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List of European dinosaurs

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

List of European dinosaurs
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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. 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.

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The Tethys Ocean splitting Laurasia from Gondwana.

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. During the Maastrichtian the end of the Cretaceous dinosaurs were dominating western and Central Europe as the Tremp Formation in Spain dates back to that age. Examples of dinosaurs from Maastrichtian Europe are Struthiosaurus and Canardia.

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Criteria for inclusion

  • The genus must appear on the List of dinosaur genera.
  • At least one named species of the creature must have been found in Europe.
  • This list is a complement to Category:Mesozoic dinosaurs of Europe.

List of European dinosaurs

Valid genera

More information Name, Year ...

Invalid and potentially valid genera

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Timeline

This is a timeline of selected dinosaurs from the list above. Time is measured in Ma, megaannum, along the x-axis.

MesozoicTriassicJurassicCretaceousBetasuchusZalmoxesMagyarosaurusHypselosaurusElopteryxPyroraptorAmpelosaurusStruthiosaurusHungarosaurusErectopusAnoplosaurusAcanthopholisScipionyxValdoraptorNeovenatorIguanodonEucamerotusEotyrannusDollodonBaryonyxAristosuchusAragosaurusPolacanthusMacrurosaurusHistriasaurusPelorosaurusMantellisaurusHypsilophodonHylaeosaurusValdosaurusXenoposeidonEchinodonTuriasaurusTorvosaurusStegosaurusNeosodonLusotitanJuratyrantCompsognathusArchaeopteryxDacentrurusMiragaia (dinosaur)LourinhanosaurusJuravenatorEuropasaurusDracopeltaDinheirosaurusCumnoriaAviatyrannisAllosaurusSarcolestesLoricatosaurusEustreptospondylusCeratosaurusCallovosaurusProceratosaurusPoekilopleuronDubreuillosaurusBothriospondylusDuriavenatorMegalosaurusCetiosaurusSarcosaurusLophostropheusAsylosaurusScelidosaurusHalticosaurusEfraasiaLiliensternusCamelotiaRuehleiaPlateosaurusSellosaurusMesozoicTriassicJurassicCretaceous

See also

Notes

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