List of European dinosaurs

The Tethys Ocean splitting Laurasia from Gondwana.

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
Dracoraptor Jurassic carnivore
Dromaeosauroides Cretaceous carnivore
Dubreuillosaurus Jurassic carnivore
Duriatitan Jurassic herbivore
Duriavenator Jurassic carnivore
Echinodon Cretaceous herbivore
Efraasia Triassic herbivore
Elopteryx Cretaceous carnivore
Emausaurus Jurassic herbivore
Eoplophysis 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 — The first known lambeosaurine from Europe.
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
Rhadinosaurus Cretaceous herbivore
Riabininohadros 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
Tanystrosuchus Triassic herbivore
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)
Therosaurus Cretaceous herbivore
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
Wellnhoferia Jurassic carnivore
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.

Mesozoic Triassic Jurassic Cretaceous Betasuchus Zalmoxes Magyarosaurus Hypselosaurus Elopteryx Pyroraptor Ampelosaurus Struthiosaurus Hungarosaurus Erectopus Anoplosaurus Acanthopholis Scipionyx Valdoraptor Neovenator Iguanodon Eucamerotus Eotyrannus Dollodon Baryonyx Aristosuchus Aragosaurus Polacanthus Macrurosaurus Histriasaurus Pelorosaurus Mantellisaurus Hypsilophodon Hylaeosaurus Valdosaurus Xenoposeidon Echinodon Turiasaurus Torvosaurus Stegosaurus Neosodon Lusotitan Juratyrant Compsognathus Archaeopteryx Dacentrurus Miragaia (dinosaur) Lourinhanosaurus Juravenator Europasaurus Dracopelta Dinheirosaurus Cumnoria Aviatyrannis Allosaurus Sarcolestes Loricatosaurus Eustreptospondylus Ceratosaurus Callovosaurus Proceratosaurus Poekilopleuron Dubreuillosaurus Bothriospondylus Duriavenator Megalosaurus Cetiosaurus Sarcosaurus Asylosaurus Scelidosaurus Halticosaurus Efraasia Liliensternus Camelotia Ruehleia Plateosaurus Sellosaurus Mesozoic Triassic Jurassic Cretaceous

Criteria for inclusion

See also

Notes

  1. Manchester Metropolitan University
  2. Nasa
  3. Diet is sometimes hard to determine for dinosaurs and should be considered a "best guess"
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