The association of anastomosed fluvial deposits and dinosaur tracks, eggs, and nests; implications for the interpretation of floodplain environments and a possible survival strategy for ornithopods

The St. Mary River Formation (Maastrichtian) consists of anastomosed fluvial deposits containing several hundred track-bearing beds. Paleontologic and sedimentologic analyses of these beds indicate that large herbivores, ornithopods, inhabited a seasonal wetland dominated by marshes and lakes. Shallow tracks in fine-grained sediments, formed as the sediments dewatered to the point of stiffness, display the highest resolution of detail. The preservation potential of tracks in anastomosed fluvial deposits is large because of the abundance of soft substrates to record the tracks and the occurrence of annual flooding to rapidly bury the footprints. Comparison of the St. Mary River Formation to other anastomosed fluvial deposits as old as the Early Jurassic confirms that tracks are common in this type of deposit. The variation in preservation of track types and depth of penetration raises the possibility that ornithopods employed a survival strategy involving seasonal wetlands. The wetlands provided an abundant food source and at the same time the combination of a soft substrate and flooded conditions would have effectively countered the superior speed and agility of large carnivores. The relatively common occurrence of ornithopod eggshells from anastomosed fluvial deposits suggests that the abundant food supply accompanying the wet season also made the wetlands an ideal location to rear young.