Dinosaur stampede in the Cretaceous of Queensland

Abstract

Numerous and well-preserved trackways in mid-Cretaceous sediments of West Central Queensland, Australia, are attributed to a stampede of small to medium-sized bipedal dinosaurs - both herbivores (ornithopods) and minor-league predators (coelurosaurs). The tracks of a single large predator (carnosaur) suggest a reason for the stampede. These trackway data permit calculation of sustained running speeds for the coelurosaurs and ornithopods.