List of African dinosaurs
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This is a list of dinosaurs whose remains have been recovered from Africa.
Africa has a rich fossil record, but it is patchy and incomplete. Prosauropods dating from the late Triassic period, about 230 million years ago, have been discovered in Madagascar.
Africa is rich in Triassic and Early Jurassic dinosaurs. Dinosaurs from these time periods include Syntarsus, Dracovenator, Melanorosaurus, Massospondylus, Euskelosaurus, Heterodontosaurus, Abrictosaurus, and Lesothosaurus. The Middle Jurassic is poorly represented in Africa. Only the three sauropods Cetiosaurus, Lapparentosaurus, and Archaeodontosaurus have been discovered dating from this time period.
The Late Jurassic, however, is well represented in Africa, mainly thanks to the spectacular Tendaguru Formation, a Lagerstätte in southeastern Tanzania. Allosaurus, Ceratosaurus, Elaphrosaurus, Giraffatitan, Dicraeosaurus, Janenschia, Tornieria, Tendaguria, Kentrosaurus, and Dryosaurus are among the dinosaurs whose remains have been recovered from Tendaguru. This fauna seems to show strong similarities to that of the Morrison Formation in the United States and the Lourinha Formation in Portugal. For example, Allosaurus, Ceratosaurus, and Dryosaurus have been found in both the Tendaguru and the Morrison. This has important biogeographical implications. This means the animals could travel between most continents at that time (Pangaea).
The Early Cretaceous in Africa is known primarily from the northern part of the continent, particularly Niger.
Suchomimus, Elrhazosaurus, Spinostropheus, Rebbachisaurus, Nigersaurus, Kryptops, Nqwebasaurus, and Paranthodon are some of the early Cretaceous dinosaurs known from Africa. The early Cretaceous was an important time for the dinosaurs of Africa because it was when Africa finally separated from South America, forming the South Atlantic Ocean. This was an important event because now the dinosaurs of Africa started developing endemism because of isolation. The Late Cretaceous of Africa is known mainly from North Africa. During the early part of the Late Cretaceous, North Africa was home to a rich dinosaur fauna. It includes Spinosaurus, Carcharodontosaurus, Rugops, Bahariasaurus, Deltadromeus, Paralititan, Aegyptosaurus, and Ouranosaurus. During the Late Cretaceous, Majungasaurus, Masiakasaurus, Rapetosaurus, and the flying dromaeosaurid Rahonavis all lived in Africa.
Name Period Diet[1] Notes Aardonyx Jurassic herbivore — Abrictosaurus Jurassic herbivore or omnivore — Aegyptosaurus Cretaceous herbivore — Aetonyx Jurassic herbivore probably synonymous with Massospondylus Afrovenator Jurassic carnivore — Algoasaurus Jurassic/Cretaceous herbivore — Allosaurus Jurassic carnivore — Antetonitrus Triassic herbivore — Archaeodontosaurus Jurassic herbivore _ Atlasaurus Jurassic herbivore — Australodocus Jurassic herbivore — Bahariasaurus Cretaceous carnivore — Barosaurus Jurassic herbivore — Berberosaurus Jurassic carnivore — Blikanasaurus Triassic herbivore — Carcharodontosaurus Cretaceous carnivore — Ceratosaurus Jurassic carnivore — Cetiosaurus Jurassic herbivore — Chebsaurus Jurassic herbivore — Cristatusaurus Cretaceous carnivore — Deltadromeus Cretaceous carnivore — Dicraeosaurus Jurassic herbivore — Dracovenator Jurassic carnivore — Dryosaurus Jurassic herbivore — Elaphrosaurus Jurassic carnivore — Elrhazosaurus Cretaceous herbivore — Eocarcharia Jurassic carnivore — Eocursor Triassic omnivore — Eucnemesaurus Triassic (disputed) — Euskelosaurus Triassic herbivore — Fabrosaurus Jurassic herbivore — Geranosaurus Jurassic (unknown) — Giraffatitan Jurassic herbivore — Gyposaurus Jurassic herbivore — Heterodontosaurus Jurassic herbivore — Ignavusaurus Jurassic herbivore — Inosaurus Cretaceous (unknown) — Janenschia Jurassic herbivore — Jobaria Cretaceous herbivore — Kangnasaurus Cretaceous (unknown) — Karongasaurus Cretaceous herbivore — Kemkemia Cretaceous carnivore — Kentrosaurus Jurassic herbivore — Kryptops Cretaceous carnivore — Lanasaurus Jurassic herbivore — Lapparentosaurus Jurassic herbivore _ Lesothosaurus Jurassic herbivore — Likhoelesaurus Triassic (unknown) Possibly not a dinosaur (disputed) Lurdusaurus Cretaceous herbivore — Lycorhinus Jurassic herbivore — Majungasaurus Cretaceous carnivore _ Malawisaurus Cretaceous herbivore — Masiakasaurus Cretaceous carnivore _ Massospondylus Jurassic herbivore — Megapnosaurus Jurassic carnivore — Melanorosaurus Triassic herbivore — Nigersaurus Cretaceous herbivore — Nqwebasaurus Cretaceous carnivore — Ouranosaurus Cretaceous herbivore — Paralititan Cretaceous herbivore — Paranthodon Cretaceous herbivore — Plateosauravus Triassic herbivore — Rahonavis Cretaceous carnivore _ Rapetosaurus Cretaceous herbivore _ Rebbachisaurus Cretaceous herbivore — Rugops Cretaceous carnivore — Sigilmassasaurus Cretaceous carnivore — Spinosaurus Cretaceous carnivore — Spinophorosaurus Jurassic herbivore — Spinostropheus Cretaceous carnivore — Stormbergia Jurassic (unknown) — Suchomimus Cretaceous carnivore — Tazoudasaurus Jurassic herbivore — Tendaguria Jurassic herbivore — Thotobolosaurus Triassic herbivore — Tornieria Jurassic herbivore — Vulcanodon Jurassic herbivore —
Key[change]
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Timeline[change]
This is a timeline of selected dinosaurs from the list above. Time is measured in mya along the x-axis.
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Period = from:-250 till:-25 TimeAxis = orientation:horizontal ScaleMajor = unit:year increment:25 start:-250 ScaleMinor = unit:year increment:5 start:-250 TimeAxis = orientation:hor AlignBars = justify
Colors =
#legends id:CAR value:claret id:HER value:teal id:OMN value:blue id:black value:black id:white value:white id:cretaceous value:rgb(0.3,0.75,0.1) id:jurassic value:rgb(0.3,0.75,0.4) id:triassic value:rgb(0.3,0.75,0.7) id:mesozoic value:rgb(0.3,0.6,0.4)
BarData=
bar:eratop bar:space bar:periodtop bar:space bar:NAM1 bar:NAM2 bar:NAM3 bar:NAM4 bar:NAM5 bar:NAM6 bar:NAM7 bar:NAM8 bar:NAM9 bar:NAM10 bar:NAM11 bar:NAM12 bar:NAM13 bar:NAM14 bar:NAM15 bar:NAM16 bar:NAM17 bar:NAM18 bar:NAM19 bar:NAM20 bar:NAM21 bar:NAM22 bar:NAM23 bar:NAM24 bar:NAM25 bar:NAM26 bar:NAM27 bar:NAM28 bar:NAM29 bar:NAM30 bar:NAM31 bar:NAM32 bar:NAM33 bar:NAM34 bar:NAM35 bar:NAM36 bar:NAM37 bar:NAM38 bar:NAM39 bar:NAM40 bar:NAM41 bar:NAM42 bar:NAM43 bar:NAM44 bar:NAM45 bar:NAM46 bar:NAM47 bar:NAM48 bar:NAM49 bar:NAM50 bar:NAM51 bar:NAM52 bar:NAM53 bar:NAM54 bar:NAM55 bar:NAM56 bar:NAM57 bar:space bar:period bar:space bar:era
PlotData=
align:center textcolor:black fontsize:M mark:(line,black) width:25 shift:(7,-4) bar:periodtop from: -145 till: -65 color:cretaceous text:Cretaceous from: -200 till: -145 color:jurassic text:Jurassic from: -250 till: -200 color:triassic text:Triassic
bar:eratop from: -250 till: -65 color:mesozoic text:Mesozoic
PlotData=
align:left fontsize:M mark:(line,white) width:5 anchor:till align:left
color:HER bar:NAM1 from:-216 till:-208 text:Antetonitrus color:HER bar:NAM2 from:-216 till:-208 text:Blikanasaurus color:OMN bar:NAM3 from:-216 till:-208 text:Eucnemesaurus color:HER bar:NAM4 from:-216 till:-208 text:Euskelosaurus color:HER bar:NAM5 from:-216 till:-208 text:Melanorosaurus color:HER bar:NAM6 from:-216 till:-208 text:Plateosauravus color:HER bar:NAM7 from:-205 till:-201 text:Vulcanodon color:OMN bar:NAM8 from:-200 till:-198 text:Eocursor color:HER bar:NAM9 from:-200 till:-197 text:Tazoudasaurus color:OMN bar:NAM10 from:-200 till:-190 text:Stormbergia color:HER bar:NAM11 from:-200 till:-183 text:Massospondylus color:HER bar:NAM12 from:-199 till:-196 text:Abrictosaurus color:HER bar:NAM13 from:-199 till:-196 text:Heterodontosaurus color:HER bar:NAM14 from:-199 till:-195 text:Lycorhinus color:HER bar:NAM15 from:-199 till:-189 text:Lanasaurus color:HER bar:NAM16 from:-199 till:-189 text:Lesothosaurus color:CAR bar:NAM17 from:-196 till:-194 text:Megapnosaurus color:CAR bar:NAM18 from:-196 till:-194 text:Dracovenator color:HER bar:NAM19 from:-196 till:-189 text:Gyposaurus color:CAR bar:NAM20 from:-185 till:-183 text:Berberosaurus color:HER bar:NAM21 from:-171 till:-167 text:Cetiosaurus color:HER bar:NAM22 from:-168 till:-161 text:Atlasaurus color:HER bar:NAM23 from:-165 till:-160 text:Chebsaurus color:CAR bar:NAM24 from:-164 till:-161 text:Afrovenator color:CAR bar:NAM25 from:-164 till:-161 text:Spinostropheus color:HER bar:NAM26 from:-155 till:-150 text:Dicraeosaurus color:HER bar:NAM27 from:-155 till:-150 text:Janenschia color:HER bar:NAM28 from:-155 till:-145 text:Dryosaurus color:HER bar:NAM29 from:-154 till:-150 text:Kentrosaurus color:CAR bar:NAM30 from:-152 till:-150 text:Ceratosaurus color:HER bar:NAM31 from:-152 till:-148 text:Australodocus color:HER bar:NAM32 from:-152 till:-148 text:Barosaurus color:CAR bar:NAM33 from:-150 till:-145 text:Elaphrosaurus color:HER bar:NAM34 from:-150 till:-145 text:Giraffatitan color:HER bar:NAM35 from:-150 till:-145 text:Malawisaurus color:HER bar:NAM36 from:-150 till:-145 text:Tendaguria color:HER bar:NAM37 from:-145 till:-140 text:Paranthodon color:HER bar:NAM38 from:-144 till:-112 text:Valdosaurus color:CAR bar:NAM39 from:-140 till:-142 text:Nqwebasaurus color:HER bar:NAM40 from:-140 till:-136 text:Jobaria color:HER bar:NAM41 from:-121 till:-112 text:Lurdusaurus color:CAR bar:NAM42 from:-116 till:-112 text:Cristatusaurus color:CAR bar:NAM43 from:-116 till:-112 text:Suchomimus color:CAR bar:NAM44 from:-116 till:-112 text:Kryptops color:CAR bar:NAM45 from:-116 till:-112 text:Eocarcharia color:HER bar:NAM46 from:-112 till:-108 text:Ouranosaurus color:HER bar:NAM47 from:-119 till:-99 text:Nigersaurus color:CAR bar:NAM48 from:-112 till:-93 text:Spinosaurus color:HER bar:NAM49 from:-101 till:-97 text:Rebbachisaurus color:CAR bar:NAM50 from:-100 till:-93 text:Carcharodontosaurus color:HER bar:NAM51 from:-99 till:-93 text:Paralititan color:CAR bar:NAM52 from:-99 till:-93 text:Sigilmassasaurus color:HER bar:NAM53 from:-97 till:-93 text:Aegyptosaurus color:CAR bar:NAM54 from:-97 till:-93 text:Bahariasaurus color:CAR bar:NAM55 from:-97 till:-93 text:Deltadromeus color:CAR bar:NAM56 from:-97 till:-93 text:Kemkemia color:CAR bar:NAM57 from:-97 till:-93 text:Rugops
PlotData=
align:center textcolor:black fontsize:M mark:(line,black) width:25 bar:period from: -145 till: -65 color:cretaceous text:Cretaceous from: -200 till: -145 color:jurassic text:Jurassic from: -250 till: -200 color:triassic text:Triassic
bar:era from: -250 till: -65 color:mesozoic text:Mesozoic
</timeline>
Criteria for inclusion[change]
- The creature must appear on the List of dinosaurs.
- Fossils of the creature must have been found in Africa.
- This list is a complement to Category:Dinosaurs of Africa.
Notes[change]
- ↑ Diet is sometimes hard to determine for dinosaurs and should be considered a "best guess"
