Pantheraichnus Diedrich, 2011

JUNIOR SYNONYM(S): N/A

DESCRIPTION: Large, plantigrade tracks consisting of four, round to oval digit pads (digits II–V) located anteriorly of the track. A large pad is located posteriorly in the track and is kidney to rectangle-shaped in the pes and oval-shaped in the manus. Width and length of the pes is similar though the length is longer than width for the manus. The digital pads are closer in the pes than in the manus.

BEHAVIOR(S): Repichnia

ENVIRONMENTAL SETTINGS: Continental; terrestrial

POSSIBLE TRACEMAKERS: Carnivora mammals, particularly felids and specifically lions.

GEOLOGIC RANGE: Pleistocene

ADDITIONAL REFERENCES:

REMARKS: Description is the same for the ichnospecies Pantheraichnus bottropensis.
Anton and Salesa (2012) have given criticism to the paper Pantheraichnus was named in. They write that Diedrich had got it wrong when he said that the tracks were plantigrade when all modern felids are designated as digitigrade. They also question his interpretation of the trackmaker being a lion since the forefeet of lions are actually wider than they are long. Diedrich also did not properly describe the ichnogenus Pantheraichnus and instead described the ichnospecies Pantheraichnus bottropensis. He also did not offer comparisons to other, morphologically similar ichnogenera, such as Felipeda, and why it was morphologically unique.
No paper has been published though refuting the existence of Pantheraichnus.

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