Africa boasts a wealthy and numerous historical past of dinosaurs, with fossils courting again to the Triassic and Jurassic intervals. The continent’s distinctive geological historical past has contributed to a particular array of dinosaur species, a lot of that are nonetheless being found and studied at the moment.
In comparison with Eurasia and North and South America, Africa isn’t notably well-known for its dinosaur fossils, however the dinosaurs that did stay on this continent throughout the Mesozoic Period have been among the many fiercest on the planet. Right here’s an inventory of the ten most necessary African dinosaurs.
Triassic and Early Jurassic
The dinosaurs from the Triassic and Early Jurassic intervals characterize a few of the earliest identified kinds, highlighting Africa’s function within the early evolution of dinosaurs.
Megapnosaurus
Megapnosaurus is an extinct genus of coelophysid theropod dinosaur that lived roughly 188 million years in the past throughout the early a part of the Jurassic Interval in what’s now Africa. The species was a small to medium-sized, calmly constructed, ground-dwelling, bipedal carnivore, that would develop as much as 2.2 m (7.2 ft) lengthy and weigh as much as 13 kg (29 lb).
Center Jurassic
Varied sauropod and theropod dinosaurs appeared within the Center Jurassic, and a lot of fossils have been present in areas akin to Niger and Tanzania.
Chebsaurus
Chebsaurus is a genus of sauropod dinosaur, particularly a eusauropod. It lived in present-day Algeria, within the Callovian-aged Aïssa Formation. The sort species, C. algeriensis, was named in 2005 by Mahammed et al. and is essentially the most full Algerian sauropod identified. It was round 8 to 9 meters lengthy.
Jobaria
Jobaria is a genus of sauropod dinosaur that lived in what’s now Niger throughout the center Jurassic Interval, between 164 and 161 million years in the past. Jobaria is presently the one identified legitimate sauropod from the Tiouraren, the place it was found in 1997.
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Cretaceous Interval
The Cretaceous Interval marked Africa’s separation from South America, resulting in distinctive evolutionary paths as a result of geographic isolation.
Suchomimus
Suchomimus is a genus of spinosaur dinosaur that lived between 125 and 112 million years in the past in what’s now Niger, North Africa, throughout the Aptian to early Albian levels of the Early Cretaceous Interval.
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Nigersaurus
Nigersaurus is a genus of rebbachisaurid sauropod dinosaur that lived throughout the center Cretaceous interval, about 115 to 105 million years in the past. It was found within the Elrhaz Formation in an space referred to as Gadoufaoua, in Niger.
The variety of African dinosaurs has important implications for our understanding of dinosaur evolution globally. The similarities between African fossils and people present in North America recommend potential land connections or shared evolutionary paths throughout the Mesozoic period. This challenges earlier assumptions that African dinosaur assemblages merely replicated these from different continents.
Africa’s dinosaur historical past is wealthy and complicated, with ongoing analysis revealing new insights into the range and evolution of those historic creatures. As paleontologists proceed to discover under-studied areas, our understanding of Africa’s function within the broader narrative of dinosaur evolution will undoubtedly broaden.
