What Dinosaurs Lived In Europe? Part 1: United Kingdom

Dinosaurs lived in all parts of the globe but you would not think United Kingdom would be the first place where dinosaur fossils were ever found. Most would think good ol’ USA but United Kingdom was the first to find dinosaur fossils. In 1677, Robert Plot, a naturalist, discovered the first ever dinosaur fossil but he thought it belonged to some ancient, giant human. This was when science did not go far as and it was right at the beginning.

Then 1824, a geology professor of Oxford University named William Buckland coined the term ‘Dinosaur‘ which translates to ‘Terrible Lizard‘ and the name stuck ever since. Since then, more and more dinosaurs, flying reptiles , marine reptiles and so much of prehistoric life was being discovered every year and now it is almost every month. Dinosaur and other prehistoric animals became an integral part of Earth’s natural history and it all started from an island nation of United Kingdom.

For this time, I will be providing all the non-avian dinosaurs discovered in the entirety of United Kingdom which includes England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland. Also, I will be only mentioning validated species and nothing in between. I might probably add Flying Reptiles and Marine Reptiles to the list later on but for now, here is the list:

• Acanthopholis (Chalk Group, Early Cretaceous to Late Cretaceous, 1867, England, United Kingdom)
• Altispinax (Wadhurst Clay, Early Cretaceous, 1923, England)
• Anoplosaurus (Cambridge Greensand, Early Cretaceous, 1879, England)
• Aristosuchus (Wealden Group, Early Cretaceous, 1887, England)
• Asylosaurus (Unnamed fissure fill, Late Triassic, 2007, England)
• Barilium (Wadhurst Clay, Early Cretaceous, 1986, England)
• Baryonyx (Weald Clay Formation, Early Cretaceous, 1986, England)
• Bothriospondylus (Kimmeridge Clay, Late Jurassic, 1875, England)
• Brighstoneus (Wessex Formation, Early Cretaceous, 2021, England)
• Calamosaurus (Wessex Formation, Early Cretaceous, 1891, England)
• Calamospondylus (Wessex Formation, Early Cretaceous, 1866, England)
• Callovosaurus (Oxford Clay, Middle Jurassic, 1980, England)
• Camelotia (Westbury Formation, Late Triassic to Early Jurassic, 1985, England)
• Cardiodon (Forest Marble Formation, Middle Jurassic, 1841, England)
• Ceratosuchops (Wessex Formation, Early Cretaceous, 2021, England)
• Cetiosauriscus (Oxford Clay, Middle Jurassic, 1927, England)
• Cetiosaurus (Rutland Formation, Middle Jurassic, 1841, England)
• Chondrosteosaurus (Wessex Formation, Early Cretaceous, 1876, England)
• Compsognathus (Portland Stone, Late Jurassic, 1859, England)
• Craterosaurus (Woburn Sands Formation, Early Cretaceous, 1874, England)
• Cruxicheiros (Chipping Norton Limestone Formation, Middle Jurassic, 2010, England)
• Cryptosaurus (Ampthill Clay, Late Jurassic, 1869, England)
• Cumnoria (Kimmeridge Clay, Late Jurassic, 1888, England)
• Dacentrurus (Kimmeridge Clay, Late Jurassic to Early Cretaceous, 1902, England)
• Dinodocus (Lower Greensand Group, Early Cretaceous, 1884, England)
• Duriatitan (Kimmeridge Clay, Late Jurassic, 2010, England)
• Duriavenator (Inferior Oolite, Middle Jurassic, 2008, England)
• Echinodon (Purbeck Group, Early Cretaceous, 1861, England)
• Eotyrannus (Wessex Formation, Early Cretaceous, 2001, England)
• Eucamerotus (Wessex Formation, Early Cretaceous, 1872, England)
• Eucercosaurus (Cambridge Greensand, Early Cretaceous, 1879, England)
• Eustreptospondylus (Oxford Clay, Middle Jurassic, 1964, England)
• Gigantosaurus (Kimmeridge Clay, Late Jurassic, 1869, England)
• Haestasaurus (Hastings Bed, Early Cretaceous, 2015, England)
• Horshamosaurus (Weald Clay Formation, Early Cretaceous, 2015, England)
• Hypselospinus (Wadhurst Clay, Early Cretaceous, 2010, England)
• Hylaeosaurus (Turnbridge Wells Sand Formation, Early Cretaceous, 1833, England)
• Hypsilophodon (Wessex Formation, Early Cretaceous, 1869, England)
• Iguanodon (Wadhurst Clay, Weald Clay, Wealden Formation, Wessex Formation, Early Cretaceous, 1825, England)
• Illiosuchus (Stonesfield State, Middle Jurassic, 1932, England)
• Iuticosaurus (Upper Greensand Formation, Wessex Formation, Early Cretaceous, 1993, England)
• Juratyrant (Kimmeridge Clay, Late Jurassic, 2013, England)
• Lexovisaurus (Oxford Clay, Middle Jurassic, 1957, England)
• Loricatosaurus (Oxford Clay, Middle Jurassic, 2008, England)
• Macrurosaurus (Cambridge Greensand, Chalk Group, Early Cretaceous, 1869, England)
• Magnosaurus (Inferior Oolite, Middle Jurassic, 1932, England)
• Mantellisaurus (Lower Greensand Group, , Vectis Formation, Wessex Formation, Early Cretaceous, 2007, England)
• Marmarospondylus (Forest Marble Formation, Middle Jurassic, 1875, England)
• Megalosaurus (Chipping Norton Limestone Formation, Taynton Limestone Formation, Middle Jurassic, 1824, England)
• Metriacanthosaurus (Oxford Clay, Late Jurassic, 1964, England)
• Neovenator (Wessex Formation, Early Cretaceous, 1996, England)
• Nuthetes (Lulworth Formation, Early Cretaceous, 1854, England)
• Oplosaurus (Wessex Formation, Early Cretaceous, 1852, England)
• Ornithodesmus (Wessex Formation, Early Cretaceous, 1887, England)
• Ornithopsis (Wealden Formation, Early Cretaceous, 1870, England)
• Owenodon (Purbeck Group, Early Cretaceous, 2009, England)
• Pelorosaurus (Turnbridge Wells Sand Formation, Early Cretaceous, 1850, England)
• Polacanthus (Wessex Formation, Early Cretaceous, 1865, England)
• Priodontognathus (Lower Calcareous Grit, Late Jurassic, 1875, England)
• Proceratosaurus (Great Oolite Group, Middle Jurassic, 1926, England)
• Regnosaurus (Turnbridge Wells Sand Formation, Early Cretaceous, 1848, England)
• Riparovenator (Wessex Formation, Early Cretaceous, 2021, England)
• Sarcolestes (Oxford Clay, Middle Jurassic, 1964, England)
• Sarcosaurus (Lias Group, Scunthorpe Mudstone, Early Jurassic, 1921, England)
• Scelidosaurus (Lias Group, Early Jurassic, 1859, England)
• Syngonosaurus (Cambridge Greensand, Early Cretaceous, 1879, England)
• Thecocoelurus (Wessex Formation, Early Cretaceous, 1923, England)
• Thecodontosaurus (Magnesian Conglomerate, Late Triassic, 1836, England)
• Thecospondylus (Hastings Beds, Early Cretaceous, 1882, England)
• Valdosaurus (Hastings Beds, Turnbridge Wells Sand Formation, Weald Clay, Wessex Formation, Early Cretaceous, 1977, England)
• Vectaerovenator (Lower Greensand Group, Early Cretaceous, 2020, England)
• Vectidromeus (Wessex Formation, Early Cretaceous, 2023, England)
• Vectipelta (Wessex Formation, Early Cretaceous, 2023, England, United Kingdom)
• Vectiraptor (Wessex Formation, Early Cretaceous, 2021, England, United Kingdom)
• Xenoposeidon (Hastings Beds, Early Cretaceous, 2007, England, United Kingdom)
• Yaverlandia (Vectis Formation, Wessex Formation, Early Cretaceous, 1971, England, United Kingdom)
• Dracoraptor (Lias Group, Early Jurassic, 2016, Wales, United Kingdom)
• Pendraig (Pant-y-Ffynnon Quarry, Late Triassic, 2021, Wales, United Kingdom)

As you can see now according to the list, there have been 78 species found throughout United Kingdom but there has not been any discoveries from Northern Ireland or Scotland. Probably the paleontologists needs to send survey expedition to check if there are any fossils there but still, for England only, there are 76 different kinds of dinosaurs and that is so crazy. I cannot wait to check out what other dinosaurs are there in other European countries and for that, please make sure to drop by the Prehistoric Pedia for posts!!! See you again soon!!!

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