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Late Jurassic

Geological interval

8 image(s) · 4 News

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A map showing the distribution of paraves in Late Jurassic with the respective paleogeographic setting.

A map showing the distribution of paraves in Late Jurassic with the respective paleogeographic setting.

Jurassic Late Jurassic Paraves
Diagram illustrating the "Temporal paradox" in paleontology. First given it's nickname by Alan Feduccia, the paradox is made up by the fact that almost all feathered dinosaurs are dated to have lived millions of years after Archaeopteryx, the oldest bird (late Jurassic, believed to have existed about 150 million years ago). Only a few of the feathered dinosaurs/birdlike dinosaurs are given an older date than Archaeopteryx.

Diagram illustrating the "Temporal paradox" in paleontology. First given it's nickname by Alan Feduccia, the paradox is made up by the fact that almost all feathered dinosaurs are dated to have lived millions of years after Archaeopteryx, the oldest bird (late Jurassic, believed to have existed about 150 million years ago). Only a few of the feathered dinosaurs/birdlike dinosaurs are given an older date than Archaeopteryx.

Jurassic Late Jurassic Archaeopteryx Coelurosauria +2
Pencil drawing of Coelurus, a coelurosaurian dinosaur that lived from the Late Jurassic period (North America).

Pencil drawing of Coelurus, a coelurosaurian dinosaur that lived from the Late Jurassic period (North America).

drawing Jurassic Late Jurassic Coeluria +3
Coelurus fragilis, a coelurosaur from the Late Jurassic of North America, pencil drawing, digital coloring

Coelurus fragilis, a coelurosaur from the Late Jurassic of North America, pencil drawing, digital coloring

drawing Jurassic Late Jurassic Coeluria +3
Reconstructed skull of the holotype and only specimen of Leshansaurus qianweiensis based on the possibly related megalosaurid Dubreuillosaurus valesdunensis. Scale bar is 10cm, image is 10px/cm. Cranial anatomy from figures in Fei et al. (2009) "A new carnosaur from the Late Jurassic of Qianwei, Sichuan, China". White bones are figured, light grey bones are unfigured and minimally described.
Taxa Leshansaurus

Reconstructed skull of the holotype and only specimen of Leshansaurus qianweiensis based on the possibly related megalosaurid Dubreuillosaurus valesdunensis. Scale bar is 10cm, image is 10px/cm. Cranial anatomy from figures in Fei et al. (2009) "A new carnosaur from the Late Jurassic of Qianwei, Sichuan, China". White bones are figured, light grey bones are unfigured and minimally described.

bone scale China Jurassic +9
Figure 1: Reconstruction of the skull of Bellusaurus sui from the Middle-Late Jurassic Shishugou Formation of Xinjiang, China. This reconstruction is a composite based on isolated holotypic and referred material. (A) Right lateral view. (B) Dorsal view. Holotypic elements are indicated in blue and referred elements are in green.
Taxa Bellusaurus

Figure 1: Reconstruction of the skull of Bellusaurus sui from the Middle-Late Jurassic Shishugou Formation of Xinjiang, China. This reconstruction is a composite based on isolated holotypic and referred material. (A) Right lateral view. (B) Dorsal view. Holotypic elements are indicated in blue and referred elements are in green.

China Jurassic Late Jurassic Bellusaurus +2
Paleogeography and paleoclimate of the Late Jurassic - 150 Ma with dinosaur fossil localities: A = Tendaguru Formation, Tanzania C1 = Shishugou & Kalazha Formations, China C2 = Shangshaximiao (Upper Shaximiao) Formation, China E1 = Sables de Glos, Argiles d’Octeville, Marnes de Bléville, Kimmeridge Clay, Calcareous Grit, Corallian Oolite, Oxford Clay, Portland Stone, England & France E2 = Villar del Arzobispo, Alcobaça, Guimarota, Sobral, Amoreira-Porto Novo, Bombarral, Freixial, Lourinhã Formations, Spain & Portugal M1-6 = Morrison Formation, United States S1 = Toquí & Cañadón Calcáreo Formations, Chile & Argentina

Paleogeography and paleoclimate of the Late Jurassic - 150 Ma with dinosaur fossil localities: A = Tendaguru Formation, Tanzania C1 = Shishugou & Kalazha Formations, China C2 = Shangshaximiao (Upper Shaximiao) Formation, China E1 = Sables de Glos, Argiles d’Octeville, Marnes de Bléville, Kimmeridge Clay, Calcareous Grit, Corallian Oolite, Oxford Clay, Portland Stone, England & France E2 = Villar del Arzobispo, Alcobaça, Guimarota, Sobral, Amoreira-Porto Novo, Bombarral, Freixial, Lourinhã Formations, Spain & Portugal M1-6 = Morrison Formation, United States S1 = Toquí & Cañadón Calcáreo Formations, Chile & Argentina

Argentina Chile China France +19
Left ilium of Stokesosaurus clevelandi, Madsen 1974 (UMNH VP 7473), Morrison Formation, Utah, USA, Late Jurassic (early Tithonian).
Taxa Stokesosaurus

Left ilium of Stokesosaurus clevelandi, Madsen 1974 (UMNH VP 7473), Morrison Formation, Utah, USA, Late Jurassic (early Tithonian).

United States Morrison Jurassic Late Jurassic +3

News

Torvosaurus: Beast of the Week
Torvosaurus: Beast of the Week
bone predator Germany Portugal United States Jurassic Late Jurassic Dinosauria Torvosaurus
Today we are going to look at a huge Jurassic predatory dinosaur, Torvosaurus tanneri!  Torvosaurus lived about 150 million years ago during the Late Jurassic period. Its bones have been unearthed in Colorado, USA, Portugal, and possibly Germany (Europe and North America were not as vastly separated back then, remember, so a lot of the dinosaurs on each of them from that time shared recent ancestors).  From nose to tail it measured up to 36 feet (about 11m) and would have been among the largest,
08/02/2026 prehistoricbeastoftheweek
Anurognathus: Beast of the Week
Anurognathus: Beast of the Week
Germany Jurassic Late Jurassic Anurognathus Pterosauria skull
This week we will be checking out a unique little pterosaur, Anurognathus ammoni!  Anurognathus lived in what is now Germany during the late Jurassic period, about 150 million years ago.  It was tiny, sporting a 14 inch (35.5 cm) wingspan, and would have likely eaten insects.  It's genus name translates to "Frog Jaw" since its skull was similar looking to a frog's, being extremely blunt with a wide mouth.  Watercolor reconstruction of Anurognathus ammoni by Christopher DiPiazza.Anurognathus' sku
14/12/2025 prehistoricbeastoftheweek
Episode 170: Cariocecus bocagei
Cretaceous Jurassic Late Jurassic Cariocecus Iguanodontia
The iguanodontians were an incredibly successful group within the Cretaceous. They could reach incredible sizes, with the largest species even matching the proportions of some sauropods, and they also had an incredible palaeogeographic range, meaning that their remains are found all over the world today. In the late Jurassic, they were a lot less diverse [&hellip
15/09/2025 palaeocast
Ceratosaurus: Beast of the Week
Ceratosaurus: Beast of the Week
reconstitution Portugal United States Jurassic Late Jurassic Ceratosauria Dinosauria
This week we shall be looking at a popular meat-eater with some truly unique features.  Enter Ceratosaurus!Watercolor life reconstruction of Ceratosaurus nascornis eating the ancient lungfish, Ceratodus robustus by Christopher DiPiazza. Ceratosaurus was a meat-eating dinosaur that lived during the late Jurassic period, about 150 million years ago, in what is now the United States, specifically Utah and Colorado.  Bones thought to be from Ceratosaurus have also been unearthed in Portugal.  As an
14/07/2025 prehistoricbeastoftheweek