A possible dromaeosaur footprint

The Brijuni islands (Istria, Croatia) still need to be thoroughly researched for the dinosaur tracks. Here is a possible small Late Albian (Early Cretaceous) dromaeosaur footprint I have found on the Main Brijun island, a couple of years ago.

One of the dinoturbations on the Main Brijun island.

A sea gull chick on the Main Brijun island.

A sea gull's nest on the Main Brijun island. The modern dinosaurs (birds) nesting among the tracks of their distant ancestors and relatives (dinosaurs).

Some tracks from the Main Brijun island

The trackways outcrop at the Pogledalo promontory of the Main Brijun island. Early Cretaceous of the ADCP (Adriatic-Dinaridic carbonate platform).

Some Barremian tracks from the Main Brijun island (the Pogledalo promontory), with my interpretation attempt.

Outlined in green is apparently a left foot impression of a large iguanodontoid. Bellow it in the photograph is a right footprint of the medium-sized theropod (red outline). There has been some skidding in the mud of both animals. The iguanodontoid track is partially (toe-hooves II and IV) a positive (cast). There is a track I couldn't figure out (this time) left of the iguanodontoid footprint.

The tracks again

A couple of shallow large theropod footprints sticking below the rock. (125 mya) The Main Brijun island.

A dinosaur trackway in Pula (100 mya) probably a large theropod.

 "Is that a dinosaur track on the bottom?"

A probable large fish feeding trace in Pula.

 A strange oval impression in Pula. Might be from a jellyfish.

Jellyfish are still abundant.

 Desperately trying to escape the fierce theropod.

 The wing of a "modern theropod". It is interesting to see how the feathers are attached to the wing of an ostrich.

 More ripple marks of a different pattern and an oval impression as a positive (Pula).

 A large theropod trackway (Main Brijun island).

 Several footprints of some messy large theropods left on the beach about 125 mya.

An early Cretaceous outcrop in Pula.

 A poorly preserved dinosaur trackway near Pula ( a large theropod?)

 Some nice 100 million years old ripple marks from Pula.

A Yeti or a Sasquatch footprint? No way. This is from Pula and it is 100 million years old. This looks like a dinosaur track to me. A very interesting track! If it is a dino track I am speculating about an ankylosaur footprint with a skidding trace. The ankylosaur dinoturbation was just around the corner. I am not sure about this one, because this is a lone one. However, the shape and the size of this "footprint" are similar to the ones from the dinoturbation.

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

Messy Theropod

Interpreting the dinosaur footprint shape and size is not easy even if it seems clear at the first sight.
 An unusual track from the Pogledalo promontory of the Main Brijun island seemed to have 5-6 toes. I tried to interpret it with the red outline (image at the bottom), but with a partial result. I managed defining one large theropod footprint with a hallux impression. It was close to 50 cm long left foot (pes). The impression on the right was obviously a case of overprint. The same or another theropod left a print earlier and this footprint that I interpreted obliterated it. It is of Barremian age (Early Cretaceous), some 125 mya.

Dinosaurs were messy ... (3)

Here is an example how hard it can be to correctly identify the tracks. I have photographed a small fraction of the Barremian (cca 125 mya) dinoturbation at the Pogledalo promontory of the Main Brijun island in Istria (Croatia).
Outlined with the red line are all the visible theropod footprints. A very large single foot impression is only partly visible under the covering sediment. Applying Dalla Vecchia's ideal footprint model of the theropod from that site (the green silhouette) I managed deriving the track size of that particular theropod. It was bout 65 cm long. The beast itself was at least 10-11 meters long. The size of an adult  Altispinax. Other footprints are from considerably smaller individuals. The prints were distorted due to the mud collapse. There are at least 8 theropod footprints in this photo. Probably more.

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 The Main Brijun (Istria, Croatia) Early Cretaceous scene some 125 mya. Digital painting by Berislav Krzic:

The new sensational Cretaceous bird (repost)

Although, I know that many birds and dinosaur-birds lived alongside dinosaurs some 125 million years ago, during the Early Cretaceous, I always get surprised by the new discoveries. How come the ancient birds looked so advanced and modern as early as  that?
The newly described Chinese fossil bird Hongshanornis longicresta wouldn't make you turn your head if it flew by you. It seemed so common. Only a closer look, a very close look, would reveal that it had tiny teeth in the front of its beak and claws on it's wings.
A couple of years ago I was engaged in a project of producing and mounting a theropod  sculpture on the famous and rich Barremian track site on the Main Brijun island in Croatia. The tracks are roughly of the same age as the Chinese Jehol bird fossil. There are theropod tracks of various sizes at the site. The largest footprints measure about 60-65 cm in length. I have also noticed a large crock footprint, iguanodontoid tracks and possibly a pterosaur footprint there.

The sculpture at the Main Brijun Barremian tracksite by the the team of artists: sculptors Stjepan Gracan and Bozica Dea Matasic; painting and mounting by painter Zlatko Kauzlaric Atac; cconsulting and preliminary drawings by Berislav Krzic. It took almost 3 years for the sculpture to be produced and mounted at the track site in 2012: 

More photographs of the M. Brijun theropod sculpture 

My preliminary drawing of Eocarcharia (meaning "dawn shark") a  carcharodontosaurid theropod
dinosaur from the Early Cretaceous as a possible track maker and a reference for the sculptor (2006).

A couple of theropod footprints at the  Veli (Main) Brijun Barremian site (125 mya) (photo credit: Berislav Krzic):

Here is my restoration of the ancient bird Hongshanornis longicresta:

 You can read more about the bird's find here:
National Geographic
... or if you are interested more, here is the free scientific paper:
 A new specimen of the Early Cretaceous bird Hongshanornis longicresta: insights into the aerodynamics and diet of a basal ornithuromorph