Four Contributions at EAVP 2026

Research funded by the Geoscience Research Institute was presented at the 23rd conference of the European Association of Vertebrate Paleontology, held in Vilnius, Lithuania – June 29 - July 5, 2026.

The first oral presentation, titled “Sauropod trackways in the Upper Jurassic–Lower Cretaceous La Puerta Formation, Bolivia,” described a new quadrupedal tracksite with four distinctive trackways and several areas exhibiting intense dinoturbation (trampling). The parallel trackways are oriented in the same direction of locomotion, suggesting some form of gregarious behavior.
read full abstract

The second oral presentation, titled “Formation and paleoecology of a high-density avian-dominated track assemblage at the Carreras Pampa tracksite (Torotoro, Bolivia)," focused on morphometric, preservational, and paleoecological results from a track-bearing surface representing one of the most extensive known Upper Cretaceous avian ichnoassemblages worldwide.  The research team recorded 648 avian tracks across 284 m², with local densities up to 6 tracks/m². The site preserves large-scale evidence of gregarious shorebird-like behavior.

read full abstract

The third contribution was a poster, titled “Dinosaur tail traces at the T’ankar Pampa Tracksite (Maastrichtian, Torotoro, Bolivia) reveal unusual locomotion behavior.” The poster presented nine theropod trackways with well-preserved tail traces consisting of sinuous grooves 1–3 cm deep and 2–4 cm wide, with tapered ends. Tail traces occur in association with deep or very deep tracks, indicating they formed when the trackmaker walked on soft substrate. This association suggests that tail-trace formation may reflect a specific locomotor behavior, possibly related to maintaining balance while walking on soft substrate. 
read full abstract

The fourth contribution was another poster, titled “First occurrence of Brasilichnium trackways in the Lower Cretaceous of Bolivia.” The poster illustrated tetrapod trackways preserved in cross-bedded sandstones of the Lower Cretaceous Sucre Formation in Bolivia. A total of thirteen trackways and additional footprints were found in five rock slabs and on an in-situ wall. The parallel orientation of several trackways in the same direction of movement suggests gregarious behavior. The overall morphology of the tracks and the dimensions of the trackways are similar to those of Brasilichnium footprints described in Brazil and Argentina, as well as at tracksites in the Northern Hemisphere.
read full abstract