Acta Zoologica Cracoviensia, 39(1) 1996

Issue:

VOL 39(1) 1996

Keywords:

Upper Pleistocene, footprints, trackways

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The Upper Pleistocene tracksite Bottrop-Welheim (Germany)

• Wighart V. KOENIGSWALD
• P. Martin SANDERAND
• Martin WALDERS

Abstract:

On the lower terraces of the Emscher river near Bottrop, a vertebrate tracksite was discovered and preserved as epoxy resin casts. The horizon with the footprints is attributed to the middle Weichselian. Roughly 600 footprints cover the cast section of about 150 m². From these, 30 trackways with three or more footprints could be reconstructed. Sixteen trackways represent Rangifer tarandus, and 12 are from large herbivores, mainly bovids. Of special interest are the two trackways of Canis lupus and Panthera leo spelaea. Anser sp. is the only bird represented. Using biomechanical equations developed for dinosaurs, stride length can be used to estimate the travelling speed of the trackmakers. All of the animals were moving at a modest pace. This suggests that the carnivores crossed the site at different times than the herbivores. The time represented by the tracksite is very short, and more likely may be counted in days than in weeks. Nevertheless, different preservation types of the tracks indicate small-scale variations in the water content of the sediment, as well as a progressive drying-up of the site.