Eubrontes
Encyclopedia
Eubrontes is the name of fossilised dinosaur
footprints dating from the Late Triassic
and Early Jurassic
. They have been identified from France, Poland, Slovakia, Italy, Spain, Australia (Queensland) and the USA. It is a junior synonym of Grallator
.
Eubrontes is the name of the footprints, identified by their shape, and not of the genus
or genera that made them, which is as yet unknown. They are most famous for their discovery in the Connecticut River Valley of Massachusetts
in the early 19th century. They, among other footprints, were the first known dinosaur remains to be discovered in North America, though they were initially thought to have been made by large birds by Edward Hitchcock
, a professor of Amherst College
. Another major find occurred at Rocky Hill, Connecticut
in 1966. Nearly 600 prints are preserved there in an area now designated Dinosaur State Park.
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In early 1970s, a fiberglass
cast
of an Eubrontes giganteus footprint was made by Paul E. Olsen
, then 14 years old, and his friend. It was then sent to President Richard Nixon
to get his support for registering the Riker Hill Fossil Site
in Roseland, New Jersey
as a National Natural Landmark
.
A typical Eubrontes print is from 25 –50 cm long, with three toes that terminate in sharp claws. It belongs to a biped that must have been over one metre high at the hip and from 5–6 metres long. E. Colbert and others supposed that a large heavy carnivore like Teratosaurus
(then considered to be a dinosaur) made the track, but a possible candidate is Dilophosaurus
, a large theropod related to Coelophysis
, or a close relative. However no Dilophosaurus fossil material is associated with Eubrontes tracks.
Eubrontes is the state fossil of Connecticut. The type species is Eubrontes giganteus. The French footprint has been called Eubrontes veillonensis. The name means 'true thunder,' probably referring to the supposed weight of the animal impacting on the ground.
A trackway attributed to the ichnogenus Eubrontes had a missing second digit on the right foot. The animal could have either lost the toe due to injury or it was malformed.
Dinosaur
Dinosaurs are a diverse group of animals of the clade and superorder Dinosauria. They were the dominant terrestrial vertebrates for over 160 million years, from the late Triassic period until the end of the Cretaceous , when the Cretaceous–Paleogene extinction event led to the extinction of...
footprints dating from the Late Triassic
Late Triassic
The Late Triassic is in the geologic timescale the third and final of three epochs of the Triassic period. The corresponding series is known as the Upper Triassic. In the past it was sometimes called the Keuper, after a German lithostratigraphic group that has a roughly corresponding age...
and Early Jurassic
Early Jurassic
The Early Jurassic epoch is the earliest of three epochs of the Jurassic period...
. They have been identified from France, Poland, Slovakia, Italy, Spain, Australia (Queensland) and the USA. It is a junior synonym of Grallator
Grallator
Grallator is an ichnogenus which covers a common type of small, three-toed print made by a variety of bipedal theropod dinosaurs. Grallator-type footprints have been found in formations dating from the late Triassic through to the early Cretaceous periods...
.
Eubrontes is the name of the footprints, identified by their shape, and not of the genus
Genus
In biology, a genus is a low-level taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms, which is an example of definition by genus and differentia...
or genera that made them, which is as yet unknown. They are most famous for their discovery in the Connecticut River Valley of Massachusetts
Massachusetts
The Commonwealth of Massachusetts is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. It is bordered by Rhode Island and Connecticut to the south, New York to the west, and Vermont and New Hampshire to the north; at its east lies the Atlantic Ocean. As of the 2010...
in the early 19th century. They, among other footprints, were the first known dinosaur remains to be discovered in North America, though they were initially thought to have been made by large birds by Edward Hitchcock
Edward Hitchcock
Edward Hitchcock was a noted American geologist and the third President of Amherst College .-Life:...
, a professor of Amherst College
Amherst College
Amherst College is a private liberal arts college located in Amherst, Massachusetts, United States. Amherst is an exclusively undergraduate four-year institution and enrolled 1,744 students in the fall of 2009...
. Another major find occurred at Rocky Hill, Connecticut
Rocky Hill, Connecticut
Rocky Hill is a town in Hartford County, Connecticut, United States. The population was 17,966 at the 2000 census. Rocky Hill was part of Wethersfield, the neighboring town to the north, until it was independently incorporated in 1849....
in 1966. Nearly 600 prints are preserved there in an area now designated Dinosaur State Park.
Fiberglass
Glass fiber is a material consisting of numerous extremely fine fibers of glass.Glassmakers throughout history have experimented with glass fibers, but mass manufacture of glass fiber was only made possible with the invention of finer machine tooling...
cast
Casting
In metalworking, casting involves pouring liquid metal into a mold, which contains a hollow cavity of the desired shape, and then allowing it to cool and solidify. The solidified part is also known as a casting, which is ejected or broken out of the mold to complete the process...
of an Eubrontes giganteus footprint was made by Paul E. Olsen
Paul E. Olsen
Paul E. Olsen is an American paleontologist and author and co-author of a large number of technical papers. Growing up as a teenager in Livingston, New Jersey, he was instrumental in Riker Hill Fossil Site being named a National Natural Landmark as a teenager by sending President Richard Nixon a...
, then 14 years old, and his friend. It was then sent to President Richard Nixon
Richard Nixon
Richard Milhous Nixon was the 37th President of the United States, serving from 1969 to 1974. The only president to resign the office, Nixon had previously served as a US representative and senator from California and as the 36th Vice President of the United States from 1953 to 1961 under...
to get his support for registering the Riker Hill Fossil Site
Riker Hill Fossil Site
Riker Hill Fossil Site is a paleontological site in Roseland, New Jersey, located at the south western side of the borough at the border between Roseland and Livingston, New Jersey. It is one of the major sites in United States where a large number of dinosaur tracks are preserved...
in Roseland, New Jersey
Roseland, New Jersey
Roseland is a borough in western Essex County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2010 United States Census, the borough population was 5,819...
as a National Natural Landmark
National Natural Landmark
The National Natural Landmark program recognizes and encourages the conservation of outstanding examples of the natural history of the United States. It is the only natural areas program of national scope that identifies and recognizes the best examples of biological and geological features in...
.
A typical Eubrontes print is from 25 –50 cm long, with three toes that terminate in sharp claws. It belongs to a biped that must have been over one metre high at the hip and from 5–6 metres long. E. Colbert and others supposed that a large heavy carnivore like Teratosaurus
Teratosaurus
Teratosaurus was a genus of rauisuchian known from the Triassic Stubensandstein of Germany...
(then considered to be a dinosaur) made the track, but a possible candidate is Dilophosaurus
Dilophosaurus
Dilophosaurus was a theropod dinosaur from the Sinemurian stage of the Early Jurassic Period, about 193 million years ago. The first specimens were described in 1954, but it was not until over a decade later that the genus received its current name...
, a large theropod related to Coelophysis
Coelophysis
Coelophysis , meaning "hollow form" in reference to its hollow bones , is one of the earliest known genera of dinosaur...
, or a close relative. However no Dilophosaurus fossil material is associated with Eubrontes tracks.
Eubrontes is the state fossil of Connecticut. The type species is Eubrontes giganteus. The French footprint has been called Eubrontes veillonensis. The name means 'true thunder,' probably referring to the supposed weight of the animal impacting on the ground.
A trackway attributed to the ichnogenus Eubrontes had a missing second digit on the right foot. The animal could have either lost the toe due to injury or it was malformed.
See also
- Connecticut River Valley trackwaysConnecticut River Valley trackwaysThe Connecticut River Valley trackways are the fossilised footprints of a number of Early Jurassic dinosaurs or other archosauromorphs from the sandstone beds of South Hadley, Massachusetts. The finding has the distinction of being the first known discovery of dinosaur remains in North America.A...
- List of Australian and Antarctic dinosaurs
- GrallatorGrallatorGrallator is an ichnogenus which covers a common type of small, three-toed print made by a variety of bipedal theropod dinosaurs. Grallator-type footprints have been found in formations dating from the late Triassic through to the early Cretaceous periods...
- AnomoepusAnomoepusAnomoepus gracillimus is the name assigned to fossil footprints first reported from Early Jurassic beds of the Connecticut River Valley, Massachusetts, USA in 1802....
- DilophosaurusDilophosaurusDilophosaurus was a theropod dinosaur from the Sinemurian stage of the Early Jurassic Period, about 193 million years ago. The first specimens were described in 1954, but it was not until over a decade later that the genus received its current name...
- Edward HitchcockEdward HitchcockEdward Hitchcock was a noted American geologist and the third President of Amherst College .-Life:...