<<

Mammalfootprints from the - , easternNew Mexico

by ThomasE. Williamsonand SpencerG. Lucas, New Mexico Museum of Natural History and Science,1801 Mountain Road NW Albuquerque, New Mexico 87104-7375

Abstract well-develooed mudcracks. The track- ways are diveloped on the mudstone trackways preserved in the drape but are preserved as infillings at the Miocene-Pliocene Ogallala Formation of base of the overlying conglomerate (Figs. eastern New Mexico represent the first 2-4). Most tracks are preserved on the report of mammal -from this unit in underside of a single, thick conglomerate New Mexico. These trackwavs are Dre- block (Fig. 3). A few isolated mammal served as infillings in a conglomerate near the base of the Ogallala Formation. At least prints were also observed on the under- four mammalian ichnotaxa are represented, side of adjacent blocks.he depth of the including a single trackway of a large infillings suggest that tracks were made in (Gambapessp. A), several prints of an uncer- a relatively soft substrate. Some prints are tain family of artiodactyl (Gambapessp B), a accompanied by marks indicating slip- single trackway of a large feloid carnivoran page on a slick, wet substrate (Fig. 5C). (Bestiopeda sp.), and several indistinct im- Infillings of mudcracks and narrow, cylin- pressions, probably representing more than drical burrows and raindrop impressions one trackway of a small canid carnivoran are Dreserved over some areas of the (Chelipus sp ). The are preserved in a channel-margin facies of an Ogallala tracliway slab. Mammal trackways repre- braided stream. sent at least four ichnotaxa.

Introduction Description and identif ication

In eastern New Mexico, the Ogallala Bestiopeila sp. Formation is composed of alluvial, eolian, 10O km and lacustrine deposits of Miocene to A single trackway referred to Bestiopeda early Pliocene age, about 124Ma (Fig. 1; sp. parallels the trackway of Gambapessp. FIGURE 1-Map showing trackway location Hawley, 1984). In the Panhandle, A described below (Figs. 4,5A). We follow (NMMNH locality L-3096) Tiackway locality is Ogallala Group strata produce the mam- Sarjeant and Langston (1994) rn restricting in the Pliocene Ogallala Formation, San Juan malian assemblages characteristic of Bestiopeda to carnivoran footprints that Mesa, Chavez County, eastern New Mexico. the and land- lack claw impressions. Bestiopedaare gen- Ogallala Formation and correlative deposits mammal "ages" of -early erally ascribed to feloids, which normally () are shaded (modified from Hawley, 1984). Pliocene age (Wood el a1.,1941;Tedford et walk with claws retracted or held above a1.,1987).However, no fossil are the ground. These tracks also exhibit other known from the Ogallala Formation in characteristics distinctive of modern cats, New Mexico. Here we report mammal such as plantar pads that have two lobes footprints from the Ogallala Formation, on the front (Halfpenny and Biesiot, 1986) Alsoin this issue the first documentation of fossil mammals and prints that have breadth greater than Ramah Memberof the Crevasse = from the unit in New Mexico. their length (manus length 55 mm; Formation-a new stratigraphic = = breadth 57 mm; digit II length 2l mnl.; unitin theZuni Basin p.6 Locality and stratigraphy III length = 27 mm; IV length = 23 mm;Y length = 22mm). 1996NMGS News p.13 The trackway locality (NMMNH L- OliverLee MemorialState Park p. 14 3096, UTM Zone-13 3756410N 603114E)is Chelipus sp. 1995NM MineralSymposium on the west flank of San Juan Mesa, abstracts p.18 Chavez County, New Mexico. The Several prints possibly representing sev- ServiceiNews p.22 Ogallala Formation consists of 2L m of eral trackways of small, digitigrade foot- conglomerate, sandstone, and caliche (Fig. prints with four digits (II to V) are referred GeographicNames p.23 2). tackways from NMMNH locality L- lo Chelipus sp. (Figs. 4, 58) (overall length = UpcomingMeetings p.23 3095 are found abCve a 3S-cm-thick, lentic- 35 mm; breadth =32mm; digit II length = ular, sandstone and mudstone lens in the 10 mm; III length = 20 mm; IV length = 20 Gomingsoon basal conglomerate of the Ogallala mm; V length = 15 mm). Digital pads are Formation. The lower 25 cm of this lens ovoid and of equal or similar size. Prints Copper in New Mexico consists of a planar-bedded sandstone. are very shallow and indistinct. Manus The upper 10 cm is a mudstone drape with and pes prints probably overlap. No defi- MEASURED STRATIGRAPH IC SECTION

LEGEND % s.,,"6" cro*oeire W FIGURE 2-Measured stratigraphic section and lithologic description of Ogallala Formation at trackway locality, sec 22 T4S M9E, San Juan Mesa, coneto New Mexico. ffi "r.r" Effi phn.rb"d" llffiil..*",o* Fl s;6e1on" E_-

New Nztexreo localityL-3096 GEOLOGY . Scienceand Service tssN o196-948X Volume 18, No. 1, February 1996

Editor: Carol A Hjellning EDITORIAL BOARD Steve M Cather, NMBMMR, Chairman Thomas Giordano, NMStl Laurel B Goodwin, NMIMT Spencer G Lucas, NM&INHS FrankJ Pazzaglia,UNM Ogaliala Formation Thickness Published quarterly by (m) New Mexico Bureau of Mines and Mineral Resources 5 Caliche; white (N9) weathers pinkish gray a division of New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology (5 YR 8/1); forms extensive caprock over San Mesa. BOARD OF REGENTS Juan Ex-Officio 4 Conglomerate; Iight brown (5 YR 6/4);poorly Gary Johnsorl Gooernor of New Muico sorted; crudelybedded with some crossbeds; Alan Morgan, Superintendentof Publi Instruction subarkosic; quartzite, sandstone, and Appointed Michael Kelly, Pres, 7992-1997,Roswell gneiss clasts; clasts imbricated; J subrounded; Steve S Torres, Secfheas ,\99"1-1997, Albuquerque calcareous. 4.0 Diane D Denish, 7992-7997,Albuquerque 3 Sandstone; light brown (5yR6/4); moderately Delilah A Yega, Studtnt Member , 1995-7997 , Socorro Charles A Zinnerly, 1991-7997, sorted; fine- to coarse-grained; subangular; Socolro calcareous; subarkosic; slope-forming. New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology President. . . Daniel H. L6pez 2 Conglomerate; Iight brown (5 YR 6/4); poorly New Mexico Bureau of Mines and Mineral Resources sorted; crudely bedded with some crossbeds; Director 6nd StateGeologist Charles E Chapin subarkosic; quartzite, sandstone, chert and Subscriptions: Issued quarterly, February, gneiss clasts; clasts imbricated; subrounded; May, August, November; subscription price $5 00,/calen- calcareous; fines upward over last 1 m. Track- dar ways are found abbve 3S-cm-thick, lenticular, Editorial Matter: Articles submitted for publication sandstone and mudstone lens Lower 25 cm should be in the editor's hmds a minimum of five (5) consist of planar-bedded sandstone. Upper 10 months before date of publication (February, May, August, or November) and should be no cm consist of mudstone with well-developed longer than 20 typewdttery double-spaced pages. mudcracks. Trackwavs are developed on All scientific papers will be reviewed by at least two mudstone and preseived as infillings at baseof people in the appropriate field of study. Address inquiries overlying conglomerate. to Carol A Hjellming, Editor of Nm Conglomeratic blocks Mexico Ceology,New Mexico Bureau of Mines and preserving trackways are slumped. 70 Mineral Resources, Socorro, New Mexico 87801- Unconformity 4796 Chinle Group (Upper ) Publishedas public domain, thereforereprorlucible without permission 1 Siltstone and mudstone; light brown (5 YR 5/a); Sourcecredil requested Circulation: "1,000 calcareous. Upper 0 5 m is greenish not measured Printer: Urivercity of New Mexico Printing Services

February 1996 New Mexlco Ceology FIGURE 3-Exposures of Ogallala Formation on the west side of San Juan Mesa, eastern New Mexico. Trackways occur in the conglomeratic slump blocks near the base of the Ogallala Formation (see arrow). Note two people to the left of blocks for scale. nite claw impressions are preserved. However, prints have a single lobe on the front of the plantar pad as is seen in mod- ern canid tracks (Halfpenny and Biesiot, 1986) and are longer than wide, indicating that they were not made by a feloid.

Gambaltes sp. A

A single trackway is referred to Gam- bapessp. A (Figs. 4, 5C). The prints are rel- atively large (overall length = 146 mm; maximum width = 132 mm), didactyl, and symmetrical. The hoofprints of digits III and IV are separated by a continuous interdigital space, and each taper to a pointed apex. At least two of the prints (manus and pes) are followed by marks indicating slippage on the substrate (Fig. 5C). The hoofprints themselves are convex rather than flat, indicating that a fleshy pad was present. Each print is relatively broad with a maximum breadth greater than 35% of its length (Sarjeant and Langston, 1994). They are therefore confi- dently referred to Gambapes. The maxi- FIGURE4-Map of trackway, traced from underside of conglomeraticblock. tacks are preservedas mum breadth of hoofprints of the pes is infillings: l, Gambapessp. A; 2, Bestiopedasp; 3, Gambapessp. B; 4, Chelipussp. Shading indicates area about 50% of its length (medial hoofprint beyond block. length = 146 mm; maximum breadtlt = 72 mm). The prints referred to Gambapessp. A differ from Pecoripeda (sensu Sarjeant The ichnogenus Ceraipedaas emended Gambapessp.Acanconfidentlybereferred and Langston, 1994) in having shorter by Sarjeant and Langston (1994) is intend- to a large camel because of their large size hooves and from Cercipeda (sensu Saqeant ed to embrace didactyl artiodactyl foot- and indications that a fleshy, spreading and Langston, 1994) in lacking dewclaw prints made by cameloids, traguloids, cer- hoof pad similar to that seen in living lmDresslons. voids, and bovoids. The tracks we refer to was present.

New Mexico Geology February 1996 FIGURE S-Selected prints fromOgallala Formation trackway. A, Left pes (right) and manus (left) prints ol Bestiopedasp. Note mudcrack infillings. Manus length is 55 mm. B, manus? and pes? pfrnts of Chelipus sp. showing-possible overlap of pes on-manus. Note sinuo'us trace andraindrop impressions. C, Manus (left) and pes (right) prints of Gambapessp. A. Note slippage markJ behind both prints. Manus length is 146 mm. D, Single print of Gambapesso. B.

Gambapes sp.B impressed and lacks accompanying dew- least two different camivorans, one camel claw impressions, suggesting that these and another large artiodactyl. Several isolated prints or short track- were not made by a cervoid, traguloid, or The Ogallala footprints documented ways are referred to Gambapessp. B (Figs. bovoid. It may represent a large antilo- here are assigned to ichnogenera with 4, 5D). Prints are symmetrical, didactyl, caprid or medium-sized, primitive long temporal ranges that go back to at and smaller than those referred to camelid. least the late (Duchesnean) Gambapessp. A described above (overall (Saryeant and Wilson, 1988; Sarjeant and = length 100 mm; overall breadth = 86 Discussion Langston, 1994). Therefore, they are of lit- mm). Hoofprints taper to a point anterior- tle biochronological significance. Ogallala ly and are separated by a nearly continu- This is the first documentation of mam- fossil mammals from the Texas Panhandle ous interdigital space One print was mal trackways from the Ogallala Forma- include camelids and other ruminant deeply impressed into the substrate and tion of New Mexico. Several Miocene to artiodactyls as well as canid and feloid early Pliocene mammal trackways have carnivorans (e.9., Johnston, 1937; Savage been reported from western North and Russell, 1983). Two unreported locali- America- (Alf, 1966; Johnston, 1937; ties in the Texas Panhandle also produce Lockley and Hunt, 1995; Nations et al., tracks and track fillings of camels (Schultz, 1981;Nininger,l94l; Scrivner and Bottjer, personal communication 1995). Specimens breadth of the hoofprints is greater than 1986; Williamson and Morgan, 1995), but from these localities are in the collections 35% of its length (hoofprint length = 100 they are generally poorly documented. of Panhandle-Plains Historical Museum mm; breadth = 40 mm). Many of these trackways are dominated and West Texas A&M University. The Sarjeant and Langston (1994) revised by camels. Williamson and Morgan (1995) localities include a site in the Ogallala the ichnogenera Pecoripeda and Cerztipeda. reported on a late Miocene trackway from Formation of Moore County, Texas that They distinguished Ceraipeda from the "middle red member" of the Zia exposes about 30 sandstone cast fillings Pecoripeda by the presence of dew-claw Formation of the Santa Fe Group in and a site that produces tracks and fillings impressions. They noted, however, that in Sandoval County. That trackway is'also in a lacustrine of late Hemphil- living cervids such as , dew-claw dominated by camel tracks but includes lian or age in the Rita Blanca beds impressions are not left when the animal two trackways of a large feloid carnivo- west of Channing in Hartley County, is walking, or moving over a hard sub- ran. The trackways reported here are Texas (Schultz, personal communication strate. At least one print is very deeply unusual in preserving trackways of at 1995). The trackways reported here repre-

February 1996 New Mexico Geology sent constituents of the Ogallala mammal- published (Lockley and Hunt, 7995), on Eocene (Duchesnean) mammai footprints frorn Texas: ian known elsewhere from tracks mammalian trackways. We also thank A. the Skyline Channels of Trans-Pecos Texas of Science,v. 40, pp. 439446. and body fossils. P. Hunt and G. E. Schultz for their con- Journal Savage,D. E., and Russel1,D. E., 1983,Marnmalian The occurrence of fossil mammal track- structive review of this manuscript. Paleofaunas of the World: Addison-Wesley ways in the Ogallala Formation reported Publishing Company, Inc., Reading, Massa- here is in a laminated lens of sandstone References chusetts,432pp. and mudstone in a trough-crossbedded Scrirmer, P J., and Bottjer, D. J., 1986, conglomerate. We interpret the conglom- Alt R. M., 1966, Mammal trackways from the avian and mammalian tracks from Death Valley , California: California Acad- National Monument, California: their context, erate to represent a low sinuosity, rcpidIy emy of Sciences, v. 65, pp.258-264. classification and preservation: Palaeogeogra- flowing stream (also channel see Seni, Halfpenny, J., and Biesiot, E., 1986,Afield guide to phy, Palaeoclimatology, Palaeoecology,v. 57, pp. 1980). The trackway-bearing lens can mammal hacking in : Johnson 285131.. readily be understood as a channel mar- Publishing Company, Boulder, Colorado, 161 pp. Seni, S. J., 1980, Sand-body geometry and deposi- ginlproximal floodplain facies where Hawley, J. W-, 1984, The Ogallala Formation in tional systems, Ogallala Formation, Texas: eastern New A. (ed.), The University of sandstone is deposited in sheets during Mexico; ln Whetstone, G. Bureau of Economic Geology, Proceedings of the Ogallala aquifer symposium Texas at Austin, Report of Investigations no. 105, upper flow regime conditions and draped II: Texas Tech Universitv. Water Resources 18 pp. with mudstone during times of slack flow. Center,pp. 157-176. redfoid, R. H., Skinner, M. F., Fields, R. W., Such surfaces are often subaerially Johnston, C.5., 1.937,Tracks from the Pliocene of Rensberger, J. M., Whistlea D. P., Galusha, T., exposed on braided-river floodplains (for West Texas:The American Midland Naturalist, v Taylor, B. E., Macdonald, f. R., and Webb, S. D., example, the modern Rio Grande). 18,no. 1, pp.147-1,52. 1982 Faunal successionand biochronology of the Lockley, M. G., and Hunt, A. P., 1995, Dinosaur Arikareean through Hemphillian interval (late Mammals coming to the stream to ford it tracks and other fossil footprints of the westem through earliest Pliocene epochs) in or drink from it would impress their foot- United States: Columbia University Press, 338 North Arnerica; iz Woodburne, M. O. (ed.), prints into the sand, and- those impres- pp mamrnals of North America-geo- sions would be preserved if buried soon Nations, J. D., Hevly, D. W., Blinn, D. W., and chronology and biostratigraphy: University of thereafter by sand and gravel during an Landye, J. J-, 1981,,Paleontology, paleoecology California Press,Berkeley, pp. 153-210. (1995), episode of high river discharge. This sce- and depositional historv of the Miocene-Plio- Williamson, T. E., and Morgan, G. S., cene Veide Formation, Yivapai Counry Arizona: (1ate /early Claren- nario well explains the formation and Arizona Geoiogical Society, Digest, v. 13, pp. donian) fossils and ichnofossils from preservation of ttre Ogallala footprints 133-149. the "rniddle red member," , Ceja described here. Nininger, H. H., 1941, Huniing prehistoric lion del Rio Puerco, Sandoval County, New Mexico AcruowrnocMENTS-We thank Mark tracks in Arizona: Plateau, v 1,4,pp. 21,-27. (abs.):New Mexico Geology,v. 17,no.2,p.30. and Dustin Gray for their invaluable assis- Sarjeant, W. A. S., and Langston, W., Jr., 1994, Wood, H. E., Chaney, R. W., Clark, J., Colbert, E. H., Vertebrate footprints invertebrate traces L., Reeside G., and Stock, C., tance in the field and for drawing our and Jepsen, G. I. Ir., from the Chadronian (Late Eocene) of Trans- 1941,Nomenclature and correlation of the North attention to the trackway site. Adrian Pecos Texas: Texas Memorial Museum, Bulletin American continental : Geological Hunt and Martin Lockley allowed us 36,85pp. Society of America, Bulletin, v. 52, pp. 148. tr access to an unpublished manuscript, now Sarjeant, W A. S., and Wilson, J. A., 1988, Late

NewMexico Geology February 1996