact the substrate. The rugose texture surrounding the print is the algal mat. The Anomoepus manus–pes couple registers all five manual digits (i–v), four pedal digits (I–IV), the metatarsus (mt), and toe drag marks (dm). Additional structures to the left of the pes are incidental marks made by a different trackmaker. © Jeffrey A. Wilson1*, Claudia A. Marsicano2, Roger M. H. Smith3 · CC BY 2.5 · Wikimedia
PBDB Wikipedia
Classification
Dinosauria Unranked clade
Ornithischia Unranked clade
Neornithischia Unranked clade
Pyrodontia Unranked clade
Cerapoda Unranked clade
Ornithopoda Suborder
Moyenisauropodidae Family
Anomoepus Genus
Fossil sites 158 geolocated sites
Distribution
Top countries
🇺🇸 United States
98
🇱🇸 Lesotho
19
🇵🇱 Poland
12
🇨🇳 China
12
🇵🇹 Portugal
5
🇨🇦 Canada
4
🇮🇹 Italy
2
🇦🇺 Australia
2
🇪🇸 Spain
2
🇲🇦 Morocco
1
Geological formations
Elliot
18
Kayenta/Navajo Sandstone
8
Przysucha
5
McCoy Brook
3
Zagaje
3
Temporal distribution
Cenomanian (100.5–93.9 Ma)
1
Barremian (125.77–121.4 Ma)
1
Tithonian (149.2–143.1 Ma)
4
Kimmeridgian (154.8–149.2 Ma)
6
Bathonian (168.2–165.3 Ma)
5
Bajocian (170.9–168.2 Ma)
1
Aalenian (174.7–170.9 Ma)
1
Toarcian (184.2–174.7 Ma)
6
Pliensbachian (192.9–184.2 Ma)
16
Sinemurian (199.5–192.9 Ma)
73
Hettangian (201.4–199.5 Ma)
34
Rhaetian (205.7–201.4 Ma)
1
Norian (227.3–205.7 Ma)
7
Carnian (237–227.3 Ma)
2
Species (39)
Aethyopus minor subjective synonym of Anomoepus scambus 227 Ma
Anomoepus crassus 201 Ma
Anomoepus culbertsonii
Anomoepus cuneatus subjective synonym of Anomoepus scambus 227 Ma
Anomoepus curvatus subjective synonym of Anomoepus scambus 227 Ma
Anomoepus fringilla 201 Ma
Anomoepus gallinuloides
Anomoepus giganteus
Anomoepus intermedius subjective synonym of Anomoepus scambus 227 Ma
Anomoepus isodactylus subjective synonym of Anomoepus scambus 227 Ma
Anomoepus lacertoideus 201 Ma
Anomoepus major 201 Ma
Anomoepus minimus subjective synonym of Anomoepus scambus 227 Ma
Anomoepus minor subjective synonym of Anomoepus scambus 227 Ma
Anomoepus minutus 201 Ma
Anomoepus moabensis subjective synonym of Anomoepus shingi 200 Ma
Anomoepus moghrebensis 237 Ma
Anomoepus palmipes 201 Ma
Anomoepus pienkovskii 201 Ma
Anomoepus ranivorus
Anomoepus scambus 227 Ma
Anomoepus shingi 200 Ma
Anomoepus turda 201 Ma
Apatichnus circumagens subjective synonym of Anomoepus scambus 227 Ma
Apatichnus holyokensis subjective synonym of Anomoepus scambus 227 Ma
Brontozoum fulicoides subjective synonym of Anomoepus scambus 227 Ma
Eubrontes gracillimus subjective synonym of Anomoepus scambus 227 Ma
Moyenisauropus dodai subjective synonym of Anomoepus scambus 227 Ma
Moyenisauropus karaszevskii 201 Ma
Moyenisauropus levicauda subjective synonym of Anomoepus scambus 227 Ma
Moyenisauropus longicauda subjective synonym of Anomoepus scambus 227 Ma
Moyenisauropus minor subjective synonym of Anomoepus scambus 227 Ma
Moyenisauropus natatilis subjective synonym of Anomoepus scambus 227 Ma
Moyenisauropus natator subjective synonym of Anomoepus scambus 227 Ma
Moyenisauropus vermivorus subjective synonym of Anomoepus scambus 227 Ma
Plesiornis minor subjective synonym of Anomoepus scambus 227 Ma
Plesiornis quadrupes subjective synonym of Anomoepus scambus 227 Ma
Shensipus tungchuanensis 175 Ma
Shensipus xiaoliheensis 175 Ma
Synonyms (3)
Hopiichnus subjective synonym of Anomoepus
Moyenisauropus subjective synonym of Anomoepus
Shensipus subjective synonym of Anomoepus
Bibliography
Original description
E. Hitchcock. 1848. An attempt to discriminate and describe the animals that made the fossil footmarks of the United States, and especially of New England. Memoirs of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, new series 3:129-256 DOI ↗
Bibliography (62)
J. R. Foster, J. D. Harris, and A. R. Milner, E. M. Bordy, L. Sciscio, D. Castanera, M. Belvedere, L. Xing, M. G. Lockley. 2025. Jurassic vertebrate tracks and traces. Vertebrate Ichnology: Tetrapod Tracks and Trackways DOI ↗
M. Abrahams, A. Rampersadh, and L. Mpangala. 2023. Riches of the Roma valley: theropod and ornithischian tracks from the Early Jurassic southern Africa. Historical Biology DOI ↗
C. Bennett, A. R. C. Milner, and J. D. Harris. 2023. A glimpse through time: preliminary report of the Andre’s Alcove Tracksite, Lower Jurassic Navajo Sandstone, Glen Canyon National Recreation Area, Utah. Curiosity: Interdisciplinary Journal of Research and Innovation DOI ↗
L. Xing, M. G. Lockley, and C. Li, H. Klein, J. Li, D. Wang. 2022. Two new dinosaur tracksites from the Jurassic Guizhou Province, China. Historical Biology DOI ↗
D. Castanera, B. Silva, and V. Santos, E. Malafaia, M. Belvedere. 2020. Tracking Late Jurassic ornithopods in the Lusitanian Basin (Portugal): ichnotaxonomic implications. Acta Palaeontologica Polonica 65(2):399-412 DOI ↗
I. Díaz-Martínez, S. N. González, and S. De Valais. 2017. Dinosaur footprints in the Early Jurassic of Patagonia (Marifil Volcanic Complex, Argentina): biochronological and palaeobiogeographical inferences. Geological Magazine 154(4):914-922 DOI ↗
Y.-X. Li and Y.-X. Zhang. 2017. Early Middle Jurassic dinosaur footprints from Zizhou County, Shaanxi, China. Vertebrata PalAsiatica 55(3):276-288
L. Xing, M. G. Lockley, and H. Klein, G. D. Gierliński, Y. Ye, J. Zhang, W. S. Persons, T. Wang. 2017. First thyreophoran type tracks from the Middle Jurassic Chuanjie Formation of Yunnan Province, China. Ichnos 28(1):8-15 DOI ↗
L. Xing, M. G. Lockley, and Y. Wang, M. S. Pole, H. Klein, G. Peng, X. Xie, G. Zhang, C. Deng, M. E. Burns. 2017. New Middle Jurassic dinosaur track record from northeastern Sichuan Province, China. Swiss Journal of Palaeontology 136:359-364 DOI ↗
L. Xing, M. G. Lockley, and H. Klein, P. L. Falkingham, J. Y. Kim, R. T. McCrea, J. Zhang, W. S. Persons, T. Wang, Z. Wang. 2016. First Early Jurassic small ornithischian tracks from Yunnan Province, southwestern China. Palaios 31:516-524 DOI ↗
L.-D. Xing, M. G. Lockley, and G. Yang, X. Xu, J. Cao, H. Klein, W. S. Persons, H.-J. Shen, X.-M. Zheng. 2015. Unusual deinonychosaurian track morphology (Velociraptorichnus zhangi n. ichnosp.) from the Lower Cretaceous Xiaoba Formation, Sichuan Province, China. Palaeoworld 24:283-292 DOI ↗
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 ↗
S. G. Dalman and R. E. Weems. 2013. A new look at morphological variation in the ichnogenus Anomoepus, with special reference to material from the Lower Jurassic Newark Supergroup: implications for ichnotaxonomy and ichnodiversity. Bulletin of the Peabody Museum of Natural History 54(1):67-124 DOI ↗
S. G. Dalman. 2012. New data on small theropod footprints from the Early Jurassic (Hettangian) Hartford Basin of Massachusetts, United States. Bulletin of the Peabody Museum of Natural History 53(2):333-353 DOI ↗
J. Li, M. G. Lockley, and Y. Zhang, S. Hu, M. Matsukawa, Z. Bai. 2012. An important ornithischian tracksite in the Early Jurassic of the Shenmu region, Shaanxi, China. Acta Geologica Sinica 86(1):1-10
J. I. Kirkland, S. K. Madsen, and D. D. DeBlieux, V. L. Santucci. 2011. Establishing a paleontological monitoring test site at Glen Canyon National Recreation Area. Proceedings of the 9th Conference on Fossil Resources, Kemmerer, WY. Brigham Young University Geology Studies 49(A):51-60
A. R. C. Milner, T. A. Birthisel, and J. I. Kirkland, BH Breithaupt, N. A. Matthews, M. G. Lockley, V. L. Santucci, S. Z. Gibson, D. D. DeBlieux, M. Hurlbut, J. D. Harris, P. E. Olsen. 2011. Tracking Early Jurassic dinosaurs across southwestern Utah and the Triassic-Jurassic transition. Field Trip Guide Book, 71st Annual Meeting of the Society of Vertebrate Paleontology Paris Las Vegas, Las Vegas, Nevada, November 2-5, 2011. Nevada State Museum Paleontological Papers 1:1-107
G. Niedźwiedzki. 2011. A Late Triassic dinosaur-dominated ichnofauna from the Tomanová Formation of the Tatra Mountains, Central Europe. Acta Palaeontologica Polonica 56(2):291-300 DOI ↗
A. G. Cook, N. Saini, and S. A. Hocknull. 2010. Dinosaur footprints from the lower Jurassic of Mount Morgan, Queensland. Memoirs of the Queensland Museum—Nature 55(1):135-146
J. Li, Z. Bai, and M. G. Lockley, B. Zhou, J. Liu, Y. Song. 2010. [Dinosaur tracks in Wulatezhongqi, Inner Mongolia]. Acta Geologica Sinica 84(5):723-742
L. Piñuela, J. O. Farlow, and J. C. García-Ramos, J. I. Ruiz-Omeñaca, M. Avanzini, M. Lockley. 2008. Probable Anomoepus from the Late Jurassic of Asturias, Spain. The Second International Congress on Ichnology. Abstract Book and the Intra-Congress Field Trip Guidebook
J. R. Foster and M. G. Lockley. 2006. The vertebrate ichnological record of the Morrison Formation (Upper Jurassic, North America). Paleontology and Geology of the Upper Jurassic Morrison Formation. New Mexico Museum of Natural History and Science Bulletin 36:203-216
G. D. Gierlinski and K. Z. Kowalski. 2006. Footprint of a large ornithischian from the ancient sacred site of Kontrewers, Poland. The Triassic-Jurassic Terrestrial Transition. New Mexico Museum of Natural History and Science Bulletin 37:217-220
J. I. Kirkland and A. R. C. Milner. 2006. The Moenave Formation at the St. George Dinosaur Discovery Site at Johnson Farm, St. George, southwestern Utah. The Triassic-Jurassic Terrestrial Transition. New Mexico Museum of Natural History and Science Bulletin 37:289-309
M. G. Lockley. 2006. Observations on the ichnogenus Gwyneddichium and Gwyneddichium-like footprints and trackways from the Upper Triassic of the western United States. The Triassic-Jurassic Terrestrial Transition. New Mexico Museum of Natural History and Science Bulletin 37:170-175
M. G. Lockley and G. D. Gierlinski. 2006. Diverse vertebrate ichnofaunas containing Anomoepus and other unusual trace fossils from the Lower Jurassic of the western United States: implications for paleoecology and palichnostratigraphy. The Triassic-Jurassic Terrestrial Transition. New Mexico Museum of Natural History and Science Bulletin 37:176-191
P. Getty. 2004. Ornithischian ichnites from Dinosaur Footprint Reservation (Lower Jurassic Portland Formation), Holyoke, MA. Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology 24(3, suppl.):63A
G. Niedzwiedzki and G. Pienkowski. 2004. A dinosaur track association from the Early Jurassic deltaic deposits of Podole near Opatów, Poland. Geological Quarterly 48(4):333-338
P. E. Olsen and E. C. Rainforth. 2003. The Early Jurassic ornithischian dinosaurian ichnogenus Anomoepus. The Great Rift Valleys of Pangea in Eastern North America, Volume 2: Sedimentology, Stratigraphy, and Paleontology
M. Avanzini, G. D. Gierlinski, and G. Leonardi. 2001. First report of sitting Anomoepus tracks in European Lower Jurassic (Lavini di Marco site – northern Italy). Rivista Italiana di Paleontologia e Stratigrafia 107(1):131-136
G. Gierlinski, E. Gazdzicka, and G. Niedzwiedzki, G. Pienkowski. 2001. New ornithischian dinosaur footprints in the Jurassic of Poland. Geological Quarterly 45(2):205-210
G. Leonardi. 2000. I dinosauri d'Italia e delle aree adiacenti [The dinosaurs of Italy and adjacent areas]. Dinosauri in Italia. Le Orme Giurassiche dei Lavini di Marco (Trentino) e Gli Altri Resti Fossili Italiani
G. Gierlinski and G. Pienkowski. 1999. Dinosaur track assemblages from the Hettangian of Poland. Geological Quarterly 43(3):329-346
G. Gierlinski and G. Sawicki. 1998. New sauropod tracks from the Lower Jurassic of Poland. Geological Quarterly 42(4):477-480
M. G. Lockley and A. P. Hunt. 1995. Dinosaur Tracks and Other Fossil Footprints of the Western United States DOI ↗
P. E. Olsen. 1995. Paleontology and paleoenvironments of Early Jurassic age strata in the Walter Kidde Dinosaur Park (New Jersey, USA). Field Guide and Proceedings of the Twelfth Annual Meeting of the Geological Association of New Jersey
R. A. Thulborn. 1994. Ornithopod dinosaur tracks from the Lower Jurassic of Queensland. Alcheringa 18:247-258 DOI ↗
M. G. Lockley, S.Y. Yang, and M. Matsukawa, F. Fleming, SK Lim. 1992. The track record of Mesozoic birds: evidence and implications. Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society of London, Series B: Biological Sciences 336:113-134
G. Gierlinski. 1991. New dinosaur ichnotaxa from the Early Jurassic of the Holy Cross Mountains, Poland. Palaeogeography, Palaeoclimatology, Palaeoecology 85:137-148 DOI ↗
P. J. Currie. 1989. Dinosaur footprints of western Canada. Dinosaur Tracks and Traces. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge
G. Gierlinksi and A. Potemska. 1987. Lower Jurassic dinosaur footprints from Gliniany Las, northern slope of the Holy Cross Mountains, Poland. Neues Jahrbuch für Geologie und Paläontologie, Abhandlungen 175(1):107-120 DOI ↗
P. E. Biron and J.-M. Dutuit. 1981. Figurations sédimentaires et traces d'activité au sol dans le Trias de la formation d'Argana et de l'Ourika (Maroc) [Sedimentary patterns and soil activity traces in the Triassic of the Argana and Ourika formations (Morocco)]. Bulletin du Muséum National d'Histoire Naturelle, 4e série, section C 3(4):399-427
P. E. Olsen. 1981. Comment on ‘Eolian dune field of Late Triassic age, Fundy Basin, Nova Scotia’. Geology 9(12):557-559 DOI ↗
P. E. Olsen. 1975. The microstratigraphy of the Roseland Quarry (Early Jurassic, Newark Supergroup, New Jersey). Open File Report
P. Ellenberger. 1974. Contribution à la classification des pistes de Vertébrés du Trias: les types du Stormberg d'Afrique du Sud (IIème partie: Le Stormberg superieur - I. Le biome de la zone B/1 ou niveau de Moyeni: ses biocénoses) [Contribution to the classification of the vertebrate tracks of the Triassic: the types from the Stormberg of South Africa (2nd part: The upper Stormberg - I. The biome of zone B/1 or Moyeni level: its biocoenoses]. Palaeovertebrata Mém. Ext.(1974):1-147
H. Haubold. 1971. Handbuch der Paläoherpetologie / Encyclopedia of Paleoherpetology. Part 18. Ichnia Amphibiorum et Reptiliorum Fossilium. DOI ↗
S. P. Welles. 1971. Dinosaur footprints from the Kayenta Formation of northern Arizona. Plateau 44(1):27-38
P. Ellenberger. 1970. Les niveaux paléontologiques de première apparition des mammifères primoridaux en Afrique du Sud et leur ichnologie. Establissement de zones stratigraphiques detaillees dans le Stormberg du Lesotho (Afrique du Sud) (Trias Supérieur à Jurassique) [The paleontological levels of the first appearance of primordial mammals in southern Africa and their ichnology. Establishment of detailed stratigraphic zones in the Stormberg of Lesotho (southern Africa) (Upper Triassic to Jurassic). In: S. H. Haughton (ed.), Second Symposium on Gondwana Stratigraphy and Paleontology, International Union of Geological Sciences. Council for Scientific and Industrial Research, Pretoria
C.-C. Young. 1966. Two footprints from the Jiaoping coal mine of Tungchuan, Shensi. Vertebrata PalAsiatica 10(1):68-71
R. H. Nelson. 1965. New locality for dinosaur tracks in Connecticut. Rocks and Minerals 40:5-7 DOI ↗
R. S. Lull. 1953. Triassic life of the Connecticut Valley (revised). State of Connecticut State Geological and Natural History Survey Bulletin 81:1-336
Anonymous. 1937. Quarry gives up dinosaur foot prints after millions of years. Pennsylvania Department of Internal Affairs Monthly Bulletin 4(3):12-15
M. G. Mehl. 1931. Additions to the vertebrate record of the Dakota sandstone. American Journal of Science 21(125):441-452 DOI ↗
R. S. Lull. 1915. Triassic life of the Connecticut Valley. State of Connecticut State Geological and Natural History Survey Bulletin 24:1-285 DOI ↗
C. H. Hitchcock. 1889. Recent progress in ichnology. Proceedings of the Boston Society of Natural History 24(8):117-127
C. H. Hitchcock. 1865. Appendix [B]. Descriptive catalogue of the specimens in the Hitchcock Ichnological Cabinet of Amherst College. Supplement to the Ichnology of New England. A Report to the Government of Massachusetts in 1863
E. Hitchcock. 1865. Supplement to the ichnology of New England. Supplement to the Ichnology of New England. A Report to the Government of Massachusetts in 1863
J. Deane. 1861. A memoir upon the fossil footprints and other impressions of the Connecticut River sandstone. Ichnographs from the Sandstone of Connecticut River
E. Hitchcock. 1858. Ichnology of New England. A Report on the Sandstone of the Connecticut Valley, Especially its Fossil Footmarks, Made to the Government of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts DOI ↗
E. Hitchcock. 1848. An attempt to discriminate and describe the animals that made the fossil footmarks of the United States, and especially of New England. Memoirs of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, new series 3:129-256 DOI ↗
E. Hitchcock. 1844. Report on ichnolithology, or fossil footmarks, with a description of several new species, and the coprolites of birds, from the valley of Connecticut River, and of a supposed footmark from the valley of Hudson River. The American Journal of Science and Arts 47(2):292-322
E. Hitchcock. 1843. Description of five new specie of fossil footmarks, from the red sandstone of the valley of the Connecticut River. Reports of the First, Second, and Third Meetings of the Association of American Geologists and Naturalists 1843:254-264