Ichnology

Ichnology is the study of trace fossils of once-living things.[1]

Thalassinoides, burrows made by crustaceans, from the Middle Jurassic, Nakab, southern Palestine

Burrows, trackways, trails and borings are all examples of traces made by organisms.[1] Scientists study traces made by plants and animals to try to determine their behavior.[2] An ichnologist is a scientist whose area of study and research is ichnology.

A species name given to a fossil is called an ichnospecies. It is written in italics with a lower case initial. It is shown to be an ichnospecies by the abbreviation "isp".[3]

Examples

Later Cambrian trace fossils from intertidal settings include Protichnites and Climactichnites, and others.
Mesozoic dinosaur footprints including Ichnotaxon such as Grallator and Atreipus (bipedal theropods) and Anomoepus.
Triassic to Recent termite mounds, which can be several square kilometers of sediment
Possible Avian footprints such as Saurexallopus.

"ichnology". Dictionary.com. Retrieved February 6, 2017.
"What is Ichnology?". Emery College of Arts and Sciences. Archived from the original on March 18, 2017. Retrieved February 6, 2017.
ichnospecies. Oxford University Press. 20 March 2008. ISBN 978-0-19-921194-4. Retrieved February 6, 2017. {{cite book}}: |website= ignored (help)

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