What Dinosaurs Lived In Africa?

Africa, the instant image that pops into my mind is the abundant wildlife scenery. With Mount Kilimanjaro serving as the backdrop, Elephants roaming the lands, Gazelles hopping, Zebras, Wildebeests and Buffaloes grazing near a watering hole while Crocodiles and Lions lie in wait to ambush their prey while some Hyenas cackle nearby. The vast Savannah grasslands and the Nile river stretches for miles and miles.

Current ecology is pretty great but being Dinosaur-enthusiast comes with a drawback, I always keep imagining these scenes and replace them with Dinosaurs. I imagine what it would like with a Spinosaurus wading in a river, a Carcharodontosaurus stalking for some prey while a herd of Ouranosaurus walks by, you know it by now. But there were more life in Africa than one could imagine and I am here to list every non-avian dinosaurs that existed a long time ago.

I have put together a list of all the non-avian dinosaurs discovered in Madagascar but not flying reptiles or marine reptiles. Please let me know if you would want them to be added in the list and I will gladly find them and put them in the list.

• Chebsaurus (Aïssa Formation, Middle Jurassic, 2005, Algeria)
• Carcharodontosaurus (Bahariya Formation, Continental intercalaire, Echkar Formation, Kem Kem Group, Late Cretaceous, 1931, Algeria, Egypt, Morocco, Niger, Tunisia)
• Spinosaurus (Bahariya Formation, Chenini Formation, Kem Kem Group, Late Cretaceous, 1915, Algeria, Egypt, Morocco, Tunisia)
• Angolatitan (Itombe Formation, Late Cretaceous, 2011, Angola)
• Aegyptosaurus (Bahariya Formation, Late Cretaceous, 1932, Egypt)
• Paralititan (Bahariya Formation, Late Cretaceous, 2001, Egypt)
• Igai (Quseir Formation, Late Cretaceous, 2023, Egypt)
• Mansourasaurus (Quseir Formation, Late Cretaceous, 2018, Egypt)
• Bahariasaurus (Bahariya Formation, Late Cretaceous, 1934, Egypt)
• Ignavusaurus (Elliot Formation, Early Jurassic, 2010, Lesotho)
• Kholumolumo (Elliot Formation, Late Triassic, 2020, Lesotho)
• Meroktenos (Elliot Formation, Late Triassic, 2016, Lesotho)
• Abrictosaurus (Elliot Formation, Early Jurassic, 1975, Lesotho, South Africa)
• Lesothosaurus (Clarens Formation, Elliot Formation, Early Jurassic, 1978, Lesotho, South Africa)
• Euskelosaurus (Elliot Formation, Late Triassic, 1866 Lesotho, South Africa, Zimbabwe)
• Massospondylus (Bushveld Sandstone, Clarens Formation, Elliot Formation, Forest Sandstone, Early Jurassic, 1854, Lesotho, South Africa, Zimbabwe)
• Karongasaurus (Dinosaur Beds, Early Cretaceous, 2005, Malawi)
• Malawisaurus (Dinosaur Beds, Early Cretaceous, 1993, Malawi)
• Adratiklit (El Mers Group, Middle Jurassic, 2019, Morocco)
• Ajnabia (Ouled Abdoun Basin, Late Cretaceous, 2020, Morocco)
• Atlasaurus (Guettioua Formation, Middle Jurassic, 1999, Morocco)
• Berberosaurus (Azilal Formation, Early Jurassic, 2007, Morocco)
• Chenanisaurus (Ouled Abdoun Basin, Late Cretaceous, 2017, Morocco)
• Deltadromeus (Kem Kem Group, Late Cretaceous, 1996, Morocco)
• Rebbachisaurus (Kem Kem Group, Late Cretaceous, 1954, Morocco)
• Sauroniops (Kem Kem Group, Late Cretaceous, 2012, Morocco)
• Spicomellus (El Mers Group, Middle Jurassic, 2021, Morocco)
• Tazoudasaurus (Azilal Formation, Early Jurassic, 2004, Morocco)
• Afromimus (Elrhaz Formation, Early Cretaceous, 2017, Niger)
• Afrovenator (Tiourarén Formation, Middle Jurassic to Late Jurassic, 1994, Niger)
• Cristatusaurus (Elrhaz Formation, Early Cretaceous, 1998, Niger)
• Elrhazosaurus (Elrhaz Formation, Early Cretaceous, 2009, Niger)
• Eocarcharia (Elrhaz Formation, Early Cretaceous, 2008, Niger)
• Jobaria (Tiourarén Formation, Middle Jurassic to Late Jurassic, 1999, Niger)
• Kryptops (Elrhaz Formation, Early Cretaceous, 2008, Niger)
• Lurdusaurus (Elrhaz Formation, Early Cretaceous, 1999, Niger)
• Nigersaurus (Elrhaz Formation, Early Cretaceous, 1999, Niger)
• Ouranosaurus (Elrhaz Formation, Early Cretaceous, 1976, Niger)
• Rugops (Echkar Formation, Late Cretaceous, 2004, Niger)
• Spinophorosaurus (Irhazer Shale, Middle Jurassic, 2009, Niger)
• Spinostropheus (Tiourarén Formation, Middle Jurassic to Late Jurassic, 2004, Niger)
• Suchomimus (Elrhaz Formation, Early Cretaceous, 1998, Niger)
• Aardonyx (Elliot Formation, Early Jurassic, 2010, South Africa)
• Algoasaurus (Kirkwood Formation, Early Cretaceous, 1904, South Africa)
• Antetonitrus (Elliot Formation, Early Jurassic, 2003, South Africa)
• Arcusaurus (Elliot Formation, Early Jurassic, 2011, South Africa)
• Blikanasaurus (Elliot Formation, Late Triassic, 1985, South Africa)
• Dracovenator (Elliot Formation, Early Jurassic, 2005, South Africa)
• Eocursor (Elliot Formation, Early Jurassic, 2007, South Africa)
• Eucnemesaurus (Elliot Formation, Late Triassic, 1920, South Africa)
• Geranosaurus (Clarens Formation, Early Jurassic, 1911, South Africa)
• Gryponyx (Elliot Formation, Early Jurassic, 1911, South Africa)
• Heterodontosaurus (Clarens Formation, Elliot Formation, Early Jurassic, 1962, South Africa)
• Iyuku (Kirkwood Formation, Early Cretaceous, 2022, South Africa)
• Kangnasaurus (Kalahari Deposits Formation, Early Cretaceous, 1915, South Africa)
• Ledumahadi (Elliot Formation, Early Jurassic, 2018, South Africa)
• Lycorhinus (Elliot Formation, Early Jurassic, 1924, South Africa)
• Melanorosaurus (Elliot Formation, Late Triassic, 1924, South Africa)
• Ngwevu (Clarens Formation, Early Jurassic, 2019, South Africa)
• Nqwebasaurus (Kirkwood Formation, Early Cretaceous, 2000, South Africa)
• Paranthodon (Kirkwood Formation, Early Cretaceous, 1929, South Africa)
• Pegomastax (Elliot Formation, Early Jurassic, 2012, South Africa)
• Plateosauravus (Elliot Formation, Early Jurassic, 1932, South Africa)
• Pulanesaura (Elliot Formation, Early Jurassic, 2015, South Africa)
• Sefapanosaurus (Elliot Formation, Early Jurassic, 2015, South Africa)
• Australodocus (Tendaguru Formation, Late Jurassic, 2007, Tanzania)
• Dicraeosaurus (Tendaguru Formation, Late Jurassic, 1914, Tanzania)
• Dysalotosaurus (Tendaguru Formation, Late Jurassic, 1919, Tanzania)
• Elaphrosaurus (Tendaguru Formation, Late Jurassic, 1920, Tanzania)
• Giraffatitan (Tendaguru Formation, Late Jurassic, 1988, Tanzania)
• Janenschia (Tendaguru Formation, Late Jurassic, 1991, Tanzania)
• Kentrosaurus (Tendaguru Formation, Late Jurassic, 1915, Tanzania)
• Mnyamawamtuka (Galula Formation, Late Cretaceous, 2019, Tanzania)
• Ostafrikasaurus (Tendaguru Formation, Late Jurassic, 2012, Tanzania)
• Rukwatitan (Galula Formation, Late Cretaceous, 2014, Tanzania)
• Shingopana (Galula Formation, Late Cretaceous, 2017, Tanzania)
• Tendaguria (Tendaguru Formation, Late Jurassic, 2000, Tanzania)
• Tornieria (Tendaguru Formation, Late Jurassic, 1911, Tanzania)
• Veterupristisaurus (Tendaguru Formation, Late Jurassic, 2011, Tanzania)
• Wamweracaudia (Tendaguru Formation, Late Jurassic, 2019, Tanzania)
• Tataouinea (Aïn el Guettar Formation, Early Cretaceous, 2013, Tunisia)
• Mbiresaurus (Pebbly Arkose Formation, Late Triassic, 2022, Zimbabwe)
• Vulcanodon (Forest Sandstone Formation, Early Jurassic, 1972, Zimbabwe)

84 species!!! That’s a lot of species considering how most species are only from a couple of countries like South Africa, Tanzania, Niger, Morocco and Egypt! Also, Spinosaurus, my favorite dinosaur of all time and forever no matter how many times the physical design changes, is discovered from Egypt, which made me very curious how it is possible because look at how dry and it is an almost inhabitable desert.

Turns out, in Cretaceous Period, it was not only flourishing but thriving with all kinds of life from Dinosaurs of course, but pterosaurs, giant crocodilians, marine reptiles, large fishes and so much more. But the continent being such a remote and pretty hard to get to with weather and all sorts of other difficulties which makes it harder for any sort of paleontology expedition.

Also, there is a rampant black market fossil market which makes it even harder for paleontologists to study and possibly some new species or more materials for fragmentary species are lost to private collectors. Like who knows, some private fossil collector might have a full skeleton of Spinosaurus and we look stupid, changing physical design every year because we have not been able to find the whole skeleton.

The collector is probably laughing with this drama that happens every 2 or 4 years but this just goes to show how important it is to support museums and paleontology and that is by inspiring and encouraging the young generation and do not give up your love of Dinosaurs because whenever we stop, Dinosaurs die forever. You do not want that, I do not want that and nobody wants that because then our planet Earth will lose one of its beauty.

If you want to see these dinosaurs illustrated for your own, be sure to click the button below as I have started my new Fiverr commission channel and it would be a great way to support my blogging endeavor as I try my best to bring more dinosaur and many more creature related content to you guys!!! See you again soon!