Footprint type

Kayentapus

Welles 1971

Kayentapus 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 227.3–161.5 million years old in 10 countries, most often the United States and China.

Confidence labels

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How sure are we?0 high21 medium18 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

227.3–161.5 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: Welles 1971
medium
medium: Only PBDB gives this; nothing contradicts it.
Sources
Given by: Paleobiology Database. How it was chosen: PBDB leads.
Described in: S. P. Welles (1971). Dinosaur footprints from the Kayenta Formation of northern Arizona. Plateau 44(1): 27–38.
medium
medium: Only PBDB gives this; its author and year match the naming authority (Welles 1971).
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: Kayentapus hopii
medium
medium: Only PBDB gives this; nothing contradicts it.
Sources
Given by: Paleobiology Database. How it was chosen: PBDB leads.
Dated to: Norian to Bathonian, 227.3–165.3 million years ago
medium
medium: Only PBDB gives this; nothing contradicts it.
Omnisaura calculation227.3–161.5 million years ago, from its dated fossil records
medium
medium: Omnisaura's calculation from 35 confirmed PBDB records.
Sources
Given by: Paleobiology Database. How it was chosen: PBDB leads.
Found in: China
medium
medium: Only PBDB records it (9 records).
Italy
medium
medium: Only PBDB records it (5 records).
Namibia
medium
medium: Only PBDB records it (2 records).
Poland
medium
medium: Only PBDB records it (4 records).
Sweden
medium
medium: Only PBDB records it (2 records).
United States
medium
medium: Only PBDB records it (10 records).
France
low
low: Only one PBDB record.
Hungary
low
low: Only one PBDB record.
Japan
low
low: Only one PBDB record.
Lesotho
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: 23, including Kayenta, Fengjiahe, Höganäs and Monte Zugna
mixed
mixed: Levels differ between entries; each has its own.
Show all 23, each with its confidence
Bull Run
medium
medium: Only PBDB records it (2 records).
Etjo
medium
medium: Only PBDB records it (2 records).
Fengjiahe
medium
medium: Only PBDB records it (4 records).
Höganäs
medium
medium: Only PBDB records it (2 records).
Kayenta
medium
medium: Only PBDB records it (3 records).
Monte Zugna
medium
medium: Only PBDB records it (2 records).
Rotzo
medium
medium: Only PBDB records it (2 records).
Skloby
medium
medium: Only PBDB records it (2 records).
Turners Falls
medium
medium: Only PBDB records it (2 records).
Calcaires à Stipites
low
low: Only one PBDB record.
Elliot Formation
low
low: Only one PBDB record.
Fuxian
low
low: Only one PBDB record.
Hutubihe
low
low: Only one PBDB record.
Kitamatadani
low
low: Only one PBDB record.
Loppio Oolitic Limestone
low
low: Only one PBDB record.
Manassas Sandstone
low
low: Only one PBDB record.
Mecsek Coal
low
low: Only one PBDB record.
Moenave
low
low: Only one PBDB record.
Portland Formation
low
low: Only one PBDB record.
Przysucha
low
low: Only one PBDB record.
Shaximiao
low
low: Only one PBDB record.
Xincun
low
low: Only one PBDB record.
Zagaje
low
low: Only one PBDB record.
Sources
Given by: Paleobiology Database. How it was chosen: Canonical names, automatic and editor-approved matches applied.
Parent group: Theropoda
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: Kayentapus ambrokholohali, Kayentapus hailiutuensis, Kayentapus hopii, Kayentapus minor, Kayentapus soltykovensis, Kayentapus ubacensis, Kayentapus xiaohebaensis
Sources
Given by: Paleobiology Database (the species its fossil records are identified as).
Older or other names: Schizograllator (a junior synonym); Talmontopus (a junior synonym)
Sources
Given by: Paleobiology Database (names it treats as this genus).
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.
Family: 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: 16 fossil records left out: identified only tentatively (for example "cf.", "?" or the name in quotation marks).
Resting on one source: 4 facts come from a single source with nothing against them (rated medium): authority (PBDB); type species (PBDB); parent group (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 Kayentapus meet ?

No. Kayentapus had gone at least 77.9 million years before Tyrannosaurus appears in the fossil record, a longer gap than the 66 million years between Tyrannosaurus and today.

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 Kayentapus 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 51

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

Eubrontes Grallator Anomoepus Massospondylus Argoides Platypterna Syntarsus Plectropterna Anchisauripus Lesothosaurus Sauropus Dilophosaurus Otozoum Scutellosaurus Plesiornis Anchisaurusand 35 more

Same parent group: Theropoda 33

Other genera in Theropoda with a full profile.

Ageroolithus Anteavis Boutakioutichnium Byakudansauropus Carmelopodus Corpulentapus Dispersituberoolithus Eutynichnium Gypsichnites Hadrosaurichnus Hispanosauropus Iberosauripus Irenesauripus Jialingpus Kalohipus Moraesichniumand 17 more

Named by Welles 4

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

Dilophosauripus Dilophosaurus Liliensternus Piveteausaurus

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 Anchisauripus Otozoum Eosauropus Argoides Coelophysis Platypterna Plectropterna Sauropus Evazoum Dilophosaurus Scutellosaurus Syntarsus Dilophosauripusand 22 more

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