Laoporus Permian Quadrupedal Tetrapod Trackway from Arizona

Description: Laoporus. is a track made by a quadrupedal tetrapod vertebrate, and has been attributed to a synapsid. The legs of these animals were under the body, not out to the side. The mammals of today are but one branch of the Synapsida, a great vertebrate group with a 300 million year history. Pre-mammalian synapsids -- dominated the land vertebrate fauna of the Permian and early Triassic before losing ground to the diversifying dinosaurs and other archosaurs. These pre-mammalian groups of synapsids have at times been called "mammal-like reptiles". This term is however not accurate. None of the synapsids were actually reptiles. This trackway was probably made when the animal was walking across a sandy matrix covered by very shallow water. Note the excellent claw marks preserved. This ichnofossils plate was legally collected on private land with the owner’s permission.