Fenoliga “The dinosaurs island” Premantura Kamenjak

Fenoliga is a small island located northwest of Kamenjak. The island has dimensions of approximately 150 m and is well known for the dinosaur traces being discovered by the Austrian paleontologist Adolf Bachofen-Echt in 1974. There are 146 traces of dinosaurs deployed in six trackways. The traces belong to the dinosaurs species of Theropod and Sauropod and are predicted more than  90 million years old. How on Fenoliga werent found dinosaur bones, this finding is very important for the further study of regional dinosaur fauna. Fenoliga is also known for the place of Crispo killing. Crispo was a son of the great Roman Emperor – Constantine. The event took place in 326 AD, and it is speculated that this was done on the order of his father Constatntin, because his son was too endeared with his stepmother. The traces occur occur in Middle to Upper Cenomanian bioclastic wackestone deposited in a tidal flat environment. The Island of Fenoliga can be reached only by boat. Because of the strong and dangerous sea currents it is NOT RECOMMENDED to swimm to the Island.

Fenoliga “The dinosaurs island” Premantura Kamenjak

Two basic footprint types can be distinguished: 1, large circular-elliptical sauropod footprints, forming four trackways (I, III, V, VI) and five footprint groups (a, b, c, d, e); 2, smaller tridactyl theropod footprints forming two trackways (II, IV) and one footprint group (f). Three type specimens, one sauropod and two theropod, were determined during the course of the work. Footprints from this site constitute a sauropod-theropod ichnocenosis with the ratio 67:33 % in the favour of sauropods.

The dinsaure traces are also found west of the Penižule bay on Cape Kamenjak.

Fenoliga Island: Dinosaure footprints

Source: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0195667199901805

Photo credits: Yacht Rent, FNZ, Medulin Apartments, Stefano Maruzzo