Acta Palaeontologica Polonica

Hadrosaur trackways from the Lo wer Cretaceous of Canada

Philip J. Currie

Acta Palaeontologica Polonica 28 (1-2), 1983: 67-73

The most common ichnogenus in the Peace River Canyon is Amblydactylus, a large bipedal herbivore. The morphology of the hand a nd footprints suggest that the tracks and trackways were made by hadrosaurs, and the ichnites might represent the earliest record of these dinosaurs. Amblydactylus tracks were made in a wide variety of depositional environments, including the mud beneath several metres of water. Juveniles were gregarious and stayed together after
hatching until they were large enough to join herds of more mature animals. Hadrosaur herds appear to have walked side by side, seldom crossing paths, although there was little structure to the herds when they were in the water
and/or feeding. Calculation of the walking speeds indicate that the herbivores were generally slower than the carnivores.

Key words: footprints, dinosaur, hadrosaur, herding, activity levels.


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