# Elrhaz Formation

The Elrhaz Formation is a geological formation in Niger, West Africa.
Its strata date back to the Early Cretaceous, about 125 to 112 million years ago. Dinosaur remains are among the fossils that have been recovered from the formation, alongside those of multiple species of crocodyliformes.

## Gadoufaoua

Gadoufaoua (Tuareg for "the place where camels fear to go") is a site within the Elrhaz Formation (located at 16°50′N 9°25′E﻿ / ﻿16.833°N 9.417°E﻿ / 16.833; 9.417) in the Tenere desert of Niger known for its extensive fossil graveyard. It is where remains of Sarcosuchus imperator, popularly known as SuperCroc, were found (by Paul Sereno in 1997, for example), including vertebrae, limb bones, armor plates, jaws, and a nearly complete 6 feet (1.8 m) skull.
Gadoufaoua is very hot and dry. However, it is supposed that millions of years ago, Gadoufaoua had trees, plants, and wide rivers. The river covered the remains of dead animals, the fossilized remains of which were protected by the drying rivers over millions of years.

## Vertebrate paleofauna
### Chondrichthyes

Chondrichthyes :
| Genus | Species | Material | Notes | Images |
| Hybodus | H. sp. | Dorsal spines | | |

### Sarcopterygii

Sarcopterygii :
| Genus | Species | Material | Notes | Images |
| Asiatoceratodus | A. tiguidiensis | | Dipnomorph fish. Originally described as Ceratodus tiguidiensis, assigned to Arganodus by M. Martin (1984) and reassigned by Kemp (1998) to the genus Asiatoceratodus. | |
| Mawsonia | M. tegamensis | | A small species. | |
| Neoceratodus | N. africanus | Tooth plates. | Dipnomorph fish. Originally described as Ceratodus africanus, assigned to Neoceratodus by M. Martin, 1982. | Neoceratodus forsteri, a modern species |

### Actinopterygii

Actinopterygii :
| Genus | Species | Material | Notes | Images |
| Pliodetes | P. nigeriensis | Skull and postcranial material including body scales. | Originally thought to be a semionotid, later assigned to Lepisosteoidei. | |
| Pycnodontidae indet. | Indeterminate | | | |

### Testudines

Testudines :
| Genus | Species | Material | Notes |
| Francemys | F. gadoufaouaensis | "Shell of a juvenile individual and several articulated and disarticulated plates." | Pelomedusoid turtle. Named in honour of France de Lapparent de Broin. |
| Taquetochelys | T. decorata | A few disarticulated plates and nearly complete skeleton. | Araripemydid turtle, similar in shell size to South American Araripemys (20–30 cm). Laganemys tenerensis was synonymysed with Taquetochelys by Pérez-García, 2018. |
| Teneremys | T. lapparenti | "Several relatively complete skeletons." | |

### Crocodyliformes

Crocodyliformes :
| Genus | Species | Material |
| Anatosuchus | A. minor | "Nearly complete skull" |
| Araripesuchus | A. wegeneri | "Nearly complete skull" |
| Sarcosuchus | S. imperator | "Partial skeletons, numerous skulls" |
| Stolokrosuchus | S. lapparenti | |

### Dinosaurs
#### Ornithischians

Ornithischians :
| Genus | Species | Material | Notes |
| Elrhazosaurus | E. nigeriensis | "Femora." | A dryosaurid |
| Lurdusaurus | L. arenatus | "Partial skull, fragmentary postcranial skeleton." | |
| Ouranosaurus | O. nigeriensis | "Skull and poscrania, second skeleton." | |

#### Theropods

Theropods :
| Genus | Species | Material | Notes |
| Afromimus | A. tenerensis | "caudal vertebrae, chevrons and portions of the right hind limb" | A Noasaurid |
| Eocarcharia | E. dinops | "Partial skull and postcranial remains." | Carcharodontosaurid |
| Kryptops | K. palaios | Postcranial skeleton and partial skull. | Abelisaurid |
| Suchomimus | S. tenerensis | Partial skull and associated skeleton. | A second, spinosaurid found in the formation, Cristatusaurus, is considered either a separate species or a synonym to Suchomimus |

#### Sauropods

Sauropods :
| Genus | Species | Material | Notes | Images |
| Nigersaurus | N. taqueti | Skull and skeletal remains | A rebbachisaurid. | |