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 75 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)

• Albanerpeton

Caudata (salamanders)

• Habrosaurus
• Lisserpeton
• Opisthotriton
• Scapherpeton
• unnamed caudatan
• 2 indeterminate caudatans

Salienta (frogs)

• 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

• Labrodioctes

Necrosaurids

• Parasaniwa

Teiids

• Glyptogenys
• Socognathus

Varanids

• Palaeosaniwa

Xenosaurids

• ?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
• Leidysuchus
• 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

Animalss of Dinosaur Park Formation
Taxa	Presence	Description	Images
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See also

• List of dinosaur-bearing rock formations

References

• Braman, D.R., and Koppelhus, E.B. 2005. Campanian palynomorphs. In: Currie, P.J., and Koppelhus, E.B. (eds), Dinosaur Provincial Park: A Spectacular Ancient Ecosystem Revealed. Indiana University Press: Bloomington and Indianapolis, 101-130.
• Brinkman, D.B. 2005. Turtles: diversity, paleoecology, and distribution. In: Currie, P.J., and Koppelhus, E.B. (eds), Dinosaur Provincial Park: A Spectacular Ancient Ecosystem Revealed. Indiana University Press: Bloomington and Indianapolis, 202-220.
• Caldwell, M.W. The squamates: origins, phylogeny, and paleoecology. In: Currie, P.J., and Koppelhus, E.B. (eds). 2005. ‘’Dinosaur Provincial Park: A Spectacular Ancient Ecosystem Revealed.’’ Indiana University Press: Bloomington and Indianapolis, 235-248.
• Currie, P.J. 2005. Theropods, including birds. In: Currie, P.J., and Koppelhus, E.B. (eds), Dinosaur Provincial Park: A Spectacular Ancient Ecosystem Revealed. Indiana University Press: Bloomington and Indianapolis, 367-397.
• Currie, P.J., and Koppelhus, E.B. (eds). 2005. Dinosaur Provincial Park: A Spectacular Ancient Ecosystem Revealed. Indiana University Press: Bloomington and Indianapolis, 648 p.
• Eberth, D.A. 2005. The geology. In: Currie, P.J., and Koppelhus, E.B. (eds), Dinosaur Provincial Park: A Spectacular Ancient Ecosystem Revealed. Indiana University Press: Bloomington and Indianapolis, 54-82.
• Fox, R.C. 2005. Late Cretaceous mammals. In: Currie, P.J., and Koppelhus, E.B. (eds), Dinosaur Provincial Park: A Spectacular Ancient Ecosystem Revealed. Indiana University Press: Bloomington and Indianapolis, 417-435.
• K. Gao and Brinkman, D.B. 2005. Choristoderes from the Park and its vicinity. In: Currie, P.J., and Koppelhus, E.B. (eds), Dinosaur Provincial Park: A Spectacular Ancient Ecosystem Revealed. Indiana University Press: Bloomington and Indianapolis, 221-234.
• Gardner, J.D. 2005. Lissamphibians. In: Currie, P.J., and Koppelhus, E.B. (eds), Dinosaur Provincial Park: A Spectacular Ancient Ecosystem Revealed. Indiana University Press: Bloomington and Indianapolis, 186-201.
• Godfrey, S.J., and Currie, P.J. 2005. Pterosaurs. In: Currie, P.J., and Koppelhus, E.B. (eds), Dinosaur Provincial Park: A Spectacular Ancient Ecosystem Revealed. Indiana University Press: Bloomington and Indianapolis, 292-311.
• Johnston, P.A., and Hendy, A.J.W. 2005. Paleoecology of mollusks from the Upper Cretaceous Belly River Group. In: Currie, P.J., and Koppelhus, E.B. (eds), Dinosaur Provincial Park: A Spectacular Ancient Ecosystem Revealed. Indiana University Press: Bloomington and Indianapolis, 139-166.
• Koppelhus, E.B. 2005. Paleobotany. In: Currie, P.J., and Koppelhus, E.B. (eds), Dinosaur Provincial Park: A Spectacular Ancient Ecosystem Revealed. Indiana University Press: Bloomington and Indianapolis, 131-138.
• Neuman, A.G., and Brinkman, D.B. 2005. Fishes of the fluvial beds. In: Currie, P.J., and Koppelhus, E.B. (eds), Dinosaur Provincial Park: A Spectacular Ancient Ecosystem Revealed. Indiana University Press: Bloomington and Indianapolis, 167-185.
• Ryan, M.J., and Evans, D.C. 2005. Ornithischian dinosaurs. In: Currie, P.J., and Koppelhus, E.B. (eds), Dinosaur Provincial Park: A Spectacular Ancient Ecosystem Revealed. Indiana University Press: Bloomington and Indianapolis, 312-348.
• Sato, T., Eberth, D.A., Nicholls, E.L., and Manabe, M. 2005. Plesiosaurian remains from non-marine to paralic sediments. In: Currie, P.J., and Koppelhus, E.B. (eds), Dinosaur Provincial Park: A Spectacular Ancient Ecosystem Revealed.’’ Indiana University Press: Bloomington and Indianapolis, 249-276.
• Xiao-Chun Wu. 2005. Crocodylians. In: Currie, P.J., and Koppelhus, E.B. (eds), Dinosaur Provincial Park: A Spectacular Ancient Ecosystem Revealed. Indiana University Press: Bloomington and Indianapolis, 277-291.