Small ornithopod dinosaur tracks and crocodilian remains from the Middle Jurassic Bagå Formation, Bornholm, Denmark: Important additions to the rare Middle Jurassic vertebrate faunas of Northern Europe

Two new small tridactyl dinosaur tracks are found in the Middle Jurassic Bagå Formation of Bornholm and are interpreted as ornithopodian in origin. A skeletal fragment is identified as a crocodilian skull fragment. Previous finds of dinosaur tracks from the locality consist of two sizes of sauropods, a medium sized theropod and thyreophorans. The addition of tracks from ornithopod dinosaurs and skeletal evidence of crocodilians now give a broader picture of a diverse Middle Jurassic vertebrate fauna. This is an important addition to the understanding of the terrestrial Mesozoic ecosystem of Denmark, and a valuable addition to the scarce Middle Jurassic vertebrate record of Europe

Float or sink: modelling the taphonomic pathway of marine crocodiles (Mesoeucrocodylia, Thalattosuchia) during the death–burial interval

A taphonomic model is erected for a dataset of 19 Steneosaurus (Mesoeucrocodylia; Thalattosuchia) from the Toarcian Posidonienschiefer Formation (Lower Jurassic) of Germany. These were deposited in a quiet-water, marine, basin. Their taphonomy is compared with that of an additional seven thalattosuchians from other Jurassic localities (Peterborough and Yorkshire, UK; Nusplingen, Germany). The skeletal taphonomy of the specimens is assessed in terms of the articulation and completeness of nine skeletal units. Steneosaurus from the Posidonienschiefer Formation exhibit variable levels of articulation in the nine units. Completeness also varies but the head, neck and dorsal units are complete in all specimens. Carcasses reached the sediment–water interface shortly after death. Loss of fidelity occurred primarily as individuals lay on the sediment, and disarticulated elements tended to remain in the vicinity of the carcass. Those elements absent from specimens are the smaller, more distal, bones of the limbs and tail; these were removed preferentially by weak bottom currents. Smaller specimens are consistently less complete. Specimens from other localities broadly follow the same taphonomic pathway, suggesting a consistent pattern for the skeletal taphonomy of the carcasses of marine crocodiles. Loss of completeness in some specimens is more exacerbated, the result of stronger current activity at the sediment–water interface