Mortichnia
Fossilised last steps of a living creature
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
A mortichnia is the "death march", or last walk, of a living creature.[1] These are sometimes preserved as fossil footprints.
Closeup of the same Mesolimulus
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
- Kouphichnium, an ichnogenus attributed to horseshoe crabs
