List of African dinosaurs

This is a **list of dinosaurs** whose remains have been recovered from **Africa**. 

Africa has a rich fossil record, but it is patchy and incomplete. Prosauropods dating from the late Triassic period, about 230 million years ago, have been discovered in Madagascar. 

Africa is rich in Triassic and Early Jurassic dinosaurs. Dinosaurs from these time periods include *Syntarsus*, *Dracovenator*, *Melanorosaurus*, *Massospondylus*, *Euskelosaurus*, *Heterodontosaurus*, *Abrictosaurus*, and *Lesothosaurus*. The Middle Jurassic is poorly represented in Africa. Only the three sauropods *Cetiosaurus*, *Lapparentosaurus*, and *Archaeodontosaurus*  have been discovered dating from this time period. 

The Late Jurassic, however, is well represented in Africa, mainly thanks to the spectacular Tendaguru Formation, a Lagerstätte in southeastern Tanzania. *Allosaurus*, *Ceratosaurus*, *Elaphrosaurus*, *Giraffatitan*, *Dicraeosaurus*, *Janenschia*, *Tornieria*, *Tendaguria*, *Kentrosaurus*, and *Dryosaurus* are among the dinosaurs whose remains have been recovered from Tendaguru. This fauna seems to show strong similarities to that of the Morrison Formation in the United States and the Lourinha Formation in Portugal. For example, *Allosaurus*, *Ceratosaurus*, and *Dryosaurus* have been found in both the Tendaguru and the Morrison. This has important biogeographical implications. This means the animals could travel between most continents at that time (Pangaea).

The Early Cretaceous in Africa is known primarily from the northern part of the continent, particularly Niger. 

*Suchomimus*, *Elrhazosaurus*, *Spinostropheus*, *Rebbachisaurus*, *Nigersaurus*,  *Kryptops*, *Nqwebasaurus*, and *Paranthodon* are some of the early Cretaceous dinosaurs known from Africa. The early Cretaceous was an important time for the dinosaurs of Africa because it was when Africa finally separated from South America, forming the South Atlantic Ocean. This was an important event because now the dinosaurs of Africa started developing endemism because of isolation. The Late Cretaceous of Africa is known mainly from North Africa. During the early part of the Late Cretaceous, North Africa was home to a rich dinosaur fauna. It includes *Spinosaurus*, *Carcharodontosaurus*, *Rugops*, *Bahariasaurus*, *Deltadromeus*, *Paralititan*, *Aegyptosaurus*, and *Ouranosaurus*. During the Late Cretaceous, *Majungasaurus*, *Masiakasaurus*, *Rapetosaurus*, and the flying dromaeosaurid *Rahonavis* all lived in Africa. 
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## Key
## Timeline
This is a timeline of selected dinosaurs from the list above.  Time is measured in mya along the x-axis.

ImageSize  = width:800px height:auto barincrement:15px
PlotArea   = left:10px bottom:50px top:10px right:10px

Period      = from:-250 till:-25
TimeAxis    = orientation:horizontal
ScaleMajor  = unit:year increment:25 start:-250
ScaleMinor  = unit:year increment:5 start:-250
TimeAxis    = orientation:hor
AlignBars   = justify

Colors =
 #legends
  id:CAR	  value:claret
  id:HER	  value:teal
  id:OMN	  value:blue
  id:black        value:black
  id:white        value:white
  id:cretaceous   value:rgb(0.3,0.75,0.1)
  id:jurassic     value:rgb(0.3,0.75,0.4) 
  id:triassic     value:rgb(0.3,0.75,0.7) 
  id:mesozoic     value:rgb(0.3,0.6,0.4)
 
BarData=
 bar:eratop
 bar:space
 bar:periodtop
 bar:space
 bar:NAM1
 bar:NAM2
 bar:NAM3
 bar:NAM4
 bar:NAM5
 bar:NAM6
 bar:NAM7
 bar:NAM8
 bar:NAM9
 bar:NAM10
 bar:NAM11
 bar:NAM12
 bar:NAM13
 bar:NAM14
 bar:NAM15
 bar:NAM16
 bar:NAM17
 bar:NAM18
 bar:NAM19
 bar:NAM20
 bar:NAM21
 bar:NAM22
 bar:NAM23
 bar:NAM24
 bar:NAM25
 bar:NAM26
 bar:NAM27
 bar:NAM28
 bar:NAM29
 bar:NAM30
 bar:NAM31
 bar:NAM32
 bar:NAM33
 bar:NAM34
 bar:NAM35
 bar:NAM36
 bar:NAM37
 bar:NAM38
 bar:NAM39
 bar:NAM40
 bar:NAM41
 bar:NAM42
 bar:NAM43
 bar:NAM44
 bar:NAM45
 bar:NAM46
 bar:NAM47
 bar:NAM48
 bar:NAM49
 bar:NAM50
 bar:NAM51
 bar:NAM52
 bar:NAM53
 bar:NAM54
 bar:NAM55
 bar:NAM56
 bar:NAM57
 bar:space
 bar:period
 bar:space
 bar:era 

PlotData=
 align:center textcolor:black fontsize:M mark:(line,black) width:25 
 shift:(7,-4)
  
 bar:periodtop
 from: -145    till:  -65    color:cretaceous  text:Cretaceous             
 from: -200    till: -145    color:jurassic    text:Jurassic
 from: -250    till: -200    color:triassic    text:Triassic

 bar:eratop
 from:  -250   till:  -65    color:mesozoic    text:Mesozoic 

PlotData=
 align:left fontsize:M mark:(line,white) width:5 anchor:till align:left

 color:HER bar:NAM1 from:-216  till:-208 text:Antetonitrus
 color:HER bar:NAM2 from:-216  till:-208 text:Blikanasaurus
 color:OMN bar:NAM3 from:-216  till:-208 text:Eucnemesaurus
 color:HER bar:NAM4 from:-216  till:-208 text:Euskelosaurus
 color:HER bar:NAM5 from:-216  till:-208 text:Melanorosaurus
 color:HER bar:NAM6 from:-216  till:-208 text:Plateosauravus
 color:HER bar:NAM7 from:-205  till:-201 text:Vulcanodon
 color:OMN bar:NAM8 from:-200  till:-198 text:Eocursor
 color:HER bar:NAM9 from:-200  till:-197 text:Tazoudasaurus
 color:OMN bar:NAM10 from:-200  till:-190 text:Stormbergia
 color:HER bar:NAM11 from:-200  till:-183 text:Massospondylus
 color:HER bar:NAM12 from:-199  till:-196 text:Abrictosaurus
 color:HER bar:NAM13 from:-199  till:-196 text:Heterodontosaurus
 color:HER bar:NAM14 from:-199  till:-195 text:Lycorhinus
 color:HER bar:NAM15 from:-199  till:-189 text:Lanasaurus
 color:HER bar:NAM16 from:-199  till:-189 text:Lesothosaurus
 color:CAR bar:NAM17 from:-196  till:-194 text:Megapnosaurus
 color:CAR bar:NAM18 from:-196  till:-194 text:Dracovenator
 color:HER bar:NAM19 from:-196  till:-189 text:Gyposaurus
 color:CAR bar:NAM20 from:-185  till:-183 text:Berberosaurus
 color:HER bar:NAM21 from:-171  till:-167 text:Cetiosaurus
 color:HER bar:NAM22 from:-168  till:-161 text:Atlasaurus
 color:HER bar:NAM23 from:-165  till:-160 text:Chebsaurus
 color:CAR bar:NAM24 from:-164  till:-161 text:Afrovenator
 color:CAR bar:NAM25 from:-164  till:-161 text:Spinostropheus
 color:HER bar:NAM26 from:-155  till:-150 text:Dicraeosaurus
 color:HER bar:NAM27 from:-155  till:-150 text:Janenschia
 color:HER bar:NAM28 from:-155  till:-145 text:Dryosaurus
 color:HER bar:NAM29 from:-154  till:-150 text:Kentrosaurus
 color:CAR bar:NAM30 from:-152  till:-150 text:Ceratosaurus
 color:HER bar:NAM31 from:-152  till:-148 text:Australodocus
 color:HER bar:NAM32 from:-152  till:-148 text:Barosaurus
 color:CAR bar:NAM33 from:-150  till:-145 text:Elaphrosaurus
 color:HER bar:NAM34 from:-150  till:-145 text:Giraffatitan
 color:HER bar:NAM35 from:-150  till:-145 text:Malawisaurus
 color:HER bar:NAM36 from:-150  till:-145 text:Tendaguria
 color:HER bar:NAM37 from:-145  till:-140 text:Paranthodon
 color:HER bar:NAM38 from:-144  till:-112 text:Valdosaurus
 color:CAR bar:NAM39 from:-140  till:-142 text:Nqwebasaurus
 color:HER bar:NAM40 from:-140  till:-136 text:Jobaria
 color:HER bar:NAM41 from:-121  till:-112 text:Lurdusaurus
 color:CAR bar:NAM42 from:-116  till:-112 text:Cristatusaurus
 color:CAR bar:NAM43 from:-116  till:-112 text:Suchomimus
 color:CAR bar:NAM44 from:-116  till:-112 text:Kryptops
 color:CAR bar:NAM45 from:-116  till:-112 text:Eocarcharia
 color:HER bar:NAM46 from:-112  till:-108 text:Ouranosaurus
 color:HER bar:NAM47 from:-119  till:-99  text:Nigersaurus
 color:CAR bar:NAM48 from:-112  till:-93  text:Spinosaurus
 color:HER bar:NAM49 from:-101  till:-97  text:Rebbachisaurus
 color:CAR bar:NAM50 from:-100  till:-93  text:Carcharodontosaurus
 color:HER bar:NAM51 from:-99   till:-93  text:Paralititan
 color:CAR bar:NAM52 from:-99   till:-93  text:Sigilmassasaurus
 color:HER bar:NAM53 from:-97   till:-93  text:Aegyptosaurus
 color:CAR bar:NAM54 from:-97   till:-93  text:Bahariasaurus
 color:CAR bar:NAM55 from:-97   till:-93  text:Deltadromeus
 color:CAR bar:NAM56 from:-97   till:-93  text:Kemkemia
 color:CAR bar:NAM57 from:-97   till:-93  text:Rugops

PlotData=
 align:center textcolor:black fontsize:M mark:(line,black) width:25 
  
 bar:period
 from: -145    till:  -65    color:cretaceous  text:Cretaceous             
 from: -200    till: -145    color:jurassic    text:Jurassic
 from: -250    till: -200    color:triassic    text:Triassic

 bar:era
 from:  -250   till:  -65    color:mesozoic    text:Mesozoic 

## Criteria for inclusion
*The creature must appear on the List of dinosaurs.
*Fossils of the creature must have been found in Africa.
*This list is a complement to :Category:Dinosaurs of Africa.

## Notes