Research mostly funded by the Geoscience Research Institute was presented at the 5th International Congress on Ichnology, Ichnia 2024, held in Florianopolis, Brazil – April 14-19, 2024.

The first presentation, titled “Claw-only theropod tracks in the El Molino Formation, Torotoro National Park, Bolivia,” highlights a style of preservation of theropod tracks in which only the print of the claws is preserved, with the trace of the rest of the foot either absent or barely distinguishable. The traces of the claws are preserved as round, elliptical or elongated indentations roughly arranged in an isosceles triangle. The study suggests that the claw-only tracks were printed in a late stage of dewatering of the substrate when the sediment was firm but not dry.
Access the abstract here

The second contribution, titled “First record of shorebird footprints in the El Molino Formation (Maastrichtian), Torotoro National Park, Bolivia,” reports the finding of 225 bird tracks in a small tracksite with an area of 8 m². The tracks closely resembles both Cenozoic ichnotaxa and modern coastal bird tracks.
Access the abstract here