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Table 1.

Trackways, number of tracks, area, and density of tracks at the Carreras Pampa tracksite. Site CP7 has a low density of tracks because much of its surface has been eroded or altered. The total density figure of 2.61 is calculated using the values for sites CP1-CP6, and CP8 and CP9.

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Table 1 Expand

Fig 1.

Geographic location and sites at the Carreras Pampa tracksite.

A) Map of Bolivia displaying the main geological regions. The black square highlights the location of Torotoro National Park (TTNP) within the Eastern Cordillera. B) Aerial drone view of the Torotoro Syncline from the northwest. The primary geological formations are labeled. The Carreras Pampa tracksite is marked as CP. C) Aerial drone view of the Carreras Pampa tracksite with sites labeled CP1–CP9. A white bar measures 15 m long, corresponding to the length of the walkway sidewall. Two pickup trucks are located on the right side near site CP6. The orange bird icons denote the approximate area of avian tracks. The wave symbol indicates regions with the most noticeable ripples, though they are found throughout the exposed trackbed. The white line indicates where the track-bearing layer is revealed in a vertical cross-section.

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Fig 1 Expand

Fig 2.

Contextual section for the tracked bed.

A) Silty claystones separate five coarser-grained and resistant beds. For bed CP (trackbearing), a more detailed diagram of the range of sedimentary structures and trace fossils shows areas with greater amounts of horizontal and parting laminae, contrasting with localities dominated by trough cross-bedding. The upper portions of CP at most sites are similar and dominated by wave-ripple laminae. Trace fossils on the upper surface of the bed are the topic of this paper. Double-ended arrows show the mean directions of wave ripple crests in WB and CP, and the single-ended arrow shows the mean transport direction derived from sedimentary structures in CP. B) A view of part of the site CP3 with wave ripples and tracks. C–F) Thin section photomicrographs from resistant beds. C) General appearance of nested ostracod grains (NOGs) and quartz grains in the CP bed. Note darker micritic patches and acicular calcite cements. D) A detail of a NOG from CP shows seven or more ostracod valves stacked in a dish-in-dish structure. E) Ellipsoidal NOGs from the OB bed showing moderate packing and moldic porosity. F) NOGs from EB are moderately packed and cemented by euhedral spar, suggesting phreatic conditions. The scale bar for C represents 250 µm, and polarizers are partially crossed. D–F scale bars represent 50 µm with plane-polarized lighting.

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Fig 2 Expand

Fig 3.

Nomenclature and measurement protocols for dimensions of trackways and tracks.

The morphologies in 3F are provided for illustrative purposes, showing the morphologies of the toe and heel prints, and do not correspond to specific morphotypes.

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Fig 3 Expand

Fig 4.

Tracks of the styles of preservation M1 and M2.

A–H) Tracks of the style of preservation M1. A) Track of the trackway T22-2-1. B) Track of the trackway T22-2-1. C) Track of the trackway T22-2-36. D) Track of the trackway TO22-2-130. E) Track R1 of the trackway T22-2-483. F) Track of the trackway CPT114. G) Track of the trackway T22-2-31. H) Trackway CP6-62 (2023) from site CP6, each consisting of one, two, or three sets of indentations, st = swim trace. Blue angle bracket symbols (<) are added for clarity. I–P) Tracks of the style of preservation M2. I) Track R11 of the trackway T22-60. J) Track L1 of the trackway T22-2-51. K) Track of the trackway T22-2-469. L) Track L7 of the trackway T22-60. M) Track L8 of the trackway T22-2-8. N) Track R2 of the trackway T22-197. O) Track R8 of the trackway T22-2-8. P) Track R2 of the trackway T22-2-11. Scales are in cm; the scale in H is 1 m.

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Fig 4 Expand

Fig 5.

Styles of preservation M3 and M4.

A–D) Tracks of the style of preservation M3. A) Track of the trackway T22-2. B) Track L11 of the trackway T22-2-50. C) Track L1 of the trackway T22-2-54. D) Track L3 of the trackway T22-2-3. E–K) Tracks of the style of preservation M4. E) Track R7 of the trackway T22-121. Notice the trace of the hallux (white arrowhead on the lower left corner). F) Track R8 of the trackway T22-2-49. G) Track L4 of trackway T22-56, showing a displacement rim (white arrowheads) matching the shape of the heel impression. Notice the deep traces of claws II and III, as well as the burrows in the impressions of digits III and IV. H) Track R3 of the trackway CP6-14. I) Two overlapping tracks. On the right is R4 of trackway CP6-30, which overlaps the right track R4 of trackway CP6-9. On the left side, note the prominent hallux impression on the lateroposterior side of the track and the backward orientation of the claw impression of its digit II. J) Right track of trackway on site CP2. Notice the numerous indentations on the surface of the substrate left by the eroded shells of small gastropods. K) Padding on a left track on site CP1. h = hallux. The scales are in cm.

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Fig 5 Expand

Fig 6.

Style of preservation M5.

A) Trackways with tracks of style of preservation M5 on site CP3. Notice the ripples on the surface of the layer. B) Trackway T32 has very deep tracks and tail traces. The sinuous cord marks the tail traces. C) Deep tracks of the trackway T22-2-25 D) Set of five very deep tracks of the trackway TS102. White arrowheads indicate tail traces. E) Track L10 of the trackway T22-126. The digits are marked with the numbers II, III, and IV. h = hallux. The scales in C and D are in 10 cm sections, and the scale in E is 20 cm.

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Fig 6 Expand

Fig 7.

Style of preservation M6.

A) View of a trackway on site CP2. The white arrows indicate the shallow tracks of the style of preservation M6. Notice the very deep track of the style of preservation M5 adjacent to the left side of the ruler and on the top right corner of the image. Also, note a trackway with tracks of the style of preservation M4 in the diagonal of the upper left corner of the picture. The scale is 2 m. B–C) The same trackway as in A, seen from above. A white arrow near the top indicates one subcircular track in another trackway. Some theropod tracks are marked in yellow lines. Deep tracks of the style of preservation M5 are marked in green. One swim trace is marked in blue. D) Deep track of the trackway T22-2-602. E) Depth map of a set of three tracks in site CP1 of the style of preservation M6, two very deep tracks of the style of preservation M5 (dark blue) and one of the style of preservation M4. The scale in D is 20 cm.

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Fig 7 Expand

Fig 8.

Style of preservation M7.

A) Panorama of trackways TO22-2-569, TO22-2-570, and TO22-2-574, and associated tracks. These tracks are preserved in a layer 3–4 cm below the surface of the trackbearing layer at the north end of site CP2. The original trackbearing surface before erosion occurred is seen on the right side of the photo (yellow line). Some undertracks are preserved as concave epirelief (black arrowheads), and others with the sediment filling of the eroded layer that remains in the concavity of the track (white arrowheads). The track indicated with a brown arrowhead presents both types of preservation. B) Detail of a right track of the trackway TO-22-2-570. C) Detail of a track of the trackway TO22-2-574. D) Undertrack T22-2-604. Scale in A is 1 m, in B–C is 10 cm, and in D is 20 cm.

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Fig 8 Expand

Fig 9.

Style of preservation M8.

A) Track CP7-CS26. Notice the impressions of the digital and metatarsal pads and the medial notch (white arrowhead). B) Track CP7CS-27. The impression of digit III is cut off. Notice the impressions of the digital and metatarsal pads. C) Track CP7CS-20 and other complete and incomplete tracks in convex epirelief. D–E) Track T22-2-354 from the edge of site CP8, in plain view and cross-section. Erosion of the upper layers of the unit left a natural cast of the print and the deformation of an undertrack to the right of the ruler. Notice the enigmatic curved posterior extension (white arrowhead). The scales are in cm.

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Fig 9 Expand

Fig 10.

Tracks in cross-section.

A–C) Theropod tracks in cross-section along the northern edge of site CP2. Here, the vertical exposure shows two levels (or surfaces) of tracks (ts1 and ts2). Track level ts1 is the level of the tracks on the tracking surface of Carreras Pampa. The evidence for tracks on ts2 is in the cross-section. The shallow, elongated depressions without morphological details on the surface of Carreras Pampa described as mode of preservation M6 (Fig 9) would correspond to the tracks preserved in ts2, which were covered by later sediment. The displacement bulb (db) was likely produced during the lateral movement of the tow or claw inside the soft substrate. D) A block used in a sidewalk shows a cross-section of a print. The black arrow indicates the downward movement of the toe into the soft substrate. The folds (df, uf) represent the liquefaction of the sediment in the lower and upper halves of the trace, likely produced by the downward and upward movement, respectively, of the toe when the autopodium was withdrawn from the substrate. E) Block of rock showing the sediment deformation produced by two of the toes. F) Deformation of possibly two different tracks in the ts2 sublayer. A yellow dotted line marks the boundary between sublayers ts2 and ts1. Notice the planar and low-angle lamination in the ts1 sublayer and the undeformed area of the ts2 sublayer. G) Track CP3−2. H) Track CP9CS-1. ci = undertrack formed by the claw impression (yellow), mr = marginal ridge, sl = structureless sediment, st = track on the surface, tw = track wall, ut = undertrack. The scales are in cm.

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Fig 10 Expand

Fig 11.

Morphotypes T1 and T2 A–D) Morphotype T1.

A) Track R3 of the trackway T22-3. Notice the hallux impression (h) and the linear anterior and posterior grooves (parallel black lines). B) Track L3 of the trackway T22-2-8. C) Track R4 of the trackway T22-2-46. D) Left track of the trackway TO22-2-47. E–F) Morphotype T2. E) Track L2 of the trackway CP9-59. F) Right track of the trackway T22-2-59. The scales are in cm.

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Fig 11 Expand

Fig 12.

Morphotypes T3 and T4.

A–C) Morphotype T3. A) Track L3 of the trackway T22-2-8. B) Left track of the trackway T22-2-21. C) Right track of the trackway T22-2-49. D–H) Morphotype T4. D) Track R9 of the trackway T22-56. E) Track L6 of the trackway T22-79. F) Track L10 of the trackway T22-56. G) Track L10 of the trackway T22-79; notch indicated with black arrowhead. H) Track L19 of the trackway T22-72. Notice the straight ridge of sediment between the two black dotted lines, extending from the edge of the heel impression. The scales are in cm.

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Fig 13.

Morphotypes T5 and T6.

A–F) Morphotype T5. A) Track R1 of the trackway T22-2-31. Scale bar is 20 cm. B) Track R4 of the trackway T22-2-49. C) Track of the trackway T22-2-46. D) Track R6 of the trackway T22-2-51. E) Track R3 of the trackway T22-2-54. F) Track R5 of the trackway T22-72. G–I) Morphotype T6. G) Track R17 of the trackway T22-126. H) Right track of the trackway CPT-117. I) Track L1 of the trackway CP9-53. J) Track R3 of the trackway T22-126. K) Right track of the trackway T22-121. L) Track R2 of the trackway CP9-53. The scales are in cm.

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Fig 14.

Morphotypes T7–T10.

A–C) Morphotype T7. A) L1 track of the trackway T22-2-40. B) Track L2 of the trackway T22-2-40. C) Track R4 of the trackway T22-2-36. Scales in cm. D–E) Morphotype T8. D) Track of trackway T22-2-21. E) Track of trackway T22-2-45. F) Morphotype T9. Left track of trackway CP6-54. G–H) Morphotype T10. G) Right track of trackway CP6-54. H) Track of trackway T22-141. The scales are in cm.

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Fig 14 Expand

Fig 15.

Morphotype T11.

A) Track L11 of the trackway T22-56. B) Track R3 of the trackway T22-60. C) Right track of the trackway T22-2-19. D) Right track of the trackway T22-172. E) Track R1 of the trackway T22-2-58. F) Track T22-2-354, showing an enigmatic sinuous posterior extension. G) Partial view of a trackway in site CP7. The black arrowheads indicate the posterior extensions. The scales are in cm.

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Fig 15 Expand

Fig 16.

Histograms of foot length by size category (small, medium, or large) with percentage per category at each site.

The dominant size is medium at all sites. The dominant range is also highlighted. CP8 has very little data. Combined data are not normally distributed and may be multi-modal.

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Fig 16 Expand

Fig 17.

Histogram of total divarication angle (αII–IV) for all sites. The distribution of angles for all sites combined (n = 900) is normally distributed.

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Fig 18.

Histogram of foot rotation for sites CP1, CP2, CP4, and CP9, and the aggregated for those sites, with positive (outward) and negative (inward) values highlighted.

A bimodal distribution is notable.

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Fig 19.

Preservation of the hallux with three different morphotypes.

The orange arrowhead indicates hallux. The adjacent drawings indicate the morphology of the halluces (in orange color) and their expulsion rims (in brown color). A–C). Hallux morphotype H1. A) Track R2 of the trackway T22-72. B) Left track of the trackway T22-2-96. C) Track L4 of the trackway T22-2-54. D–F) Hallux morphotype H2. D) Track R7 of the trackway T22-126. E) Track L8 of the trackway T22-79. F) A left track of the trackway T22-2-120. G–I) Hallux morphotype H3. G) Track L6 of the trackway T22-79. H) Track L2 of the trackway T22-79. I) Right track of the trackway T22-2-120. The scales are in cm.

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Fig 20.

Tracks with posterior ridges and anterior grooves.

White arrowheads indicate the ridges. A) Partial view of trackway T22-102, which consists of some very deep tracks and some deep and shallow tracks toward the people standing. The first track in the foreground has a short ridge of sediment. B) Track R8 of the trackway T22-121. C) Track L4 of the trackway T22-72. Notice the mark of the hallux (black arrow). D) Track R1 of the trackway T2-2-17. E) Track of the trackway T22-93. F) Track L2 of the trackway T22-78. G) Track of the trackway CP7-U7 showing a linear groove in the front of digit III. The scales are in cm.

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Fig 20 Expand

Fig 21.

Image of sector 1 of site CP9 with a high density of tracks and the presence of tail traces, swim tracks, and avian tracks.

A) Notice multiple trackways in parallel or semi-parallel orientation. The swim tracks are in dark blue. Three trackways with tail traces are marked by red color. A few bird tracks are outlined in white circles. The yellow ellipse indicates a 35-cm-long ruler. The tracks and partial tracks in yellow were noticed in the depth map but not in the field. B) Depth map of the same area.

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Fig 21 Expand

Fig 22.

Color depth map of the CP9 area illustrated in Fig 21.

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Fig 22 Expand

Fig 23.

An area of site CP2 with trackways, tail traces, and swim tracks.

Notice multiple parallel trackways. Trackway CP2-A1 in green color shows tail traces. Swim tracks are indicated in different shades of blue, with dark blue indicating a swim trackway consisting of six continuous, alternative right and left swim tracks. The numbers indicate the pace length and pace angulation (PANG) of two trackways in opposite directions NWN/NEN, and two trackways in opposite directions E–W. The two scales at the bottom of the image are 1 m each.

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Fig 23 Expand

Fig 24.

An area in site CP9 with multiple trackways, isolated tracks, swim tracks, tail traces, and bird tracks.

A) 3D model of the area. B) Outlines of tracks. Tracks with associated tail traces are red. Swim traces are represented in different shades of blue. C–D) Depth map of the area. D) PANG values of selected trackways. Notice the narrow trackways CP9-49, CP9-57, CP9-61, CP9-63, and CP9-64. The latter shows a sudden change in direction toward the NW with a PANG of 126o. The black ruler on the left of A is 35 cm long.

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Fig 25.

Narrow-gauge trackways.

A–B) The purple trackway CP5-18 has tracks of the style of preservation M1. Purple and red trackways are narrow-gauge. C–D) Several trackways of narrow-gauge gait. tt = tail traces in the red trackway. Notice the continuous tail trace that extends over five tracks at the top of the trackway. Scales are 1 m.

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Fig 25 Expand

Fig 26.

Wide-gauge trackways in site CP5.

A–B) Notice trackway CP5-22 with trail traces and highly variable pace length. C–D) Notice trackway CP5-14 with highly variable pace length and pace angulation. Swim tracks are depicted in shades of blue. Yellow and black scales are 1 m.

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Fig 26 Expand

Fig 27.

Trackway CP6-32 and associated tracks.

Notice the progression from wide gauge in tracks R1–L2 to narrow gauge in the rest of the trackway (L2–L5). The scale is 1 m.

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Fig 27 Expand

Fig 28.

Trackways CP7-24-1 and CP7-24-2 and associated tracks.

A) Depth map of the area with the two trackways marked by black and red labels. B) Image from a 3D model of the same area. C) PANG values of the two trackways.

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Fig 28 Expand

Fig 29.

Trackway CP6-9 in site CP6.

A) Orthogonal image from a 3D composite model of the area, including the trackway and associated tracks. B) Depth map of the same area. Not all tracks are outlined. The blue arrows indicate swim traces within the blue box. Other swim traces occur in the area. Notice the prominent displacement rims of tracks L2, R3, L3, and L4. C) Outline of the exposed trackway showing the low angles of the broad gauge. D) View of the trackway from the south.

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Fig 29 Expand

Fig 30.

Rose diagrams with the orientation of the trackways (2 + tracks) and swim trackways.

A) Orientation of all the trackways combined from all the sites. B) Distribution of the studied sites. The two lines indicate the distance between sites CP7 and CP9 and CP4 and CP9. C − J) Orientation of the trackways for each site, except for CP8. K) Orientation of the swim trackways. The quantity of orientation measurements for each is in Table 2.

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Fig 30 Expand

Fig 31.

Histograms of pace length (PL) in cm for each site.

CP8 has very little data. The histogram for all sites suggests multi-modal pace length distributions.

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Fig 31 Expand

Fig 32.

Histograms of stride length (SL).

Combined data (n = 831) may show multiple modes of stride length.

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Fig 32 Expand

Fig 33.

Scatterplots show a positive correlation between foot length (FL) and stride length (SL) for each site.

Sites CP1, CP2, CP3, CP4, CP5, CP6, and CP9 (A, B, C, D, E, F, and I) correlate relatively strongly with R between 0.51 and 0.8, while CP7 (G) and CP8 (H) show relatively weak correlations. CP8 has a small number of samples, making its results statistically insignificant.

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Fig 33 Expand

Fig 34.

Histograms of the number of trackways in each trackway width (WAP) category.

The first histogram shows the combined values for all sites. Most of the trackways have a narrow-gauge gait in the range of 5 to 10 cm, with a second group from 18 to 26 cm, and a minor number ranging from 26 to 50 cm. WAP distributions are also presented for each CP site.

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Fig 34 Expand

Fig 35.

The scatterplot shows a low correlation between WAP and SL.

Data is from all CP sites.

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Fig 35 Expand

Fig 36.

A) Histogram for trackway pace angulation (PANG) for site CP2.

B) Histogram for trackway pace angulation (PANG) for CP6. For CP2, most trackways are between 150° and 180°, while for CP6, two groupings are found, 140° − 155° and 160° − 180°. C) Histogram of PANG for both sites, showing a slight predominance of narrow-gauge gait (PANG 165°–180°).

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Fig 36 Expand

Fig 37.

Gait and speed.

A) Histogram of relative stride lengths (SL/h) for all sites showing proportion corresponding to SL/h ratios of <2.0, 2.0 − 2.9, and >2.9. We calculated the relative stride length for all trackways with two or more measured stride lengths, which totaled 532 trackways. B–C) Histograms of speed. Histogram B shows the estimated speeds as calculated using the formula of Alexander [51]. Histogram C shows the estimated speeds as calculated from the formula of Ruiz and Torices [54].

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Fig 37 Expand

Fig 38.

Examples of trackways with turns and stopping or pausing points.

A) Section of trackway making a turn to the left of 52º. This trackway makes multiple turns along its exposure. The section shown here represents the turn with the most significant change in orientation. The average track length was 27.2 cm. The scale bar is 2 m. B) Section of trackway showing a turn to the left of 84°. The average track length was 7.7 cm. The scale bar is 1 m. C) Section of the trackway showing a stopping or pausing point (dashed box). The average track length was 30.7 cm. The scale bar is 1 m. D) Section of the trackway showing a stopping or pausing point (dashed box). The average track length was 26.2 cm. The scale bar is 1 m. Tracks not filled in represent tracks that did not have their complete outline preserved in the field.

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Fig 38 Expand

Fig 39.

Partial view of trackways with tail traces.

A) Trackway T32. B) Trackway T73. C) Trackway T78. D) Trackway CP7-6. E) Trackway T22-126. F) Trackway T22-2-148. Scales in D–F are 1 m. White arrowheads indicate the tail traces, and black arrowheads and the letter “h” indicate hallux impressions. Long arrows indicate the direction of movement.

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Fig 39 Expand

Fig 40.

Miniature tracks.

A) Track CP22−320, image obtained with a scanner. B-C) Track I22-54. D) Partial view of trackway T133 with diminutive tracks in a white rectangle box. This trackway consists of 99 preserved tracks. Notice other tracks of larger size in black outline and swim traces in blue outline. E) Trackway ET22−1 with two diminutive tracks, poorly preserved. F) Track I22-76. G) Track S23-9. H) Track CP9-S3 I) False-color depth map of CP9-S3. Scale size in A) 5 cm, B) 10 cm, H) 5 cm.

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Fig 40 Expand

Fig 41.

Histogram showing the calculated hip height for all sites (n = 532 trackways).

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Fig 41 Expand

Fig 42.

Histograms showing the size of trackmakers (height at hip) based on foot length (FL) for all the sites.

The last histogram shows data for all the sites combined.

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Fig 42 Expand

Fig 43.

Body mass of trackmakers.

A) Body mass as calculated by h = 4FL. B) Body mass calculated from morphometric ratios.

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Fig 43 Expand

Table 2.

Number of trackways in each CP site categorized by length. Of the 1321 total trackways identified, 46 were marked, but no measurements were taken.

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Table 3.

Dimensions of the miniature tracks. FL and FW are in cm.

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Table 4.

Values of PL and PANG for measured swim trackways in sites CP5, CP6, CP7, and CP9. Decimal values are rounded up to the nearest whole number.

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Fig 44.

Theropod swim traces.

A) Swim trackway CP6-S1 consists of five exposed sets of traces of morphotype S1. B) Swim trackway CP6-S2 comprises nine exposed sets of traces of morphotype S1. Notice the longer step and stride in A compared to B. C) Single swim trace CP7-S33 of morphotype S2. Notice the prominent expulsion rim on the posterior side. D) Swim track T22-2-495 features long, slender scratches of the three digits of morphotype S3. E) Detail of a straight swim trace of TS102 of morphotype S3. F) Swim trace TS8 of morphotype S3, measuring 45 cm in length. G) Swim trace intersecting a theropod track that was previously printed. Notice the posterior ridge of the track and the strong asymmetry of digits II and IV. H) Swim trace TS107 crossing a theropod track. Notice the occurrence of two rosette-like burrows (white asterisk). I) Swim set 8 from the swim trackway TS104 intersecting the posterior side of a tridactyl track. The three traces of the swim set are indicated with dotted blue lines. The four orange arrowheads denote the crests of four wave ripples. Notice the abundant superficial burrows within and outside the track. Blue arrows indicate the direction of swimming. The scales are in cm.

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Fig 44 Expand

Fig 45.

Swim trackways and tail traces in site CP7.

A–B) Swim trackway CP7-S1 consists of six consecutive tracks. The PANG values, ranging from bottom to top of the figure, vary from 170° to 157°, which predominantly correspond to a narrow gait trackway of walking tracks. Other swim trackways are shown in several shades of blue. C–D) Swim tracks depicted in various shades of blue. The brown and orange trackways feature tail traces (tt).

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Fig 45 Expand

Fig 46.

Swim trackways in site CP5.

Swim tracks in blue color. A–C) Swim trackway CP5-S1, consisting of fifteen consecutive swim tracks. The values of the PANG correspond to a wide-gauge walking trackway. Notice the variability of the pace length between 68 cm and 90 cm. Notice a track with a tail trace in the trackway CP5-T14. D-F) Swim trackway CP5-S2. The values of the PANG correspond to a narrow-gauge walking trackway. Notice the high values of the pace length for each step compared to the swim trackway CP5-S1 (A–C).

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Fig 46 Expand

Fig 47.

Swim trackway CP6-S19 and solitary swim tracks at site CP7.

A–B) Swim trackway CP6-S19 and associated walking tracks. The swim trackway consists of four continuous tracks. The values of the PANG correspond to a narrow-gauge walking trackway. C–D) Solitary swim tracks in several shades of blue, along with associated walking tracks at site CP7. The walking tracks exhibit styles of preservation M4 and M5. The scales are 1 m. Notice the root of an ‘espinillo’ (Acacia caven) shrub in the lower part of the photo in A.

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Fig 47 Expand

Fig 48.

Swim tracks and trackways in sites CP5, CP6, and CP7.

A–B) Swim trackway CP5-S3 and the associated walking tracks. Other swim tracks are represented in shades of blue. The PANG values (151°–155°) correspond to a relatively wide-gauge walking trackway. C–D) Four sets of swim traces and the associated walking tracks in site CP5. E) Swim track CP6-S7 consists of one medial long trace and a smaller lateral trace on each side, corresponding to the scratch made by the claw of digit III and the claws of digits II and IV, respectively, with an associated walking track. F) Swim track CP7-S8 consists of a single scratch made by the claw of digit III. An associated walking track of preservation style M3 is preserved on the side, with a well-marked impression of the hallux (h). The scales in A–D are 1 m, and in E–F are 20 cm.

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Fig 48 Expand

Fig 49.

Avian tracks associated with theropod and swim tracks.

A) Track BT22−1 features five consecutive impressions. B) Track BT22−9. C) Track BT22−5. D) Trackway BT22−6. E) Track BT22−7. F) Trackway showcasing five consecutive impressions. White arrowheads denote the bird footprints, while blue arrowheads represent theropod swim tracks. G) Track associated with three theropod tracks at site CP1. H) Bird track (black arrowhead) at the distal end of digit II of a theropod track. Tracks in A–E originate from site CP1, the track in F comes from site CP2, and tracks in G–H are from site CP6. The scales are measured in cm.

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Fig 49 Expand

Fig 50.

Associated fossils.

A) Pucapristis branisi fish teeth. B) An osteoglossomorph fish mandible. C) A monospecific assemblage of very small (1 cm) spiral gastropods covering much of the Carreras Pampa tracksite. D) Hillichnus burrow (white arrowheads) in site CP3 associated with two very deep tracks of the style of preservation M5, two theropod tracks of the style of preservation M4, and one tail trace (black arrowhead). E–G) Rosette burrows (indicated by white arrowheads) on the surface of the tracked layer. G) A rosette burrow on the crest of a ripple and small, curved surface burrows. The scales are in cm.

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Fig 50 Expand

Fig 51.

Trackways and solitary footprints at site CP6.

Note the three parallel trackways (red, gray, and green) oriented north, which belong to the M3 and M4 preservation styles. Other theropod prints are oriented in different directions. The yellow ellipse highlights a bird footprint. The scale is 35 cm.

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Fig 51 Expand