Climactichnites

Morphology

There are two species within this ichnogenus, C. wilsoni and* C. youngi*. C. wilsoni consists of paired lateral ridges between which are undulating bars and furrows oriented at an angle to the direction of travel, whereas C. youngi lacks the paired lateral ridges and consists only of undulating transverse bars and furrows. An additional trace fossil, called Musculopodus, is sometimes found at the beginning of Climactichnites trails and represents the body imprint of the animal while it was stationary.

Occurrence

Currently, Climactichnites is known only from North America (Missouri, New York, Wisconsin, and Texas in the United States, and Quebec and Ontario in Canada), portions of which were submerged under a shallow equatorial sea during the Cambrian Period. The fossil is found in fine- to coarse-grained sandstones and orthoquartzites which represent sandy, intertidal beach deposits. Microbial mats probably enabled the trace to be preserved.

Interpretation

Early attempts to interpret the fossil as the body of an alga or siphonophore are easily falsified. Climactichnites is now thought to represent the trail or burrow of an organism moving, respectively, on top of or through the sediment. The binding effect of microbial mats on the sediment surface is believed to have contributed to the exceptional preservation of Climactichnites trails.{{cite journal | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20120211152027/http://gsa.confex.com/gsa/2006AM/finalprogram/abstract_111068.htm | archive-date = 2012-02-11 | url-status = dead

References

• Getty, P. R., and J. W. Hagadorn, 2006. Producing and preserving Climactichnites. Geological Society of America Abstracts with Programs, v. 38, p. 475.

References

1. (2008). "Reinterpretation of Climactichnites Logan 1860 to Include Subsurface Burrows, and Erection of Musculopodus for Resting Traces of the Trailmaker". Journal of Paleontology.
2. (2009). "Palaeobiology of the Climactichnites tracemaker". Palaeontology.