''Chelichnus'' is an
ichnogenus
An ichnotaxon (plural ichnotaxa) is "a taxon based on the fossilized work of an organism", i.e. the non-human equivalent of an artifact. ''Ichnotaxa'' comes from the Greek ίχνος, ''ichnos'' meaning ''track'' and ταξις, ''taxis'' meaning ...
of
Permian
The Permian ( ) is a geologic period and stratigraphic system which spans 47 million years from the end of the Carboniferous Period million years ago (Mya), to the beginning of the Triassic Period 251.9 Mya. It is the last period of the Paleoz ...
tetrapod
Tetrapods (; ) are four-limbed vertebrate animals constituting the superclass Tetrapoda (). It includes extant and extinct amphibians, sauropsids ( reptiles, including dinosaurs and therefore birds) and synapsids (pelycosaurs, extinct theraps ...
footprint. The name means ''tortoise traces'', because the shape of the prints was originally mistakenly thought to be produced by a tortoise.
This is now known to be incorrect, as tortoises did not evolve until much later. It was first found in
Corncockle Quarry
Corncockle Quarry was a large and historically important sandstone quarry near Templand in Dumfries and Galloway, Scotland. Stone from here was used in the late Victorian era to build tenements in Edinburgh and Glasgow, and also to construct New Y ...
in
Dumfries
Dumfries ( ; sco, Dumfries; from gd, Dùn Phris ) is a market town and former royal burgh within the Dumfries and Galloway council area of Scotland. It is located near the mouth of the River Nith into the Solway Firth about by road from the ...
, Scotland, and described by
Rev. Henry Duncan.
In
ichnology, footprints and other traces are given a genus and species name, the ichnogenus and ichnospecies, that is based on the shape of the print. However, it is almost impossible to match a trackmark to the animal that made it. ''Chelichnus'' has been argued to belong to either a
therapsid
Therapsida is a major group of eupelycosaurian synapsids that includes mammals, their ancestors and relatives. Many of the traits today seen as unique to mammals had their origin within early therapsids, including limbs that were oriented more ...
, or a reptile.
[McKeever, PJ. 1994. The behavioural and biostratigraphic significance and origin of vertebrate trackways from the Permian of Scotland. ''Palaios'', 9:477-487] It has sometimes mistakenly been referred to as a dinosaur footprint by the media and public, but it is not, as dinosaurs did not exist at this time.
Description
The fore and hind foot are both rounded and nearly equal in size, but the forefoot is slightly smaller, and the fore and hind footprints are placed closely together. Both have five digits though three to four digits are more commonly seen due to poor preservation. Digits are usually separated from the sole. The inner digits are directed forwards, while the outermost digit is direct more to the side.
''Chelichnus'' Jardine 1850 - KU Ichnology website
/ref>
See also
* 19th century in ichnology
References
Vertebrate trace fossils
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