Burrow fossil

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A fossil burrow of the Palaeocastor beaver. Daemonelix (fossil beaver burrow) (Harrison Formation, Middle Miocene; Sioux County, Nebraska, USA) 8 (32674792614).jpg
A fossil burrow of the Palaeocastor beaver.

Burrow fossils are the remains of burrows - holes or tunnels excavated into the ground or seafloor - by animals to create a space suitable for habitation, temporary refuge, or as a byproduct of locomotion preserved in the rock record. Because burrow fossils represent the preserved byproducts of behavior rather than physical remains, they are considered a kind of trace fossil. One common kind of burrow fossil is known as Skolithos , and the similar Trypanites , Ophiomorpha and Diplocraterion .

Contents

Vertebrate burrows

Fish burrows

Fossil Lungfish burrows are preserved in the Rocky Point Member of the Chinle Formation in Canyonlands National Park. [1]

Invertebrate burrows

Examples are Treptichnus pedum and Arenicolites franconicus .

See also


Footnotes

  1. Hunt, Santucci, and Kenworthy (2010); "Canyonlands National Park and Glen Canyon National Recreation Area (Chinle Formation)", page 64.

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References