It might not seem like much but the island nation of Japan is home to a whole host of new dinosaurs and even some species nobody would have thought to exist in Japan. While Japan looks to be very separate from all kinds of connection with major continents but long ago, Japan would have land bridges which would allow dinosaurs to travel which is why some rare kinds of dinosaurs were discovered too! This goes to show that Dinosaurs lived in Japan!!
In total 12 species of dinosaurs species have been discovered and described. Also, Japan has one of the most beautiful museum dedicated to dinosaurs, heck, they even have a whole city dedicated to dinosaurs, Fukui. This is the place where most dinosaurs were found and thus, was named after the city. If you ever get the chance to visit, spend a day or two in the dinosaur city of Japan!
Moving on, here is a comprehensive list of all the dinosaurs discovered in Japan:
List of Dinosaurs Lived in Japan:
- Albalophosaurus (Kuwajima Formation, Early Cretaceous, 2009)
- Fukuiraptor (Kitadani Formation, Early Cretaceous, 2000)
- Fukuisaurus (Kitadani Formation, Early Cretaceous, 2003)
- Fukuititan (Kitadani Formation, Early Cretaceous, 2010)
- Fukuivenator (Kitadani Formation, Early Cretaceous, 2016)
- Kamuysaurus (Hakobuchi Formation, Late Cretaceous, 2019)
- Koshisaurus (Kitadani Formation, Early Cretaceous, 2015)
- Paralitherizinosaurus (Yezo Group, Late Cretaceous, 2022)
- Tambatitanus (Sasayama Group, Early Cretaceous, 2014)
- Tyrannomimus (Kitadani Formation, Early Cretaceous, 2023)
- Wakinosaurus (Sengoku Formation, Early Cretaceous, 1992)
- Yamatosaurus (Kita-Ama Formation, Late Cretaceous, 2021)
Also to let you know, there are some species which are not clearly defined yet and some species are now invalid species as well, so I am only including species that are valid. Also to let you know, Japan has found footprint track-ways of Pterosaurs so there is evidence of Pterosaurs in Japan but no confirmed genera has been discovered yet but I believe they will find some soon!
Prehistoric Marine Reptiles of Japan:
Other than Dinosaurs lived in Japan, on the Prehistoric Marine Reptile side of things, there have been some species discovered exclusively in Japan and I will list is down below:
- Futabasaurus (Tamayama Formation, Late Cretaceous, 2006)
- Grippia (Osawa Formation, Early Triassic, 1930)
- Kourisodon (Izumi Group, Late Cretaceous, 2002)
- Megapterygius (Toyajo Formation, Late Cretaceous, 2023)
- Phosphorosaurus (Hakobuchi Formation, Late Cretaceous, 2015)
- Utatsusaurus (Osawa Formation, Early Triassic, 1978)
5 Prehistoric Marine Reptiles and I did not expect Japan to have this level of variety. I was aware of the Futabasaurus as I recently saw it in the National Museum of Nature and Science in Tokyo and they had some really cute looking plushies. My first time ever seeing adorable plesiosaur plushy!! Unfortunately I did not get it the last time but next time I go to Japan, I will definitely get one.
Review of Dinosaurs lived in Japan:
Also, amazingly enough, Japan also has 2 genera of early ichthyopterygian. Utatsusaurus being the ancestor of the more advanced Ichthyosaurs and who knows, maybe the origin of ichthyosaurs started from Utatsusaurus and Grippia is one of those results. Unlike Utatsusaurus, Grippia is found in many coastal countries, not just Japan but goes to show how widespread the species were.
And finally, 2 genera of Mosasaurs, Kourisodon and Phosphorosaurus. Kourisodon is exclusive to Japan while Phosphorosaurus is found in other places as well. What I found interesting is that in Japan, the paleontology field feels relatively new and there is a lot of potential.
More excavations and digging could reveal a more well-rounded ecosystem which might have existed in Japan. The dinosaurs lived in Japan were truly exquisite and extraordinary. I will let you know if there is a way to support the Japanese paleontology field. And that is it for this blog!! You can check out more different kinds of post from the Explore page!!
