Extensive vertebrate tracksite from the Upper Red Formation (middle–late Miocene), west Zanjan, northwestern Iran

N. Abbassi, M. Khoshyar, S. G. Lucas, F. Esmaeili
2021 Fossil Record  
An extensive vertebrate tracksite from the middle–late Miocene Upper Red Formation in western Zanjan Province, northwestern Iran, provides new records of paleobiogeographical significance. These are records of common footprints of felids referred to as Felipeda lynxi Panin and Avram, canids referred to as Canipeda longigriffa Panin and Avram and less common bird footprints referred to as Iranipeda abeli Lambrecht. The Canipeda record establishes the late Miocene presence of canids on the
more » ... Plateau as part of the Eurasia-wide "Eucyon event". The Felipeda footprints are consistent with body fossil and footprint records elsewhere in Eurasia that indicate a widespread distribution of felids by late Miocene time. An unusual trace associated with the footprints is a large, shallow grazing or locomotion trace similar to Megaplanolites in some features but distinctive in various features and its occurrence in nonmarine facies, and it will be the subject of further study.
doi:10.5194/fr-24-101-2021 doaj:0af55b973a954240923d89a34b97a0c0 fatcat:22evvfnurnfilprxdoxzpq42na