• Digital Humanities and Cultural Heritage
• Publications close
• Research data close
• Journal of Iberian Geology close

AbstractOne of the most diverse turtle lineages in the Upper Jurassic and Lower Cretaceous record of Europe is that of the stem turtles Pleurosternidae (Paracryptodira), also distributed in North America. The oldest European representative of this lineage is the Portuguese Selenemys lusitanica, known from upper Kimmeridgian to lower Tithonian levels (Late Jurassic). The information on the shell of this taxon is so far very limited, being exclusively restricted to that provided in the publication in which the taxon was defined. New specimens from several upper Kimmeridgian to Tithonian localities in the Consolação Sub-basin of the Portuguese Lusitanian Basin, both from the Leiria District and the Lisbon District, are studied here. They include the most complete shell of the species found so far, as well as several isolated plates that allow us to improve knowledge about it. Thus, new information about the shell anatomy of Selenemys lusitanica is provided, but also about its intraspecific variability.

AbstractDinosaur tracks are considerably common in the fossil record and were described from many areas in the world. They provide a live picture of dinosaur behaviour and offer valuable data about different aspects of the trackmaker paleobiology. The dinosaur ichnological record allows gain information about autopod anatomy, functional adaptations, stance and gaits with which dinosaurs moved. This information, which is often difficult to obtain from the body-fossil record alone, allows making inferences not only concerning the single individuals who produced the footprints, but also within an evolutionary context. Footprints provide also evidences about the abilities that dinosaurs had to swim, run or live with certain pathologies. They also allowed inferring how they move in herds or even made courtship rituals. The study of tracks also enables the reconstruction of paleocommunities including predator–prey interaction. On the other hand, footprints are useful paleoenvironmental indicators, informing about moisture content, bathymetry, paleocurrents, subaqueous substrates, zonations in lacustrine margins, etc. In addition, it has been proposed that dinosaur track assemblages can be related to certain facies (ichnofacies), in order to refine paleoenvironmental reconstructions. Dinosaur tracks can sometimes be in the shadow with respect to the skeletal record. However, the data obtained from the ichnological record complements and completes the knowledge we have about the life of dinosaurs, even showing previously unknown aspects. This work is an overview of the information we can obtain from the study of non-avian dinosaur footprints, trying to answer some questions about their life.