Genus
Ichnogenus Formal taxon Extinct

Carmelopodus

Lockley et al. 1998

Carmelopodus is an ichnogenus of theropod dinosaur footprint. They are suggested to belong to basal ceratosaurs, due to their similarities with abelisaurid footprints. In 2016, a large footprint from the Early Jurassic Aganane Formation of Morocco belonging to Carmelopodus sp. was estimated to belong to an 8 m (26 ft) long and 1.65 t heavy individual. Another footprint from the Middle Jurassic of the USA that belongs to Carmelopodus untermannorum, the type species, has a size of 4 cm (0.13 ft) and was made by an individual that was 68 cm (2.2 ft) in length and 1 kg (2.2 lbs).

Temporal range
Triassic
Jurassic
Cretaceous
Paleogene
Neogene
252 201 145 66 0 Ma
PBDB occurrences
12
Group
Dinosaures
Carnivore Ground dwelling, solitary Terrestrial
Carmelopodus
click to enlarge
Icnita de terópodo pequeño. Jurásico. Loulle (Jura, Franco Condado, Francia) © PePeEfe · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Wikimedia
Carmelopodus
Carmelopodus
PBDB ↗ Wikipedia ↗
Classification
Dinosauria Unranked clade
›
Theropoda Unranked clade
›
Carmelopodus Genus
Fossil sites 12 geolocated sites
Distribution
Top countries
🇬🇧 United Kingdom
4
🇺🇸 United States
3
🇵🇱 Poland
1
🇨🇳 China
1
🇨🇱 Chile
1
🇫🇷 France
1
🇨🇭 Switzerland
1
Geological formations
Valtos Sandstone
3
Carmel
2
Przysucha
1
Shaximiao
1
Forest Marble
1
Majala
1
Morillon
1
Reuchenette
1
Cedar Mountain
1
Temporal distribution
Albian (113.2–100.5 Ma)
1
Kimmeridgian (154.8–149.2 Ma)
2
Oxfordian (161.5–154.8 Ma)
1
Callovian (165.3–161.5 Ma)
1
Bathonian (168.2–165.3 Ma)
4
Bajocian (170.9–168.2 Ma)
2
Hettangian (201.4–199.5 Ma)
1
Species (2)
Carmelopodus untermannorum 171 Ma
Grallator (Grallator) zvierzi nomen dubium, species not entered Carmelopodus 201 Ma
Synonyms (1)
Grallator (Grallator) zvierzi nomen dubium, species not entered Carmelopodus
Images 2
Bibliography
Original description
M. G. Lockley, A. P. Hunt, and M. Paquette, S.-A. Bilbey, A. H. Hamblin. 1998. Dinosaur tracks from the Carmel Formation, northeastern Utah: implications for Middle Jurassic paleoecology. Ichnos 5(4):255-267 DOI ↗
Bibliography (8)
T. Blakesley, P. E. dePolo, and D. A. Ross, N. D. L. Clark, S. L. Brusatte. 2025. Small theropod-dominated dinosaur footprint assemblages in the Middle Jurassic Valtos Sandstone and Kilmaluag Formations on the Isle of Skye, Scotland. Royal Society Open Science 12(9):251016:1-57 DOI ↗
M. Yurac, M. Belvedere, and C. Salazar, J. Méndez, C. Meyer. 2025. Upper Jurassic dinosaur tracks from the Majala Formation in the Huatacondo area (Tarapacá Basin, Chile): reappraisal of known localities and new tracksite discoveries. Swiss Journal of Palaeontology 144(1):72:1-25 DOI ↗
B. H. Breithaupt, N. A. Matthews, and R. K. Hunt-Foster. 2023. Using photogrammetry for long-term preservation and management of in situ Mesozoic paleontological resources: preserving ancient ecosystems. 14th Symposium on Mesozoic Terrestrial Ecosystems and Biota. The Anatomical Record 306(S1):56-57
D. Marty, M. Belvedere, and N. L. Razzolini, M. G. Lockley, G. Paratte, M. Cattin, C. Lovis, C. A. Meyer. 2018. The tracks of giant theropods (Jurabrontes curtedulensis ichnogen. & ichnosp. nov.) from the Late Jurassic of NW Switzerland: palaeoecological & palaeogeographical implications. Historical Biology 30:928-956 DOI ↗
L.-D. Xing, J. Ba, and M. G. Lockley, H. Klein, S.-W. Yan, A. Romilio, C.-Y. Chou, W. S. Persons. 2018. Late Triassic sauropodomorph and Middle Jurassic theropod tracks from the Xichang Basin, Sichuan Province, southwestern China: First report of the ichnogenus Carmelopodus. Journal of Palaeogeography 7(1):1-13 DOI ↗
J.-M. Mazin, P. Hantzpergue, and J. Pouech. 2016. The dinosaur tracksite of Loulle (early Kimmeridgian; Jura, France). Geobios 49(3):211-228 DOI ↗
M. G. Lockley, A. P. Hunt, and M. Paquette, S.-A. Bilbey, A. H. Hamblin. 1998. Dinosaur tracks from the Carmel Formation, northeastern Utah: implications for Middle Jurassic paleoecology. Ichnos 5(4):255-267 DOI ↗
G. Gierlinski. 1991. New dinosaur ichnotaxa from the Early Jurassic of the Holy Cross Mountains, Poland. Palaeogeography, Palaeoclimatology, Palaeoecology 85:137-148 DOI ↗