Theropod vertebral materials from Upper Cretaceous Iren Dabasu Formation, Inner Mongolia + dinosaur record of Pakistan + theropod tracksite at Dinosaur State Park
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Ben Creisler
May 26, 2026, 1:21:41 AM (14 days ago) May 26
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Ben Creisler
Recent dinosaur papers:
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Bingqing Xu, Nuo Ding, Yanyun Zhang, Pianpian Wei & Shuo Wang (2026)
New Theropod Vertebral Materials from the Upper Cretaceous Iren Dabasu Formation, Inner Mongolia, China
Cretaceous Research 106428
doi: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cretres.2026.106428
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0195667126001175
The Upper Cretaceous Iren Dabasu Formation is best known for its abundance of large-bodied herbivorous dinosaurs, whereas small- to medium-sized vertebrates remain comparatively underrepresented. Here we describe eight newly recovered isolated vertebrae that provide additional evidence of taxonomic diversity within this assemblage. One specimen is confidently referred to Troodontidae, providing new evidence for the presence of this clade in the formation. Another is tentatively identified as an ornithomimosaurian axis; although it cannot be confidently referred to any previously reported ornithomimosaurian material from the Iren Dabasu Formation, its relatively small size suggests that it may represent a juvenile individual. The remaining vertebrae are too fragmentary or morphologically ambiguous to permit secure taxonomic assignment, but they nevertheless expand the known range of vertebral morphologies present in the assemblage. Together, these specimens refine current knowledge of the Iren Dabasu vertebrate fauna and highlight the importance of isolated elements for reconstructing faunal diversity in assemblages dominated by large-bodied taxa.
New Theropod Vertebral Materials from the Upper Cretaceous Iren Dabasu Formation, Inner Mongolia, China
Cretaceous Research 106428
doi: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cretres.2026.106428
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0195667126001175
The Upper Cretaceous Iren Dabasu Formation is best known for its abundance of large-bodied herbivorous dinosaurs, whereas small- to medium-sized vertebrates remain comparatively underrepresented. Here we describe eight newly recovered isolated vertebrae that provide additional evidence of taxonomic diversity within this assemblage. One specimen is confidently referred to Troodontidae, providing new evidence for the presence of this clade in the formation. Another is tentatively identified as an ornithomimosaurian axis; although it cannot be confidently referred to any previously reported ornithomimosaurian material from the Iren Dabasu Formation, its relatively small size suggests that it may represent a juvenile individual. The remaining vertebrae are too fragmentary or morphologically ambiguous to permit secure taxonomic assignment, but they nevertheless expand the known range of vertebral morphologies present in the assemblage. Together, these specimens refine current knowledge of the Iren Dabasu vertebrate fauna and highlight the importance of isolated elements for reconstructing faunal diversity in assemblages dominated by large-bodied taxa.
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Free pdf:
Anees Ahmed Shah, Rana Mehroz Fazal & Innayat Ullah Malik (2026)
Comparative Analysis of the Dinosaur Record of Pakistan with World Dinosaurs as Diversity and Paleobiogeography Implications
Physical Education, Health and Social Sciences 4(1): 747-759
DOI: https://doi.org/10.63163/jpehss.v4i2.1365
https://journal-of-social-education.org/index.php/Jorunal/article/view/1365
Pakistan dinosaur diversity was once poorly known but this record is now considered a significant part of Gondwanan paleontology. Recent discoveries of fossils especially from Baluchistan have revealed a rich variety of dinosaurs. These include Late Jurassic to Late Cretaceous titanosaurian sauropods. Theropod dinosaurs and track based ichno taxa also found. This study accumulates present data of dinosaur diversity geographic distribution and geological context in Pakistan. It is based on important fossiliferous sites of Pakistan such as the Pab Formation and the Sembar Formation. The most common group in this record is the titanosaurs. They are represented by the genera Balochisaurus, Pakisaurus & Sulaimanisaurus, Vitakridrinda & Vitakrisaurus. They are also known from theropods which were active hunters of their era. Dinosaur trackways have been reported from at many sites including Mianwali, Zhob and the Potwar Plateau. These findings show that Pakistan is an important region for understanding dinosaur paleoecology and biogeographic links with Gondwana. Further research is needed in Pakistan to improve taxonomy and support the evolutionary interpretations.
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Comparative Analysis of the Dinosaur Record of Pakistan with World Dinosaurs as Diversity and Paleobiogeography Implications
Physical Education, Health and Social Sciences 4(1): 747-759
DOI: https://doi.org/10.63163/jpehss.v4i2.1365
https://journal-of-social-education.org/index.php/Jorunal/article/view/1365
Pakistan dinosaur diversity was once poorly known but this record is now considered a significant part of Gondwanan paleontology. Recent discoveries of fossils especially from Baluchistan have revealed a rich variety of dinosaurs. These include Late Jurassic to Late Cretaceous titanosaurian sauropods. Theropod dinosaurs and track based ichno taxa also found. This study accumulates present data of dinosaur diversity geographic distribution and geological context in Pakistan. It is based on important fossiliferous sites of Pakistan such as the Pab Formation and the Sembar Formation. The most common group in this record is the titanosaurs. They are represented by the genera Balochisaurus, Pakisaurus & Sulaimanisaurus, Vitakridrinda & Vitakrisaurus. They are also known from theropods which were active hunters of their era. Dinosaur trackways have been reported from at many sites including Mianwali, Zhob and the Potwar Plateau. These findings show that Pakistan is an important region for understanding dinosaur paleoecology and biogeographic links with Gondwana. Further research is needed in Pakistan to improve taxonomy and support the evolutionary interpretations.
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Peter A. Drzewiecki, James (Drew) A. Hyatt & Michael Ross (2026)
Connecticut’s Jurassic Park: The theropod tracksite at Dinosaur State Park, Rocky Hill, Connecticut, USA
In: GSA Field Guide 77: Investigating Paleoenvironments and Provenance in Sedimentary and Metasedimentary Basins: New York, New Mexico, and Connecticut
EISBN: 9780813756776
doi: https://doi.org/10.1130/2026.0077(01)
https://pubs.geoscienceworld.org/gsa/books/edited-volume/2862/chapter-abstract/156159614/Connecticut-s-Jurassic-Park-The-theropod-tracksite
More than 1800 tridactyl dinosaur tracks, mostly ascribed to Eubrontes, are preserved in Dinosaur State Park in Rocky Hill, Connecticut, USA. Over 750 of these are exposed in a relatively small area on three vertically adjacent stratigraphic intervals, while the rest have been reburied for preservation. The tracks were discovered in 1966, and the property was declared a state park within a few weeks. Thereafter, the park has been one of the most significant geological points of interest in southern New England for both professionals and the public with up to 50,000 visitors annually. This guide focuses on the history of the park and its exhibits, as well as the track layers themselves. Tracks and trackways are placed within a stratigraphic and paleoenvironmental framework and interpreted in terms of dinosaur behavior and paleoecology. Despite the excellent exposure of the tracked surfaces and decades of research, questions about the site remain. The exact nature of the lacustrine environment is still debated. The origin of tracks originally interpreted to have been made by swimming dinosaurs remains unclear. Understanding the behavior and ecological structure of the trackmakers (commonly interpreted as Dilophosaurus) remains incomplete. This guide will help provide park attendees with the observations they need to address these, and many more, questions related to the dinosaurs that made the tracks preserved at Dinosaur State Park.
Connecticut’s Jurassic Park: The theropod tracksite at Dinosaur State Park, Rocky Hill, Connecticut, USA
In: GSA Field Guide 77: Investigating Paleoenvironments and Provenance in Sedimentary and Metasedimentary Basins: New York, New Mexico, and Connecticut
EISBN: 9780813756776
doi: https://doi.org/10.1130/2026.0077(01)
https://pubs.geoscienceworld.org/gsa/books/edited-volume/2862/chapter-abstract/156159614/Connecticut-s-Jurassic-Park-The-theropod-tracksite
More than 1800 tridactyl dinosaur tracks, mostly ascribed to Eubrontes, are preserved in Dinosaur State Park in Rocky Hill, Connecticut, USA. Over 750 of these are exposed in a relatively small area on three vertically adjacent stratigraphic intervals, while the rest have been reburied for preservation. The tracks were discovered in 1966, and the property was declared a state park within a few weeks. Thereafter, the park has been one of the most significant geological points of interest in southern New England for both professionals and the public with up to 50,000 visitors annually. This guide focuses on the history of the park and its exhibits, as well as the track layers themselves. Tracks and trackways are placed within a stratigraphic and paleoenvironmental framework and interpreted in terms of dinosaur behavior and paleoecology. Despite the excellent exposure of the tracked surfaces and decades of research, questions about the site remain. The exact nature of the lacustrine environment is still debated. The origin of tracks originally interpreted to have been made by swimming dinosaurs remains unclear. Understanding the behavior and ecological structure of the trackmakers (commonly interpreted as Dilophosaurus) remains incomplete. This guide will help provide park attendees with the observations they need to address these, and many more, questions related to the dinosaurs that made the tracks preserved at Dinosaur State Park.
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