Mortichnia
A mortichnia is the "death march", or last walk, of a living creature.fossil footprints.
Notable examples
In 2002 the mortichnia of a horseshoe crab was found in lithographic limestone in Bavaria, Germany.[2][1] The trail measured 9.7m and was left about 150 million years ago when the crab died in an anoxic lagoon.[1] The footprints left enough evidence for researchers to determine that the creature probably fell into the lagoon upside-down, righted itself, and started walking before succumbing to the anoxic conditions of the water.[1] The trackway is currently exhibited at the Wyoming Dinosaur Center.[3]
See also
- ichnogenusattributed to horseshoe crabs
References
- ^ a b c d "Fossil records 'crab' death march". BBC News. 6 September 2012. Retrieved September 7, 2012.
- S2CID 55610538.
- ^ "Final Journey of the Horseshoe Crab: The Longest Mortichnial Trackway in the Fossil Record". Retrieved 2020-05-25.