Albian is a stage of the Cretaceous period.
Albian is a term proposed in 1842 by A. d'Orbigny for that stage of the Cretaceous system which comes above (later) the Aptian and below (before) the Cenomanian (Pal. France. Cret. ii.). Approximate time range is 113 to 100.5 Ma (million years ago).
The following representatives of the Albian stage are worthy of notice: the gaize and phosphatic beds of Argonne and Bray in France; the Flammenmergel of North Germany; the lignites of Iltrillas in Spain; the Upper Sandstones of Nubia, and the Fredericksburg beds of North America.
Vertebrate Fauna[]
Ankylosaurs[]
| Ankylosaurs of the Albian | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
  Sauropelta | ||||
| Cedar Mountain Formation, Utah, USA | ||||
| Aptian to ?Albian | Ulansuhai Formation, Inner Mongolia, China | |||
| Aptian to Albian | Cloverly Formation, Wyoming, Montana, Utah, USA | A medium-sized nodosaurid, measuring about 5 meters (16.5 ft) long, Sauropelta had a distinctively long tail which made up about half of its body length. Its neck and back were protected by an extensive bony body armor including characteristically large spines | ||
| Mongolia | ||||
| Dakota Formation, Kansas, USA | A nodosaurid estimated to have been approximately four meters in length (13 ft). Besides the usual rounded and polygonal osteoderms, Silvisaurus may have also sported bony spines on its shoulders and tail | |||
|
Late Albian to early Cenomanian | Frontier Formation, Wyoming, USA | A poorly known genus of nodosaurid | |
|
Paw Paw Formation, Texas, USA | Poorly known, probably a nodosaurid | ||
Birds[]
| Birds of the Albian | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
Bony Fish[]
| Bony Fish of the Albian | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
  | ||||
Cartilaginous Fish[]
| Cartilaginous fish of the Albian | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
  | ||||
Ceratopsia[]
| Ceratopsia of the Albian | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gobi Desert, Mongolia | Had an intermediate phylogenetic position between Liaoceratops and Archaeoceratops within Neoceratopia |   | ||
Crocodylomorphs[]
| Crocodylomorphs of the Albian | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
Ichthyosaurs[]
| Ichthyosaurs of the Albian | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
  | ||||
Mammalia[]
| Mammals of the Hauterivian | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| several species from Hauterivian to Albian | Spain, Mongolia |   | ||
|
Lightning Ridge, New South Wales, Australia | |||
| Lightning Ridge, New South Wales, Australia | ||||
Ornithopods[]
| Ornithopods of the Albian | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Khukhtek Formation, Dornogovi Province, Mongolia | An advanced iguanodontian, just basal to the family Hadrosauridae |         Qantassaurus   | ||
| Aptian/Albian | Dinosaur Cove, Victoria, Australia | 2-3 meters long hypsilophodont | ||
| Albian-Cenomanian | Utah, USA | An iguanodont | ||
| China | ||||
| Mongolia | ||||
| China | An early hadrosauroid iguanodont, about 17 - 20 feet (5 - 6 metres) in length. It had a narrow snout, an elongated lower jaw and double rows of flattened cheek teeth. It was a possible ancestor of the duck-billed dinosaurs. | |||
|
Barremian to Albian | |||
|
Aptian to Albian | Purgatoire Formation, Colorado, USA | An iguanodont described as intermediate in derivation between Camptosaurus and Iguanodon | |
| Aptian to Albian | Cloverly Formation, Montana, USA | Hypsilophodont | ||
Plesiosaurs[]
| †Plesiosauria of the Albian | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Aptian to Albian | Hughenden district, Queensland, Australia | Among the largest pliosaurs, body-length estimates put the total length of Kronosaurus at 9–10 meters |
  Kronosaurus |
Pterosauria[]
| Pterosaurs of the Albian | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Cambridge Greensand, United Kingdom |         | ||
| Morocco; Santana Formation, Brazil; Paw Paw Formation, Texas, USA | ||||
| Kent and Sussex, England, United Kingdom | ||||
| Lianmuxin Formation, Xinjiang, China | ||||
| Valanginian to Albian | Lagarcito Formation, Argentina | |||
| Aptian or Albian | Santana Formation, Brazil | |||
| Aptian to early Albian | Santan do Cariri, Brazil; St Gallen, Switzerland | |||
| Albian or Cenomanian | Santana Formation, Brazil | |||
| ? | Zhejiang, China | |||
Sauropods[]
| Sauropods of the Albian | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
  Argentinosaurus     | ||||
| ? Brachiosaurus nougaredi | Wargla, Algeria | |||
| Aptian or Albian | ||||
Theropods[]
| Theropods of the Albian | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| USA (Maryland, Oklahoma, Texas), and Ethiopia |             | |||
| Asia | ||||
| Niger | ||||
| North America | ||||
|
||||
| Egypt, Morocco, Tunisia, Kenya | ||||
Invertebrate Fauna[]
Ammonites[]
Ammonitida[]
- Moffitites
Originating in Lower Albian Strata[]
The following is a list of Ammonite genera whose fossils are geochronologically found first in lower Albian strata. These genera may survive into later portions of the Ablian stage, or even into later geological stages. This list should not be thought of in terms of the lifespan of the genera included.
- Aioloceras
- Anacleoniceras
- Anadesmoceras
- Anisoceras
- Arcthoplites
- Brancoceras
- Brewericeras
- Cleoniceras
- Cymahoplites
- Douvilleiceras
- Epileymeriella
- Eubranoceras
- Farnhamia
- Hoplites
- Kossmatella
- Labeceras
- Leconteites
- Lemuroceras
- Leymeriella
- Lyelliceras
- Neobibolites
- Otohoplites
- Oxytropidoceras
- Paracanthoplites
- Parasilesites
- Parengonoceras
- Plictetia
- Prohelicoceras
- Proleymeriella
- Prolyelliceras
- Protohoplites
- Pseudoleymeriella
- Pseudosonneratia
- Puzosia
- Puzosigella
- Rhytidohoplites
- Rossalites
- Silesitoides
- Sokolovites
- Sonneratia
- Tegoceras
- Tetrahoplites
- Tetrahoplitoides
- Zealandites
Originating in Middle Albian Strata[]
The following is a list of Ammonite genera whose fossils are geochronologically found first in middle Albian strata. These genera may survive into later portions of the Ablian stage, or even into later geological stages. This list should not be thought of in terms of the lifespan of the genera included.
- Anagaudryceras
- Anahoplites
- Astiericeras
- Dimorphoplites
- Dipoloceras
- Dipoloceroides
- Engonoceras
- Epihoplites
- Euhoplites
- Falciferella
- Falloticeras
- Gastroplites
- Hamitoides
- Hysteroceras
- Isohoplites
- Manuaniceras
- Mojsisoviczia
- Mortoniceras
- Ostlingoceras
- Protengonoceras
- Proturrilitoides
- Pseudhelicoceras
- Scaphamites
- Subarcthoplites
- Sulcohoplites
- Turrilitoides
- Venezoliceras
- Zuluscaphites
Originating in Upper Albian Strata[]
The following is a list of Ammonite genera whose fossils are geochronologically found first in upper Albian strata. These genera may survive into later portions of the Ablian stage, or even into later geological stages. This list should not be thought of in terms of the lifespan of the genera included.
Schloenbachia
Scaphites
- Adkinsites
- Arestoceras
- Beudantiella
- Bhimaites
- Borissiakoceras
- Cainoceras
- Callihoplites
- Cantabrigites
- Cenisella
- Cottreauites
- Cyrtochilus
- Deiradoceras
- Diplasioceras
- Discohoplites
- Ellipsoceras
- Elobiceras
- Eogunnarites
- Eopachydiscus
- Eoscaphites
- Erioliceras
- Ficheuria
- Flickia
- Gaudryceras
- Gazdaganites
- Goodhallites
- Hemiptychoceras
- Hengestites
- Hypengonoceras
- Hyphoplites
- Idiohamites
- Karamaiceras
- Karamaites
- Koloceras
- Lechites
- Lepthoplites
- Lytodiscoides
- Mantelliceras
- Mariella
- Metengonoceras
- Myloceras
- Neogastroplites
- Neoharpoceras
- Neokentoceras
- Neophlycticeras
- Pachydesmoceras
- Paradolphia
- Paraturrilites
- Pervinquieria
- Plesiohamites
- Plesioturrilites
- Pleurohoplites
- Prohysteroceras
- Psilohamites
- Rusoceras
- Salaziceras
- Saltericeras
- Scaphites
- Schloenbachia
- Sciponoceras
- Semenovites
- Spathiceras
- Stoliczkaia
- Stomohamites
- Worthoceras
Belemnites[]
| Belemnites of the Albian | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
  Belemnites | |||
|
||||
Nautiloids[]
| Nautiloids of the Albian | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
  An illustration of a variety of fossil nautiloids. | |||
Phylloceratida[]
See also[]
- List of fossil sites (with link directory)
References[]
External links[]
| Berriasian | Valanginian | Hauterivian Barremian | Aptian | Albian |
Cenomanian | Turonian | Coniacian Santonian | Campanian | Maastrichtian |