Late Cretaceous Mammal Tracks from North America

Mammal tracks from the latest Cretaceous (Campanian-Maastrichtian) of Colorado are described as Schadipes crypticus ichnogen. et ichnosp. nov., on the basis of material from the Laramie Formation in Golden, eastern Colorado. This ichnospecies, and a closely related form (Schadipes sp.) from the Mesaverde Group of western Colorado, represent the only mammal tracks so far identified from the Upper Cretaceous. A possible mammal track from North Africa (Agadirichnus elegans) was originally attributed to a lizard/lacertilian. Other purported Lower Cretaceous mammal tracks are based on isolated specimens of materials that are dubious or as yet undescribed in detail. Morphologically, Late Cretaceous mammal tracks resemble those of some modern rodents. However, based on the dominant mammalian elements of faunas at that time they are probably of marsupial or multituberculate affinity.