I am currently working on Bathonian aged dinosaur footprints form the Long Nab Member of Scarborough, Yorkshire. As part of my study I am looking into the local museum collections isolated footprints.
They are all tridactyl (some are broken however) but I am not sure how to assign left and right digits. I have read Thulborn (1990) and several other papers but not sure how to spot these nodes and the basic consensus on determining left from right from the curvature of the digits.
I have attached a few images of the prints I am working with to clarify.
Thank you!
Hi Danny,
To assign an isolated trydactil track to a left/right pes is not so easy..especially in poorly preserved tracks where you can´t see digital pads, claw marks etc so in many cases it is almost impossible! Generally, in well preserved theropod tracks there are certain asymmetry in digit II, and there are a medial notch in the posterior part of the digit near the “heel” (I don´t see any of this in your samples). The interdigital angle between II-III and III-IV can help to distinguish. The ornithopod tracks are usually more symmetrical BUT in the Middle Jurassic the ornithopod track record is really scarce.
Hello Danny,
The first picture might correspond to a right footprint. In general, digit IV in archosaurs (including dinosaurs) possesses more phalanges and is more slender than digit II, thus the corresponding print of digit IV will reflect this condition (if well preserved). Hope, this is useful for you.
As you probably know there is a slight invard curvature in the middle digit (digit III) of some tridactyl tracks.Rodolphos suggestion about the digit IV possesing more phalanges and being more slender is also helpful in identifing tracks.
I gues the first picture is a right one because of the stout appearnce of the left (presumably second) digit.
The third picture is likely a right one as well given the curvature of the III digit.
It cannot be defined without a minimal trackway (at least 3 consecutive footprints). Everything else is purely speculative.
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