Footprint type

Anchisauripus

(Lull 1904)

Anchisauripus is a footprint type: the name is for the fossil footprints themselves. The animal that made them is not known for certain. Its footprints are found in rocks 247–125.8 million years old in 7 countries, most often the United States and France.

Confidence labels

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How sure are we?0 high19 medium13 lowHow we rate confidence

Confidence labels are switched off. Facts with low confidence, or where sources disagree, still carry a small dot: tap it for the reason.

At a glance

Data as of 11 October 2026

247–125.8 Ma

Triassic

Jurassic

Cretaceous

252 million years ago20114366

The last non-bird dinosaurs died out 66 million years ago. That's as far from us as the end of this bar.

Named by: (Lull 1904)
medium
medium: Only PBDB gives this; nothing contradicts it.
Sources
Given by: Paleobiology Database. How it was chosen: PBDB leads.
Described in: R. S. Lull (1904). Fossil footprints of the Jura-Trias of North America. Memoirs of the Boston Society of Natural History 5(11): 461–557.
medium
medium: Only PBDB gives this; its author and year match the naming authority ((Lull 1904)).
Sources
Given by: Paleobiology Database. The publication the Paleobiology Database gives as the authority for this genus name, usually the one that first named and described it.
Type species: Eubrontes sillimani
medium
medium: Only PBDB gives this; nothing contradicts it.
Sources
Given by: Paleobiology Database. How it was chosen: PBDB leads.
Dated to: no earlier than 247 million years ago
medium
medium: Only PBDB gives this; nothing contradicts it.
Omnisaura calculation247–125.8 million years ago, from its dated fossil records
medium
medium: Omnisaura's calculation from 39 confirmed PBDB records.
Sources
Given by: Paleobiology Database. How it was chosen: PBDB leads.
Found in: France
medium
medium: Only PBDB records it (11 records).
Poland
medium
medium: Only PBDB records it (6 records).
United States
medium
medium: Only PBDB records it (18 records).
Argentina
low
low: Only one PBDB record.
Italy
low
low: Only one PBDB record.
Slovakia
low
low: Only one PBDB record.
United Kingdom
low
low: Only one PBDB record.
mixed
mixed: Levels differ between entries; each has its own.
Sources
Given by: Paleobiology Database. How it was chosen: Union of all sources (ISO 3166).
Rock formations: 18, including East Berlin, Grès d'Antully, Passaic and Moenave
mixed
mixed: Levels differ between entries; each has its own.
Show all 18, each with its confidence
East Berlin
medium
medium: Only PBDB records it (4 records).
Grès d'Antully
medium
medium: Only PBDB records it (9 records).
Moenave
medium
medium: Only PBDB records it (2 records).
Navajo Sandstone
medium
medium: Only PBDB records it (2 records).
Passaic
medium
medium: Only PBDB records it (4 records).
Przysucha
medium
medium: Only PBDB records it (2 records).
Tomanová
medium
medium: Only PBDB records it (2 records).
Towaco
medium
medium: Only PBDB records it (2 records).
Zagaje
medium
medium: Only PBDB records it (2 records).
Aztec Sandstone
low
low: Only one PBDB record.
Dolomia Principale
low
low: Only one PBDB record.
Grès Inférieurs du Lyonnais
low
low: Only one PBDB record.
Grès inférieurs
low
low: Only one PBDB record.
Lockatong
low
low: Only one PBDB record.
Los Jumes
low
low: Only one PBDB record.
Portland Formation
low
low: Only one PBDB record.
Skloby
low
low: Only one PBDB record.
Wingate Sandstone
low
low: Only one PBDB record.
Sources
Given by: Paleobiology Database. How it was chosen: Canonical names, automatic and editor-approved matches applied.
Footprint family: Grallatoridae
medium
medium: Only PBDB gives this; nothing contradicts it.
Sources
Given by: Paleobiology Database. How it was chosen: PBDB leads.
Parent group: Grallatoridae
medium
medium: Only PBDB gives this; nothing contradicts it.
Sources
Given by: Paleobiology Database. How it was chosen: PBDB leads.
Species named in its records: Anchisauripus australis, Anchisauripus bibractensis, Anchisauripus gwyneddensis
Sources
Given by: Paleobiology Database (the species its fossil records are identified as).
Known from: Footprints and traces
Sources
Given by: Paleobiology Database (what the name was based on).
Made by: Not known for certain. Footprints rarely show which animal made them.

Sources: Paleobiology Database (CC BY 4.0), Natural History Museum Data Portal (CC0 1.0), Wikidata (CC0 1.0)Confidence levels and gaps are Omnisaura's own assessment.

Gaps are answers

What isn't known yet

The animal that made them: not known for certain, as for most footprint types.
Order: no source we use gives it yet.
Common names: no source we use gives it yet.
What it was named after: no source we use gives it yet.
Held back: 15 fossil records left out: identified only tentatively (for example "cf.", "?" or the name in quotation marks).
Resting on one source: 5 facts come from a single source with nothing against them (rated medium): authority (PBDB); type species (PBDB); parent group (PBDB); family (PBDB); age (headline) (PBDB).

Size and appearance aren't covered yet, and diet and way of life only as PBDB infers them for the wider group. Omnisaura leaves the rest out rather than guess.

Where sources disagree

None open. Where our sources overlap, they agree on everything shown here.

Did it meet…?

Did Anchisauripus meet ?

No. Anchisauripus had gone at least 42.2 million years before Tyrannosaurus appears in the fossil record.

Going by the ages and rock formations of their dated fossils, as on the map. Compare their fossil sites on the map.

Connections

Genera linked to Anchisauripus by where and when their fossils were found, by classification and by who named them. Select a name to open its page.

Found in the same rocks 26

Genera and other fossil types from the same rock units, from rocks of overlapping age, the most shared fossil sites first.

Grallator Eubrontes Anomoepus Otozoum Argoides Platypterna Coelurosaurichnus Eosauropus Plectropterna Sauropus Kayentapus Anchisaurus Navahopus Atreipus Dilophosauripus Plectropusand 10 more

Same family: Grallatoridae 6

Other genera in Grallatoridae with a full profile.

Atreipus Banisterobates Dilophosauripus Eubrontes Grallator Pengxianpus

Named by Lull 1

Genera whose naming authority includes the same surname. The authority has no initials, so different people who share a surname can appear together.

Stenonyx

Found in United States 38

Other genera found in United States, from rocks of overlapping age, the most fossil sites there first.

Grallator Eubrontes Anomoepus Otozoum Eosauropus Argoides Coelophysis Platypterna Kayentapus Plectropterna Sauropus Evazoum Dilophosaurus Scutellosaurus Syntarsus Dilophosauripusand 22 more

Where its fossils were found

31 fossil sites, with present-day and ancient positions

Open the map at this time

Cite this page

Omnisaura (2026). Anchisauripus. Future Sailors. https://www.omnisaura.com/genera/anchisauripus. Data as of 11 October 2026.

What's changed

19 Oct 2026
Fossils found in: added Italy, Slovakia.
11 Oct 2026
Added to Omnisaura.

Every change to Omnisaura

Use this data

Download this genus as JSON With every source and licence attached. Also recorded in: Paleobiology Database · Wikidata Spotted a problem? Tell us

Pictures

1 openly licensed picture of Anchisauripus on Wikimedia Commons and museum sites, each with its own author and licence.

Amgueddfa Cymru - Anchisauripus - 214349.jpeg
Unknown author, CC BY-SA 4.0

Credits

Where this page comes from

Paleobiology DatabaseCC BY 4.0 · fossil records, ages, classification
Natural History Museum Data PortalCC0 1.0 · catalogued specimens
WikidataCC0 1.0 · names and identifiers
OmnisauraOmnisaura editorial · confidence levels and gaps
PaleoMAP PaleoCoastlines (Kocsis and Scotese 2021)CC BY 4.0 · ancient coastlines on the small map
Natural EarthPublic domain · today's coastlines

Pictures linked from this page are credited beside each one, with their own licences; the full list is in the JSON download.