Vertebrate Ichnofossils and Paleoenvironments

Ichnofossils or trace fossils are indirect evidence of biological activity. Vertebrate ichnofossils include footprints, trails, burrows, predation marks, gastroliths, eggshells, and coprolites. They can be preserved in depositional settings where the deposition of sediment surpasses the erosion and where humidity or water is available. Footprints of vertebrates allow to infer some paleoenvironmental variables, such as water depth, paleocurrent directions, and some substrate features of the sediments where they were impressed. Additionally, the stable isotopic composition of δ13C and δ18O of eggshells allows to infer past vegetation and humidity. The fossil record of Mexican vertebrate ichnofossils spans from the Middle Jurassic to the Holocene; its study has been focused on the ichnotaxonomy and identification of the potential trace makers. Thus, it represents a database of paleoenvironmental information that needs to be explored.