This is a list of dinosaurs whose remains have been recovered from Appalachia. During the Late Cretaceous period, the Western Interior Seaway divided the continent of North America into two landmasses; one in the west named Laramidia and Appalachia in the east. Since they were separated from each other, the dinosaur faunas on each of them were very different. For example, nodosaurs were common in Appalachia, but they were rare in Laramidia, and there were only specialized forms, such as Edmontonia and Panoplosaurus. This is an example of how isolated faunas develop differently.

List of Appalachian dinosaurs

Name Period Diet Notes
Acrocanthosaurus Lower Cretaceous carnivore A large carcharodontosaur from Texas and Oklahoma. Possible teeth known from Maryland.
Ampelognathus Upper Cretaceous herbivore A small ornithopod from Texas.
Appalachiosaurus Upper Cretaceous carnivore Large tyrannosauroid from Alabama.
Arkansaurus Lower Cretaceous omnivore Early ornithomimid from Arkansas.
Astrodon Lower Cretaceous herbivore Large herbivorous sauropod found in Maryland.
Astrophocaudia Lower Cretaceous herbivore Large herbivorous sauropod found in Texas.
Cedarosaurus Lower Cretaceous herbivore Large herbivorous sauropod found in the Trinity Group of Texas.
Claosaurus Upper Cretaceous herbivore Primitive hadrosauromorph. Its only known fossil specimen found appeared to have been washed into the Western Interior Seaway. It is believed to be from Appalachia because it was found closer to the Appalachia side of the sea and is unknown from Laramidia.
"Coelosaurus" Upper Cretaceous omnivore May be synonymous with Ornithomimus. Its remains have been found New Jersey.
Convolosaurus Lower Cretaceous herbivore A small ornithopod that was endemic to Texas.
Deinonychus Lower Cretaceous carnivore A dromaeosaur whose remains have been found in Oklahoma. Possible teeth found in Maryland.
Diplotomodon Upper Cretaceous carnivore Dubious name for a species of tyrannosauroid from New Jersey, possibly a Dryptosaurus or a potentially new genus.
Dryptosaurus Upper Cretaceous carnivore Medium-sized tyrannosauroid from New Jersey. It was the first theropod unearthed in North America.
Eotrachodon Upper Cretaceous herbivore Hadrosaur from Alabama known from a nearly complete skeleton.
Hadrosaurus Upper Cretaceous herbivore First known non-avian dinosaur skeleton from the United States. Discovered in 1858 in Haddonfield, New Jersey.
Hierosaurus Upper Cretaceous herbivore A dubious genus of nodosaur unearthed in Kansas.
Hypsibema Upper Cretaceous herbivore Little known hadrosaur first discovered in North Carolina in 1869. Better material of a second species was found in Missouri.
Lophorhothon Upper Cretaceous herbivore Hadrosauromorph from Alabama with skull fragments discovered. In 2021, a more complete skeleton was unearthed.[1]
Niobrarasaurus Upper Cretaceous herbivore Another example of a nodosaurid dinosaur from Kansas.
Ornithotarsus Upper Cretaceous herbivore Junior synonym of Hadrosaurus.
Parrosaurus Upper Cretaceous herbivore Hadrosaur from Missouri. May possibly represent Junior synonym of Hypsibema missouriensis. Is the state dinosaur of Missouri.
Pawpawsaurus Lower Cretaceous herbivore Nodosaur that was unearthed in Texas.
Priconodon Lower Cretaceous herbivore Nodosaur from Maryland found only from fossilized teeth.
Protohadros Lower Cretaceous herbivore Hadrosaur from eastern Texas, which was a part of Appalachia during the formation of the Western Interior Seaway.
Propanoplosaurus Lower Cretaceous herbivore Nodosaurid dinosaur from Maryland.
Silvisaurus Upper Cretaceous herbivore Herbivorous nodosaur from the state of Kansas. Like Claosaurus, the specimen found was probably washed into the Western Interior Seaway. It is believed to be from Appalachia because it was found closer to the Appalachia side of the sea.
Saurornitholestes Upper Cretaceous carnivore A dromaeosaur endemic to Laramidia that possibly made its way to Appalachia via island hopping. Possible teeth have been found in Alabama, North Carolina and South Carolina.
Sauroposeidon Lower Cretaceous herbivore A massive sauropod whose remains have been unearthed in Texas and Oklahoma.
Teihivenator Upper Cretaceous carnivore A dubious species of tyrannosaur that was unearthed in New Jersey.
Texasetes Lower Cretaceous herbivore Another nodosaur from Texas.
Tenontosaurus Lower Cretaceous herbivore An iguanodontid whose remains have been found in Texas, Oklahoma and Maryland.[2][3][citation needed]
Zephyrosaurus Lower Cretaceous herbivore A small ornithopod endemic to Laramidia. Possible tracks have been discovered in Maryland and Virginia.

References

  1. ^ Gates, Terry; Lamb, James (January 11, 2021). "Redescription of Lophorhothon atopus (Ornithopoda: Dinosauria) from the Late Cretaceous of Alabama based on new material". Canadian Journal of Earth Sciences. doi:10.1139/cjes-2020-0173. Retrieved March 25, 2021.
  2. ^ Winkler, Dale A.; Murry, Phillip A.; Jacobs, Louis L. (June 19, 1997). "A New Species of Tenontosaurus (Dinosauria: Ornithopoda) from the Early Cretaceous of Texas". Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology. Taylor & Francis, Ltd. 17 (2): 330–348. Retrieved 24 March 2021.
  3. ^ Wilford, John Noble (February 27, 2001). "At Last, Scientists Find Bones From a Tenontosaurus That Didn't Lose Its Head". The New York Times. Retrieved 24 March 2021.
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