Cretaceous

Aralazhdarcho bostobensis, ZIN PH 57/43, a proximal fragment of a left humerus in proximal (a), ventral (b), anterior (c), dorsal (d), and posterior (e) views. This specimen is from the Shakh Shakh II locality in the northeasten Aral Sea region of Kazakhstan; Bostobe Formation, Upper Cretaceous (Santonian – lower Campanian). Abbreviations: h, humeral head; pf, pneumatic foramen; uc, ulnar crest. Scale bar is 10 mm.

Gandititan is a basal titanosaurian sauropod dinosaur from the Late Cretaceous of what is now China. It was a long-necked herbivore, typical of sauropods, with a relatively short tail, a characteristic of titanosaurs compared to other sauropods. Titanosauria have a wide range of body sizes, and Gandititan falls around the middle, slightly on the smaller side. Discovered with a fairly well articluated spine from neck to tail, Gandititan is estimated at about 14 m in total body length.

Astigmasaura is a medium-sized rebbachisaurid sauropod dinosaur from the Late Cretaceous period of what is now Argentina. Rebbachisaurids had highly pneumatized bones that helped them to hold their weight on their four pillar-like legs, and extremely long tails. Astigmasaura was likely a ground-level browsing herbivore.

Rebbachisaurids are the latest known sauropod dinosaurs outside the titanosaur lineage. Cienciargentina is a rebbachisaurid from the Late Cretaceous, making it among the most recent. It had many hollow bones, and likely had batteries of teeth used for chewing, a rebbachisaurid feature unique among sauropods.

Holotype maxilla of the lambeosaurine hadrosaurid Ajnabia odysseus from the Late Cretaceous (late Maastrichtian) of Sidi Chennane, Morocco

Campananeyen is a rebbachisaurid sauropod that lived approximately 100 million years ago in the Late Cretaceous of what is now Argentina. Rebbachisaurids are the main group of diplodocoidea to have lived past the Jurassic, and had a more horizontal posture than contemporary sauropods, mainly the titanosaurs. They are unique among sauropods for having batteries of teeth used for chewing, rather than the typical peglike teeth sauropods used to strip leaves off branches.

Azhdarchoid pterosaur Kariridraco dianae gen. et sp. nov. holotype (MPSC R 1056) from Lower Cretaceous of Northeastern Brazil. Skull in right lateral view. Photograph (A1), interpretative drawing (A2). Dark grey areas indicate remains of the carbonate matrix still attachaed to the skull.

Diagram featuring the holotype (BNMNH-PV030) skull of the troodontid Papiliovenator neimengguensis, from the Bayan Mandahu Formation. Abbreviations: a, angular; d, dentary; f, frontal; j, jugal; l, lacrimal; m, maxilla; n, nasal; p, parietal; q, quadrate; s, surangular; sp, splenial.[1] References ↑ (2022). "A new troodontid from the Upper Cretaceous Gobi Basin of inner Mongolia, China". Cretaceous Research 130: Article 105052. DOI:10.1016/j.cretres.2021.105052.

Samrukia nesovi was originally described as a giant bird, but is now considered a pterodactyloid pterosaur of uncertain placement and validity. References: Naish, D., Dyke, G., Cau, A., Escuillié, F., & Godefroit, P. (2011). A gigantic bird from the Upper Cretaceous of Central Asia. Biology Letters, 8(1), 97–100. doi:10.1098/rsbl.2011.0683 Buffetaut, E. (2011). Samrukia nessovi, from the Late Cretaceous of Kazakhstan: A large pterosaur, not a giant bird. Annales de Paléontologie, 97(3–4), 133–138. doi:10.1016/j.annpal.2011.10.001

This file represents a possible life appearance of the Indian Titanosaurian Sauropod dinosaur Jainosaurus septentrionalis from the Late Cretaceous (Maastrichtian) of India, belonging to the Lameta Formation. References used: Huene & Matley (1933) Hunt et al. (1995) Gunnar Bivens' skeletal diagram Wilson et al. (2008) "Reassessment of Sauropod Dinosaur Jainosaurus (="Antarctosaurus") Septentrionalis from the Upper Cretaceous of India"

Partial skeleton of the heterodontosaurid Tianyulong confuciusi from the Lower Cretaceous Jehol Group of China. Partial skeleton mainly in right lateral view (IVPP V17090). Enlargements of subsequent figures are shown in red. Scale bar equals 10 cm.

A new plesiosaur, Leurospondylus, from the Edmonton Cretaceous of Alberta

Malefica is a hadrosaurid dinosaur from the Late Cretaceous of Texas in the United States. Like other hadrosaurs, Malefica was herbivorous, processing plant matter with their broad beaks and battery of teeth in the back of the mouth. It could grow to around 6 m in length, and weighed about 1 t. The discovery of Malefica helped to understand the distribution of hadrosaurs in Cretaceous North America, as well as evolutionary lineages between basal hadrosaurs and the more derived saurolophids.

Dzharacursor is an ornithomimid theropod dinosaur from the Late Cretaceous of what is now Uzbekistan. Ornithomimids like Dzharacursor are known for their long legs lending to a cursorial, or running, lifestyle. They had a feathered covering, and were likely omnivorous, or possibly herbivorous. Adult Dzharacursor could grow to approximately 3.5 m in length.

Udelartitan is a titanosaurian sauropod from the Late Cretaceous of what is now Uruguay. It had the typical sauropod body plan, standing on four thick pillar-like legs, and possessing a long neck. Titanosaurs are a very diverse group, Udelartitan was a small one, estimated at only 15 m in body length. Though a skull has yet to be discovered, it probably had peglike teeth, and a large gut for processing vegetation.

A more complete specimen of Wapuskanectes betsynichollsae. TMP2012.50.1. (A) Dorsal view of the originally upside down remains recovered from north of the town of Fort McMurray, Alberta. The head and most of the neck were lost when intercepted by a grader during road construction. The right flipper was lost sometime in the Early Cretaceous prior to the final burial of the body. (B) The pelvic and abdominal regions of TMP2012.50.1 showing gastroliths (black arrows) within the body cavity that settled between the ribs of the inverted carcass and hint at a more substantial collection that is hidden inside the body cavity. Scale bars on body regions are 10 cm. Source credit: Sue Sabrowski, Royal Tyrrell Museum of Palaeontology.