List of European dinosaurs
Dinosaurs evolved partway through the Triassic period of the Mesozoic era, around 230 Ma (million years ago). At that time, the earth had one supercontinental landmass, called Pangaea, of which Europe was a part.[1] So it remained throughout the Triassic. By the start of the Jurassic period, some 30 million years later, the supercontinent began to split into Laurasia and Gondwana. The largest inlet from Panthalassa, the superocean that surrounded Pangaea, was called the Tethys Ocean, and as this inlet cut deeper into the supercontinent, much of Europe was flooded.
By the Cretaceous, from 145 to 66 million years ago, the continents were beginning to approach their present shapes, but not their present positions, and Europe remained tropical. At times, it was a chain of island-microcontinents including Baltica and Iberia.
Europe is relatively rich in fossils from the Jurassic-Cretaceous boundary, and much of what is known about European dinosaurs dates from this time. As the timeline below illustrates, there are substantial gaps in our knowledge from the rest of the Mesozoic. The absence of dinosaur genera from this time is because few fossils have been discovered, and almost certainly not because Europe contained few types of dinosaur—except, perhaps, immediately after the Triassic–Jurassic extinction event.[2]
List of European dinosaurs
| Nomen dubium |
| Invalid |
| Nomen nudum |
Name Period Diet[3] Notes Acanthopholis Cretaceous herbivore — Aepisaurus Cretaceous herbivore — Agnosphitys Triassic (unknown) Possibly not a dinosaur, see article Agrosaurus Triassic herbivore/omnivore — Ajkaceratops Cretaceous herbivore — Allosaurus Jurassic carnivore — Alocodon Jurassic (unknown) — Altispinax Cretaceous carnivore — Ampelosaurus Cretaceous herbivore — Angloposeidon Cretaceous herbivore — Anoplosaurus Cretaceous herbivore — Aragosaurus Cretaceous herbivore — Arcovenator Cretaceous carnivore — Archaeopteryx Jurassic carnivore Possibly bird Arenysaurus Cretaceous herbivore — Aristosuchus Cretaceous carnivore — Asylosaurus Triassic herbivore/omnivore — Atsinganosaurus Cretaceous herbivore — Aviatyrannis Jurassic carnivore — Avipes Triassic (unknown) — Balaur Cretaceous carnivore — Barilium Cretaceous herbivore — Baryonyx Cretaceous carnivore — Becklespinax Cretaceous carnivore — Betasuchus Cretaceous carnivore (?) — Bihariosaurus Cretaceous herbivore — Blasisaurus Cretaceous herbivore — Bothriospondylus Jurassic herbivore — Bradycneme Cretaceous (unknown) — Calamosaurus Cretaceous carnivore — Calamospondylus Cretaceous (unknown) — Callovosaurus Jurassic herbivore — Camarillasaurus Cretaceous carnivore — Camelotia Triassic herbivore — Canardia Cretaceous herbivore — Cardiodon Jurassic herbivore — Ceratosaurus Jurassic carnivore — Cetiosauriscus Jurassic herbivore — Cetiosaurus Jurassic herbivore — Chondrosteosaurus Cretaceous herbivore — Compsognathus Jurassic carnivore — Concavenator Cretaceous carnivore — Craspedodon Cretaceous herbivore — Craterosaurus Cretaceous herbivore — Cruxicheiros Jurassic carnivore — Cryptosaurus Jurassic herbivore — Cumnoria Jurassic herbivore — Dacentrurus Jurassic herbivore — Darwinsaurus Cretaceous herbivore — Delapparentia Cretaceous herbivore — Demandasaurus Cretaceous herbivore — Dinheirosaurus Jurassic herbivore — Dinodocus Cretaceous herbivore — Dolichosuchus Triassic (unknown) — Draconyx Jurassic herbivore — Dracopelta Jurassic/Cretaceous herbivore — Dromaeosauroides Cretaceous carnivore — Dubreuillosaurus Jurassic carnivore — Duriatitan Jurassic herbivore — Duriavenator Jurassic carnivore — Echinodon Cretaceous herbivore — Efraasia Triassic herbivore — Elopteryx Cretaceous carnivore — Emausaurus Jurassic herbivore — Eotyrannus Cretaceous carnivore — Eousdryosaurus Jurassic herbivore — Erectopus Cretaceous carnivore — Eucamerotus Cretaceous herbivore — Eucercosaurus Cretaceous herbivore — Euronychodon Cretaceous carnivore — Europasaurus Jurassic herbivore — Europelta Cretaceous herbivore — Eustreptospondylus Jurassic carnivore — Galveosaurus Jurassic/Cretaceous herbivore — Genusaurus Cretaceous carnivore — Gideonmantellia Cretaceous herbivore — Gigantosaurus Cretaceous herbivore — Halticosaurus Triassic carnivore — Heptasteornis Cretaceous carnivore — Histriasaurus Cretaceous herbivore — Hungarosaurus Cretaceous herbivore — Huxleysaurus Cretaceous herbivore — Hylaeosaurus Cretaceous herbivore — Hypselosaurus Cretaceous herbivore — Hypselospinus Cretaceous herbivore — Hypsilophodon Cretaceous herbivore/omnivore — Iguanodon Cretaceous herbivore — Iliosuchus Cretaceous carnivore — Ischyrosaurus Jurassic herbivore — Iuticosaurus Cretaceous herbivore — Juratyrant Jurassic carnivore — Juravenator Jurassic carnivore — Koutalisaurus Cretaceous herbivore — Kukufeldia Cretaceous herbivore — Lexovisaurus Jurassic herbivore — Liassaurus Jurassic (unknown) — Liliensternus Triassic carnivore — Lirainosaurus Cretaceous herbivore — Lophostropheus Triassic/Jurassic carnivore — Loricatosaurus Jurassic herbivore — Losillasaurus Jurassic/Cretaceous herbivore — Lourinhanosaurus Jurassic carnivore — Lourinhasaurus Jurassic herbivore — Lusitanosaurus Jurassic herbivore — Lusotitan Jurassic herbivore — Macrurosaurus Cretaceous herbivore — Magnosaurus Jurassic carnivore — Magyarosaurus Cretaceous herbivore — Mantellisaurus Cretaceous herbivore — Mantellodon Cretaceous herbivore — Megalosaurus Jurassic carnivore — Merosaurus Jurassic carnivore — Metriacanthosaurus Jurassic carnivore — Miragaia Jurassic herbivore — Mochlodon Cretaceous herbivore — Morinosaurus Cretaceous herbivore — Neosodon Jurassic herbivore — Neovenator Cretaceous carnivore — Newtonsaurus Triassic carnivore — Normanniasaurus Cretaceous herbivore — Nuthetes Cretaceous carnivore — Ohmdenosaurus Jurassic herbivore — Oplosaurus Cretaceous herbivore — Ornithodesmus Cretaceous carnivore — Ornithopsis Cretaceous herbivore — Orthomerus Cretaceous herbivore — Owenodon Cretaceous herbivore — Paludititan Cretaceous herbivore — Pantydraco Triassic herbivore — Pararhabdodon Cretaceous herbivore — Pelecanimimus Cretaceous carnivore — Pelorosaurus Cretaceous herbivore — Phyllodon Jurassic herbivore — Piveteausaurus Jurassic carnivore — Proplanicoxa Cretaceous herbivore — Plateosaurus Triassic herbivore — Pneumatoraptor Cretaceous carnivore — Poekilopleuron Jurassic carnivore — Polacanthus Cretaceous herbivore — Ponerosteus Cretaceous (unknown) — Priodontognathus Jurassic herbivore — Proa Cretaceous herbivore — Proceratosaurus Jurassic carnivore — Procompsognathus Triassic carnivore — Pterospondylus Triassic carnivore — Pyroraptor Cretaceous carnivore — Regnosaurus Cretaceous herbivore — Rhabdodon Cretaceous herbivore — Ruehleia Triassic herbivore — Rutellum Jurassic herbivore Nomen oblitum Saltriosaurus Jurassic carnivore — Sarcolestes Jurassic herbivore — Sarcosaurus Jurassic carnivore — Scelidosaurus Jurassic herbivore — Scipionyx Cretaceous carnivore — Sciurumimus Jurassic carnivore — Sellacoxa Cretaceous herbivore — Stegosaurus Jurassic herbivore — Stenopelix Cretaceous herbivore — Streptospondylus Jurassic herbivore — Struthiosaurus Cretaceous herbivore — Suchosaurus Cretaceous carnivore — Tarascosaurus Cretaceous carnivore — Tastavinsaurus Cretaceous herbivore — Taveirosaurus Cretaceous herbivore — Teinurosaurus Jurassic carnivore — Telmatosaurus Cretaceous herbivore — Tethyshadros Cretaceous herbivore — Thecocoelurus Cretaceous (unknown) — Thecodontosaurus Triassic herbivore — Thecospondylus Cretaceous (unknown) — Torvosaurus Jurassic carnivore — Trimucrodon Jurassic herbivore — Turiasaurus Jurassic/Cretaceous herbivore — Valdoraptor Cretaceous carnivore — Valdosaurus Cretaceous herbivore — Variraptor Cretaceous carnivore — Velocipes Triassic (unknown) May not be a dinosaur, see article Xenoposeidon Cretaceous herbivore — Yaverlandia Cretaceous (unknown) — Zalmoxes Cretaceous herbivore — Zby Jurassic herbivore —
Timeline
This is a timeline of selected dinosaurs from the list above. Time is measured in Ma, megaannum, along the x-axis.
Criteria for inclusion
- The creature must appear on the List of dinosaurs.
- Fossils of the creature must have been found in Europe.
- This list is a complement to Category:Dinosaurs of Europe.
See also
- Category: Cretaceous paleontological sites of Europe
Notes
- ↑ Manchester Metropolitan University
- ↑ Nasa
- ↑ Diet is sometimes hard to determine for dinosaurs and should be considered a "best guess"
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