A puzzling feature in giant Early Cretaceous sauropod tracks in Pula

August 6, 2014, 1:29 am

≫ Next: A possible dromaeosaur footprint

If you look carefully at the photographs I have shot on a Pula beach you'll probably notice puzzling feature in giant Early Cretaceous sauropod tracks (Brontopodus). It appears that the footprints of the front feet (manus) were closer to the mid-line of the animal's body than the footprints of the hind feet (pes). The pes length impression is about 105 cm.

Is this the right manus/pes set? Notice the relatively small size of the typical crescent shape manus.The manus was preserved as an infilling (natural cast) while the pes is the true impression. In the image bellow both manus and pes were preserved as infillings (natural casts)

... and is this the left manus/pes set, or am I seeing it wrong and it's the opposite?
Anyway, if I am right, these tracks suggest that the giant Pula sauropod had very slender front limbs and very robust hind legs. The hips were much wider than the shoulders. The impressions of the front feet were often not or less preserved. The gait must have been somewhat similar to the gait of the modern giraffe, which also has a bit wider hips than shoulders so the impressions of the front feet are a tad closer to the mid body line than those of the hind feet. The longest pes print of the Pula sauropod I have found and measured was about 130-140 cm. That was some truly huge titanosaur that must have measured at least 30-35 meters in length.
Here is a link for Giraffe Walk

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A possible dromaeosaur footprint

August 11, 2014, 12:13 am

≫ Next: A little predator on a hunting spree

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The Brijuni islands (Istria, Croatia) still need to be thoroughly researched for the dinosaur tracks. Here is a possible small Late Albian (Early Cretaceous) dromaeosaur footprint I have found on the Main Brijun island, a couple of years ago.

One of the dinoturbations on the Main Brijun island.

A sea gull chick on the Main Brijun island.

A sea gull's nest on the Main Brijun island. The modern dinosaurs (birds) nesting among the tracks of their distant ancestors and relatives (dinosaurs).

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A little predator on a hunting spree

August 11, 2014, 9:38 pm

≫ Next: Excitement over a new Spinosaurus aegyptiacus mount.

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A short film I shot a few years ago.

Now imagine how a huge theropod like T. rex might have looked like while searching for its prey.

Here is my Torosaurus (mother with offspring) restoration from 2003.

I wonder if my illustration of Torosaurus chasing Paleosaniwa that has stolen one of it's eggs, is still on display at the Peabody Museum (Yale)? It has been 11 years since it was put as a part of the permanent exhibition. Time flies!

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Excitement over a new Spinosaurus aegyptiacus mount.

August 17, 2014, 11:41 pm

≫ Next: Comparing the tracks of the living animals with the fossil ones

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Spinosaurus: Lost Giant of the Cretaceous

National Geographic writes:" It was the largest predatory dinosaur, with spike-shaped teeth and a body over 50 feet long.“It” was Spinosaurus, and although it was a giant among dinosaurs, its fossils eluded scientists for decades. Now two dedicated paleontologists, Paul Sereno and National Geographic 2014 Emerging Explorer Nizar Ibrahim, are reconstructing a complete skeleton of this prehistoric giant that was bigger than T. rex.... "

The event (with the main attraction: presentation of the new mount) will be at the National Geographic Museum in Washington, D.C. in October 2014.

About 14 years ago. I wrote an article on Spinosaurus in the Japanese dinosaur magazine.
Enigmatic Spinosaurus Text & Illustration by Berislav Krzic

It is interesting that some of my assumptions and conclusions regarding the strange anatomy of spinosaurids still stand. See some of my drawings below.

Any interested enthusiast and professional should obtain the magazines, which are still available at the bargain price.

The premier dinosaur magazine from Japan! The Dino Press periodical series was published in 2000 - 2002. Contains information about dinosaurs, pterosaurs, marine reptiles, and a variety of extinct animals from past geologic time periods. Well-known paleontologists, illustrators, and sculptors from all over the world contributed to Dino Press with their latest and interesting reports, theories, paintings, photos, and other work relevant to the scope of the magazine.
Beautiful and in-depth. Written in Japanese, with an accompanying B/W transcript of the text in English (including caption and figure descriptions).

My Spinosaurus aegyptiacus reconstruction from 2000-2001

My Spinosaurus aegyptiacus back-sail reconstruction from 2000-2001 and Stromer's original Spinosaurus skeleton reconstruction from 1915 (below):

Above are my revisions of Baryonyx walkeri skull and skeleton from Charig and Milner

Charig, A.J. and Milner, A.C. (1997). "Baryonyx walkeri, a fish-eating dinosaur from the Wealden of Surrey."Bulletin of the Natural History Museum of London, 53: 11–70.

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A few other images that have nothing to do with the above ones.

My classic, now a bit outdated, Phobosuchus/Deinosuchus croc restoration and and Allosaurus speculative embryo restoration (below)
My daughter pointing at the Cretaceous marine reptile Pontosaurus, exhibited at the CNHM in Zagreb (some 20 years ago!)

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Comparing the tracks of the living animals with the fossil ones

August 21, 2014, 4:29 am

≫ Next: On Istrian tracks again

≪ Previous: Excitement over a new Spinosaurus aegyptiacus mount.

The dog owners walked their dogs on a leash over this ground in an irregular time sequences, one or two at the time. This case illustrates the consequentially of drawing some behavioural conclusions exclusively based on the fossil trackways. Since the tracks in this image are directional (from left to the right and in the opposite direction) and are of the same morphotype (although, they were left by the dogs of the various breed), if these were say, the fossil tracks of some dinosaurs, an enthusiastic paleontologist might jump to a conclusion these were left at the same time by the herd of animals of various growth stages. Thus implying a gregarious behaviour and even care for their young. Of course, I don't claim the evidence like this should be dismissed in a behavioural research of the fossil animals, but to be cautious in drawing the conclusions.

Dog's trackway in a shallow snow (last Winter). Note the drag marks. Apparently, the drag mark (from the two middle claws of both the front and the hind limbs) is made on two occasions: when the foot has been closing in to meet the ground and also on the way up when the foot was in the process of raising form the ground. Dog was going from right to the left.

This ankylosaur trackway from Pula is about 50-60 meters long with mostly poorly preserved footprints. Unfortunately some of the footprints have been lost forever due to the covering with the concrete to make place for sunbathing (this is a tourist resort). At the end of the trackway there are some individual footprints of an animal of giant proportions. The ankylosaurs that left the tracks were probably of a Polacanthinae type.

The left pes footprint is quite nicely visible in the left lower part of the photograph. The one that is a bit higher to the right is poorly preserved. These are positives (casts). The manus prints were preserved only on a couple of places.
There's also another ankylosaur outcrop a couple of km away with some very nicely preserved tracks (see some of the previous posts in my blog). The ankylosaur trackways are quite rare. One of the reasons might be that they are being miss interpreted, because they can easily be mistaken for ornithopod or sauropod tracks. To tell you the truth I first thought these were left by iguanodontoids and sauropods. At the other site I even thought initially, that I have been looking at the theropod tracks. Only later it dawned to me it was an ankylosaur trackway.

The sites are still not described. I am the only one that knows about these, although this is a tourist beach. they are not easy to notice.

Sauropod trackway (Pula 2009)

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Dangerous waters: A crock farm in Thailand (November/ 2013)

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On Istrian tracks again

August 25, 2014, 7:57 am

≫ Next: Finding new tracks on the Main Brijun island

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The footprint of a medium-sized theropod from the Grakalovac (Kamenjak/Premantura) site.

I keep finding new tracks after the heavy rains at the Ankylosaur dinoturbation site (I) in Pula. This left pes impression is about 40 cm long (+- 2 cm). my interpretation is the red outline below, of course. Obviously it belongs to the smaller specimen on the site. "Smaller" means that the dinosaur was probably about 8-9 meters long. That is huge for an ankylosaur! Now you can calculate yourself how big was the trackmaker anky who left the footprints some 70-75 cm long there!

The outcrop.

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Two consecutive cervical vertebrae of the Istrian pygmy titanosauriform sauropod (Early Cretaceous -Barremian). Only a small portion of the anterior one is preserved. The fossil before preparation. The photograph from the museum/gallery Ulika in Bale.— kraj: Bale-Valle Istra

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Finding new tracks on the Main Brijun island

August 27, 2014, 10:06 pm

≫ Next: Pula and Brijuni

≪ Previous: On Istrian tracks again

Although, the tracksites on the Main Brijun island have been described in the papers (the Pogledalo promontory site at least three times), I keep finding the new footprints there each time I visit it. There are two reasons why I manage doing that: the first is that some of the tracks are being constantly covered and uncovered by the beach pebbles, when the waves move them and the other is that some of the tracks are literally invisible until some particular kind of sun light reveals them.
Here is one of the large theropod foot impressions that is somewhat deformed. The red outline is my interpretation. The theropod's footprint is about 42 cm long.
This is an Early Cretaceous (Barremian). About 125 million years ago.

Several smaller theropod footprints from the same site in various states of preservation. I have interpreted some of them with the red outline.

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Pula and Brijuni

September 14, 2014, 10:47 am

≫ Next: Back to tracks

≪ Previous: Finding new tracks on the Main Brijun island

The view to the Porer lighthouse from the Verudela resort (Pula 9/2014)

Tough roots making their way through the limestone.

The recent sea gull trackway in cement from the Stoja camp (Pula)

The most photographed theropod footprint from the Pogledalo site of the Main Brijun island.

The next theropod footprint in a sequence (it comes after the one the photograph above) of the trackway from the Main Brijun island is the deeper one. The shallow one just bellow it in the photograph was made by another theropod of the same size (or the same one?) a bit later when the mud was a bit dryer. So, these are two parallel trackways. below in the left corner there is a poorly preserved impression of another theropod in the deep wet mud.

A probable small ornithopod (iguanodontoid?) track from the Main Brijun island (the Pogledalo Barremian site).

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Back to tracks

September 18, 2014, 6:06 am

≫ Next: Not easy to explain

≪ Previous: Pula and Brijuni

This is in fact the first iguanodontoid track I have discovered in Pula (above). My interpretation on the right (the red outline). Note the size compared to my big feet (# 46). It is Late Albian - Mid-Cretceous (about 100 mya). The same rock surface is dinoturbated mostly by large iguanodontoids and sauropods. Also, it is weathered, due to the vicinity of the open sea.

A bit smaller "Iggy" track I have discovered about a kilometre further down the beach (resort in Pula)

A nice manus pes set track of a large pterosaur I have found on the same beach as the Iggy in the top photograph. There are three pterosaur trackways on that spot.

A dinoturbated rock. Probably by the ankylosaurs whose trackways I have found near by. (Pula - Late Albian)

A small titanosaur left pes track. It was probably a subadult. The outcrop is heavily dinoturbated by the very large sauropods, theropods and ornithopods. Late Albian of Pula.

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Not easy to explain

September 23, 2014, 7:24 am

≫ Next: Another published article

≪ Previous: Back to tracks

The majority of the tracks and traces are not well preserved and thus harder to interpret, if the interpretation is possible at all.
I have photographed something that looks like a sequence of rhytmical skratching of the shallow sea floor My first guess was: the small pterosaur swim traces (highlighted in the circles); the second guess is the water bird swim traces; the third is the trace fossils of fish fins swishing along bottom of shallow water;... or the artifact. Which one would you choose?
The age is Mid-Cretaceous (late Albian) of Pula.

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Another published article

September 24, 2014, 12:05 am

≫ Next: A lesson in ichnology: the modern fossil tracks

≪ Previous: Not easy to explain

I have received a copy of the "Življenje in tehnika", a Slovenian popular science magazine. The history of my published articles in "ŽIT" goes back to 1990. They have been publishing one or two of my articles every year since then. Of course, the subject is allways paleontology. Mainly about dinosaur natural history. Below is the first page of my article: "The News from the Mesozoic" (Berislav Kržič, 9/2014)

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A lesson in ichnology: the modern fossil tracks

September 25, 2014, 12:59 am

≫ Next: Searching for tracks in Pula

≪ Previous: Another published article

(click image to enlarge)

There are some nice unexpected opportunities for observing how the living animals leave their permanent tracks in the cement surfaces and thus comparing them with the fossil tracks left in the mud or wet sand that turned into the solid rock over the period of millions of years.

I took the photograph above at the British square (Britanski trg), that serves as a farmers' market place and a flea market (on Sundays) in Zagreb. The maintenance workers patched the cracks in the square with about a square meter of cement. Until the wet cement dried up, and hardened, several pigeons left their tracks on the surface making it a "modern fossil stomping ground" or a bio turbation. A keen observer will notice the cat trackways in the middle.

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Searching for tracks in Pula

September 26, 2014, 11:06 am

≫ Next: Past and present

≪ Previous: A lesson in ichnology: the modern fossil tracks

A 100 million years old ripple marks on one of Pula beaches. I have seen the same pattern and size of ripples in the sand some 1,5 meters under the water while snorkeling.

A large (42 cm long) theropod footprint (Pula, Late Albian). It's situated at the "Ankylosaur dinoturbation" outcrop.

A small crocodilian trackway with some territorial scratch marks (on the right). Late Albian of Pula. Some sauropod, theropod and possibly pterosaur tracks are near by.

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Past and present

September 29, 2014, 11:21 am

≫ Next: Giant sauropod track and a mysterious impression

≪ Previous: Searching for tracks in Pula

I have been drawing and painting dinosaurs and other prehistoric animals for more than 3 decades.
This is a portrait of Pachyrhinosaurus I have done in gouache and watercolour pencils in 1990.

Here is the recently discovered and described ankylosaur Ziapelta quick drawing, rendered a bit in Photoshop. In today's demanding market the speed is essential.

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Giant sauropod track and a mysterious impression

September 30, 2014, 11:27 am

≫ Next: Some of my old illustrations

≪ Previous: Past and present

I have found this giant sauropod track (manus-pes set) in Pula. Pes is about 115 cm long. That was one very large titanosaur. The manus impression has infilling of the typical crescent shape. The sauropod tracks are not rare in these Early Cretaceous rocks, but something else caught my eye. It's a mysterious impression on the right. At first I thought it was a theropod track.

It appears to be from the right foot of a theropod. But is it so? On the second look it seems there are at least 4 long toes curving slightly to the left and the "heel" looks atypically broad for theropods. Now I am thinking in the direction of a very large crock or even a varanid lizard. If this was left by the lizard, it was about the size of Megalania. This is the second print of the kind I have found on Pula beaches.

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Some of my old illustrations

October 3, 2014, 4:48 am

≫ Next: I have found the new dinosaur tracks again.

≪ Previous: Giant sauropod track and a mysterious impression

In the first days of Internet the web space was precious and I had to be very careful not to exceed the very limited file size, which nowadays seems ridiculously small. Thus the images were very grainy and small. I have scanned them with a clumsy device: a hand held scanner.
Here are some of the first images from my early sites (1995-1997)

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I have found the new dinosaur tracks again.

October 6, 2014, 7:19 am

≫ Next: More new tracks from Pula

≪ Previous: Some of my old illustrations

It seems that almost every visit I make to the Pula beaches must end with my discovery of the new mid-Cretaceous, Pula ichnofauna tracks. It happened again in September 2014.
Here is one of the outcrops with my interpretation of the probable theropod tracks. The foot length is about 30 cm.

One of Pula's outcrops.

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More new tracks from Pula

October 8, 2014, 12:49 am

≫ Next: Once again on Grakalovac

≪ Previous: I have found the new dinosaur tracks again.

A nice manus-pes set track on one of Pula's numerous dinoturbations. A large theropod tracks are near by, but not visible in this photograph.

The bottom feeding fish traces from Pula beach. Probably by some large sturgeon or similar fish. It is funny that it looks like a trackway left by a big foot man in flip-flops. However, this rocks and traces are about 100 million years old!

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Once again on Grakalovac

October 8, 2014, 11:49 pm

≫ Next: Pula titanosaur tracks

≪ Previous: More new tracks from Pula

The Grakalovac promontory on the south Istrian Cape Kamenjak is famous for his medium sized theropod trackway from the late Cretaceous (Cenomanian). Every single footprint of this trackway is encircled by the (ugly) black paint. However, there are many more theropod tracks at the same outcrop, but they are less preserved and less visible. The image at the bottom shows the smaller footprints of a theropod that might have been related to the dromaeosauridae or noasauridae. The toe #2 seems to be reduced and baring a larger claw. But that is only an assumption. The dromaeosaurid tracks are extremely rare. This footprint is about 14,5 cm long.

I have done a bit different interpretation of this track before:

Back to Grakalovac (2)

It is a part of the trackway. However, in my first interpretation, which may be more detailed and better I didn't draw the surrounding poorly preserved prints. Which may be the prints that were placed a bit later, when the substrate was drier.

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Pula titanosaur tracks

October 10, 2014, 2:09 am

≫ Next: Back from Pula

≪ Previous: Once again on Grakalovac

The titanosaur sauropod tracks are perhaps the most common on the Pula beaches. Here are a few examples.

A small theropod footprint is shaped a bit strange. A pterosaur footprint is near by, but not visible in this photo.

Paleoart odds and ends

About 16 or 17 years ago, while surfing the ancient Internet, I have accidentally found a set of 9 postal stamps from Republique du Niger. To my great surprise,
6 of the images were ripped off my web site. Several online philatelist sites were selling them legally. I never got credited, let alone paid nor even got a sample of my used artwork. Although, I have filed a protest, after which some of the of the distributors stopped selling them online. The two b/w images are from the NHM in NY and the last one is by my friend Brian Franczak.