Dinosaur Park Formation

The Dinosaur Park Formation is the uppermost member of the Judith River Group, a major geologic unit in southern Alberta. It was laid down over a period of time between about 76.5 and 74.8 million years ago. The formation is made up of deposits of a high-sinuosity (anastomosing) fluvial system, and is capped by the Lethbridge Coal Beds. The formation is bounded by the Oldman Formation below it and the marine Bearpaw Formation above it (Eberth, 2005).

It is best known for the dense concentrations of dinosaur skeletons, both articulated and disarticulated, that are found there. However, other animals such as fish, turtles, and crocodilians are also abundant in the formation. The formation has been named after Dinosaur Provincial Park, a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Stratigraphic division of ornithischians? (Ryan and Evans, 2005)
Centrosaurus, Chasmosaurus russelli, Gryposaurus, and Corythosaurus are most common at the base of the formation, to about the middle. Styracosaurus, Chasmosaurus belli, Prosaurolophus, and Lambeosaurus lambei are most common from the middle to near the top. A new group may be present at the top, as the inland sea transgresses onto land, but there are fewer remains here. An unnamed pachyrhinosaur, Chasmosaurus irvinensis, and Lambeosaurus magnicristatus may be more common here.

Flora and fauna
Numerous types of plants and animals are known from the formation (taxonomy mostly after the relevant chapters of Currie and Koppelhus, 2005):

Palynomorphs
Palynomorphs are organic-walled microfossils, like spores, pollen, and algae (Braman and Koppelhus, 2005) Unknown producers
 * at least 8 species

Fungi
 * at least 35 taxa

Chlorophyta (green algae and blue-green algae)
 * at least 12 species

Pyrrhophyta (dinoflagellates, a type of marine algae)
 * unassigned cysts

Bryophytes (mosses, liverworts, and hornworts)
 * Anthocerotophyta (hornworts)
 * at least 5 species
 * Marchantiophyta (liverworts)
 * at least 14 species
 * Bryophyta (mosses)
 * at least 5 species

Lycopodiophyta
 * Lycopodiaceae (club mosses)
 * at least 11 species
 * Selaginellaceae (small club mosses)
 * at least 6 species
 * Isoetaceae (quillworts)
 * at least 1 species

Polypodiophyta
 * Osmundaceae (cinnamon ferns)
 * at least 6 species
 * Schizaeaceae (climbing ferns)
 * at least 20 species
 * Gleicheniaceae (Gleichenia and allies; coral ferns)
 * at least 5 species
 * Cyatheaceae (Cyathea and allies)
 * at least 4 species
 * Dicksoniaceae (Dicksonia and allies)
 * at least 3 species
 * Polypodiaceae (ferns)
 * at least 4 species
 * Matoniaceae
 * at least 1 species
 * Marsileaceae
 * at least 1 species

Pinophyta (gymnosperms)
 * Cycadaceae (cycads)
 * at least 3 species
 * Caytoniaceae
 * at least 1 species
 * Pinaceae (pines)
 * at least 4 species
 * Cupressaceae (cypresses)
 * at least 3 species
 * Podocarpaceae (Podocarpus and allies)
 * at least 4 species
 * Cheirolepidiaceae
 * at least 2 species
 * Ephedraceae (Mormon teas)
 * at least 6 species

Unknown gymnosperms: at least 3 species

Magnoliophyta (angiosperms)
 * Magnoliopsida (dicots)
 * Buxaceae (boxwood)
 * at least 1 species
 * Gunneraceae (gunneras)
 * at least 1 species
 * Salicaceae (willows, cottonwood, quaking aspen)
 * at least 1 species
 * Droseraceae (sundews)
 * at least 1 species
 * Olacaceae (tallowwood)
 * at least 2 species
 * Loranthaceae (showy mistletoes)
 * at least 1 species
 * Sapindaceae (soapberry)
 * at least 1 species
 * Aceraceae (maples)
 * at least 1 species
 * Proteaceae (proteas)
 * at least 9 species
 * Compositae (sunflowers)
 * at least 1 species
 * Fagaceae (beeches, oaks, chestnuts)
 * at least 2 species
 * Betulaceae (birches, alders)
 * at least 1 species
 * Ulmaceae (elms)
 * at least 1 species
 * Chenopodiaceae (goosefoots)
 * at least 1 species
 * Liliopsida (monocots)
 * Liliaceae (lilies)
 * at least 6 species
 * Cyperaceae (sedges)
 * at least 1 species
 * Sparganiaceae (bur-reeds)
 * possibly 1 species
 * Unknown angiosperms: at least 88 species

Plant body fossils (Koppelhus, 2005)

 * various ferns
 * Equisetum (Equisetaceae)

Gymnosperms
 * Platyspiroxylon (Cupressaceae)
 * Podocarpoxylon (Podocarpaceae)
 * Elatocladus (Taxodiaceae)
 * Sequoia (Taxodiaceae)
 * Sequoiaxylon (Taxodiaceae)
 * Taxodioxylon (Taxodiaceae)

Ginkgos
 * Baeria
 * Ginkgoites

Angiosperms
 * Artocarpus (Moraceae)
 * Cercidiphyllum (Cercidiphyllaceae)
 * Dombeyopsis (Sterculiaceae)
 * Menispermites (Menispermaceae)
 * Pistia (Araceae)
 * Platanus (Platanaceae)
 * Vitis (Vitaceae)
 * Trapa (Trapaceae)

Mollusks (Johnston and Hendy, 2005)
Freshwater bivalves
 * Fusconaia
 * Lampsilis
 * Sphaerium (2 species)

Freshwater gastropods
 * Campeloma (2 species)
 * Elimia
 * Goniobasis (3 species)
 * Hydrobia
 * Lioplacodes (2 species)

Fish
Chondrichthyans (Neuman and Brinkman, 2005)
 * Hybodus (a shark)
 * Myledaphus (a ray)
 * indeterminate orectolobid

Acipenseriformes (sturgeons) (Neuman and Brinkman, 2005)
 * unnamed sturgeon
 * unnamed paddlefish

Holostean fish (Neuman and Brinkman, 2005)
 * Belonostomus
 * Lepisosteus (the gar)
 * unnamed bowfin
 * at least 2 other holosteans

Teleost fish (Neuman and Brinkman, 2005)
 * Patatarpon (an elopomorph, like the tarpon)
 * Cretophareodus (an osteoglossomorph)
 * Coriops
 * Estesesox
 * Oldmanesox
 * Paralbula (including Phyllodus)
 * at least 8 other teleosts

Amphibians (Gardner, 2005)
Albanerpetonidae (extinct, salamander-like amphibians) Caudata (salamanders) Salienta (frogs)
 * Albanerpeton
 * Habrosaurus
 * Lisserpeton
 * Opisthotriton
 * Scapherpeton
 * unnamed caudatan
 * 2 indeterminate caudatans
 * 2 unnamed salientans

Turtles (Brinkman, 2005)

 * ''Adocus
 * "Apalone"
 * Aspideretoides (3 species)
 * Basilemys
 * Boremys
 * Judithemys
 * Neurankylus
 * Plesiobaena
 * 2 indeterminate taxa

Choristoderes
Choristoderes, or champsosaurs, were aquatic reptiles. Small examples looked like lizards, while larger types were superficially similar to crocodilians (Keqin Gao and Brinkman, 2005)
 * Champsosaurus (at least 3 species)
 * Cteniogenys

Lizards (Caldwell, 2005)
Helodermatids Necrosaurids Teiids Varanids Xenosaurids
 * Labrodioctes
 * Parasaniwa
 * Glyptogenys
 * Socognathus
 * Palaeosaniwa
 * ?Exostinus

Plesiosaurs (Sato, Eberth, Nicholls, and Manabe, 2005)

 * indeterminate elasmosaurids (very long-necked) (more common)
 * indeterminate polycotylids (shorter-necked)

Crocodylians (Xiao-Chun Wu, 2005)

 * Albertochampsa
 * Leidyosuchus
 * at least 1 unnamed taxon

Pterosaurs (Godfrey and Currie, 2005)

 * 1 large unnamed azhdarchid (giant, long-necked pterosaur)
 * 1 smaller unnamed azhdarchid
 * 1 unnamed non-azhdarchid pterosaur

Dinosaurs
Theropoda (Currie, 2005)
 * Coelurosauria incertae sedis
 * Family unknown
 * Paronychodon lacustris
 * Ricardoestesia gilmorei
 * Tyrannosauroidea
 * Tyrannosauridae
 * Daspletosaurus sp.
 * Gorgosaurus libratus (also called Albertosaurus libratus)
 * Ornithomimosauria
 * Ornithomimidae
 * Dromiceiomimus brevitertius (may be synonymous with Ornithomimus edmontonicus)
 * Ornithomimus edmontonicus
 * Struthiomimus altus
 * Maniraptora
 * Caenagnathidae (all of these may be species of Chirostenotes)
 * Caenagnathus collinsi
 * C. sternbergi
 * Chirostenotes pergracilis
 * Elmisaurus elegans
 * Avimimidae
 * ?indeterminate avimimid
 * Therizinosauridae
 * ?indeterminate therizinosaurid
 * Troodontidae
 * Troodon formosus
 * Troodon inequalis (formerly Stenonychosaurus) (might be synonymous with the former)
 * Dromaeosauridae
 * Dromaeosaurus albertensis
 * Saurornitholestes langstoni
 * Birds
 * Baptornis sp.
 * Cimolopteryx sp.
 * Palintropus sp.
 * additional indeterminate bird taxa

Ornithischia (Ryan and Evans, 2005)
 * Ankylosauria
 * Ankylosauridae
 * Euoplocephalus tutus
 * Nodosauridae
 * Edmontonia longiceps
 * E. rugosidens
 * Panoplosaurus mirus
 * Pachycephalosauria
 * Pachycephalosauridae
 * Hanssuesia sternbergi
 * Gravitholus albertae
 * Ornatotholus browni (?juvenile Stegoceras)
 * Stegoceras validum
 * "S." breve (?Prenocephale)
 * Ceratopsia
 * Leptoceratops sp.
 * Ceratopsidae
 * Centrosaurinae
 * Centrosaurus apertus
 * Monoclonius lowei
 * Styracosaurus albertensis
 * unnamed Pachyrhinosaurus-like taxon
 * Chasmosaurinae
 * Anchiceratops ornatus
 * Chasmosaurus belli
 * C. irvinensis
 * C. russelli
 * Ornithopoda
 * at least 1 indeterminate hypsilophodont
 * Hadrosauridae
 * Hadrosaurinae
 * Brachylophosaurus canadensis
 * Gryposaurus notabilis
 * G. incurvimanus
 * Prosaurolophus maximus
 * Lambeosaurinae
 * Corythosaurus casuarius
 * Lambeosaurus lambei
 * L. magnicristatus
 * Parasaurolophus walkeri

Mammals (Fox, 2005)
Multituberculata
 * Cimexomys sp.
 * Cimolodon spp.
 * Cimolomys clarki
 * Meniscoessus major
 * Mesodma primaeva
 * unnamed multituberculates

Marsupials
 * Alphadon halleyi
 * Eodelphis browni
 * E. cutleri
 * 5 species of "Pediomys"
 * Turgidodon russelli
 * T. praesagus

Placentals
 * Cimolestes sp. (uncertain taxonomy)
 * Gypsonictops lewisi
 * Paranyctoides sternbergi

Unknown therians: at least 1 species