More images from Pula

Some of my last week's finds

There are fossils that can be often mistaken for the sauropod tracks. Here is a probable stromatolite from the beach in Pula.

 A human footprint from Pula! However, I am afraid I am going to disappoint any aspiring creationist. This footprint was not left in the 100 million years old carbonate rocks, but in the cement placed on top of them, quite recently (the fossil of the future).

 A storm approaching in Pula.

Some of my earlier finds:

 A Late Cretaceous (Cenomanian) theropod track for a change. The track looks like an arrow. The Istrian Natural park Cape Kamenjak.

A dinosaur footprint on Pula beach. I presume it is a theropod track.

A "double" theropod track from the Main Brijun island (Barremian) - Cape Pogledalo

More news from the Early Cretaceous of Pula

A rather "crappy" dinosaur track I have found the other day on the rocks of Pula beach. It's probably a large theropod footprint (see my interpretation on the right).

 During my last visit (last week) in Pula, the weather was warm and humid and changing frequently.
A view from the window at the shower.

A nice small theropod track. I have found more tracks near by.

 

A view at the sea before the storm.

 Lichens on an oak tree (Pula).

 "Human" footprints that are about 100 million years old on Pula beach. My theory is that these traces were left by the large fish feeding on the bottom of the shallow sea in the intertidal zone.

Podarcis siculus adriatica (Werner, 1902) Taking a sunbath on a hedge (Pula)

The view of the Cape Stoja from Zlatne stijene (Golden Cliffs) in Pula, before the storm (the other day)

 

 One of the numerous sauropod trackways in Pula (100 mya). I have found it the other day.

 A piece of rock with some kind of impression that might be a diminutive dinosaur footprint (an ornithopod?) from the Cape Kamenjak, Istria. I have picked it near the theropod track site.

Peculiar looking Pula tracks

Unusual trackway on one of Pula's beaches (Early Cretaceous). The trackway (green outline) looks as if from some animal (dinosaur) with webbed feet. Nevertheless I presume this was an ankylosaur. A theropod footprint is also present.

A couple of different photographs

One of the photographs I took a couple of years ago, showing dwarf sauropod and theropod tracks at the Solaris (fkk auto camp) Early Cretaceous (Late Albian) outcrop.

For a change of pace: Here is a photograph of the Oligocene plant fossils I have collected near Zagorje ob Savi (Slovenia) many years ago. A toxodium branch (left) and a laurel leaf (right). The area was obviously a cypress swamp.

Incredibly large iguanodontoid from Pula

I made a series of images to illustrate the size of the huge iguanodontoids that had left their footprints in Pula. The first one: The middle hoof impression of the animal's foot (toe #3) compared to my feet size #46. Note the radial striae that might have been the cracks in the tough keratinous hoof. Notice the displacement rim around the impression. I saw those radial cracks in some hadrosaur fossils. The image in the middle is my interpretative outline (red) and the last image is photograph of an actual hadrosaur from the Oldman Formation hoof fossil (transparent) placed on top of the track and resized to fit (no distortions were used).

The whole foot impression is some 130-140 cm long. The animal must have been at least 18 meters long. probably longer.

The whole footprint of this iguanodontoid from an oblique view. Yellow outline is my interpretation.
I am standing on the other footprint of probably the same animal (same dimensions). However, this one has infilling.

More nature

Mudcracks at the Solaris outcrop, with a probable dinosaur track, possibly ornithopod. Early Cretaceous (Albian) — Porec, Solaris fkk auto camp.

 Pula, Early Cretaceous (Albian), probable ankylosaur trackway.

 

 

 

 

Some photographs

A photo from my yesterday's bike ride around Ljubljana. This was the end of the path. Even machete wouldn't help me to go through the foliage ahead, so I am turning back to pick up another path for biking.

A piece of "Mesozoic" along my bike ride. The dawn redwood (Metasequoia glyptostroboides).

Part of the nice path for biking and hiking around Ljubljana.

 From my yesterday's 's bike ride: A suburban jungle with a predatory Felis domesticus.

A giant iguanodontoid track, Pula, Early Cretaceous. The first giant dinosaur track I have discovered in Pula in 2009 was the one partly visible in the left lower corner. At first I thought it was from a giant theropod. Now it seems it belonged to the same iguanodontoid.

A medium size ankylosaur right pes - Main Brijun island, Early Cretaceous (Albian). my interpretation is the green outline.

Poorly preserved small theropod trackways on one of Pula's dinoturbations.

 

  
 Pula beach- Early Cretaceous (Late Albian) - probably a bottom feeding trace of a large fish.

 The Main Brijun island.

Iguanodontoid footprint on the Main Brijun island port pier. Previously it has been interpreted as a theropod track.

A few photographs from Istria

A juvenile sea gull is posing for my camera (Portorose, Istria, Slovenia).

A large Medusa swimming near the Main Brijun Island (Istria, Croatia).

A nice sauropod track from the Late Albian (Early Cretaceous) of Pula. It is the right manus/pes set of the Brontopodus type.

A dwarf sauropod trackway (probably Titanosaurimanus nana, Dalla Vecchia and Tarlao 2000) at the Solaris oucrop (Istria, Croatia)

Nice large Early Cretaceous ripple marks on Pula beach.

A dinosaur footprint, probably a large theropod on Pula outcrop.

Lovrečica Cenomanian track baring outcrop. One of the theropod tracks is visible in the photograph.

A right pes track of apparently enormous anklyosaur at one of the Pula's ankylosaur dinoturbations. Sauropelta pes outline from Carpenter is on the right. The animals seem to have been gregarious. Beside a few gigantic prints there are at least two parallel trackways of somewhat smaller ankylosaurs.

The right pes of much smaller ankylosaur (but still large) from the same Pula outcrop. The length of the pes is about 45 cm. The length of the larger one was in the range of 70-75 cm.

A sunset in Pula.