1. Abstract
Several dinosaur localities have been reported from Mexico. In 1926 Werner Janensch reported the first dinosaur bone remains as Monoclonius from La Soledad, western Coahuila. Since 1926, more dinosaur remains have been reported from the northern Mexican states of Baja California, Sonora, Chihuahua, Coahuila and Tamaulipas. Several dinosaur footprint localities have also been reported from the northern portion of Mexico. From the central and southern Mexican states of Michoacán, Puebla and Chiapas dinosaur remains have also been reported. Recently, fragments of Heterodontosaurus and Syntarsus were found in Tamaulipas. Re-evaluation of dinosaur remains from Puebla indicate that they belong to a tetrapod. In Baja California there are recent findings of Aublysodon teeth. In Chihuahua fragments of a member of Titanosauridae have been found. In Michoacán hadrosaur bones have been reported. The ichnological record has increased in recent years with the discovery of new localities in Coahuila and Puebla, where two localities include tracks of tetrapods, sauropods and ornitopods. Ichnites from one ornitopod family and from several tetrapod families have been reported from Michoacán. Since the discovery of dinosaur remains about 80 years ago, dinosaur discoveries in Mexico have been significant however the field is still in its infancy with much still to be learned.
Access this chapter
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
Preview
Unable to display preview. Download preview PDF.
References
Aguillón-Martínez, M. C., Vallejo-González, I., Hernández, R., and Kirkland, J. I., 1998, Dinosaur trackway from the Cerro del Pueblo Formation, Difunta Group (Latest Campanian, Cretaceous), Coahuila, Mexico, J. Vert. Paleont, 18: 23A.
Andrade-Ramos, P., Montellano-Ballesteros, M., Cevallos-Ferriz, S.R.S., and Lozano-García, S., 2002, A Late Cretaceous association from Altares, Chihuahua, Mexico, J. Vert. Paleont., 22: 32A.
Brinkman, D. B., Eberth, D. A., Sampson, S. D., Aguillón, M. C., Delgado-de Jesus, C. R., and Rodríguezde la Rosa, R.A., 2002, Paleontology and stratigraphy of the dinosaur-bearing Cerro del Pueblo Formation, southern Coahuila, Mexico, J. Vert. Paleont., 22: 38A.
Callison, G., and Quimby, H. M., 1984, Tiny dinosaurs: are they fully grown. J. Vert. Paleont., 3: 200–209.
Carrillo-Montiel, E., Ortiz-Ubilla A., Bravo-Cuevas, V. M., and Rodríguez-de la Rosa, R. A., (In press), Huellas de dinosaurios en el Cretácico Inferior de San Martín Atexcal, Puebla. Paleos-Antiguo.
Clark, J. M., Montellano M., Hopson, J. A., Hernández, R., and Fastovsky, D. E., 1994, An Early or Middle Jurassic tetrapod assemblage from the La Boca Formation, northeastern Mexico, in: The shadow of the dinosaurs (Early Mesozoic tetrapods) (N. C. Fraser and H.-D. Sues, eds.), Cambridge University Press, pp. 295–302.
Eberth, D. A., Sampson, S. D., Rodríguez-de la Rosa, R. A., Aguillón-Martínez, M. C, Brinkman, D. B., and López-Espinoza, J., 2003, Las Águilas: An unusuallly rich Campanian-age vertebrate locality in southern Coahuila, Mexico. J. Vert. Paleont., 23 (Suppl. to No. 3): 47A.
Eberth, D. A., Delgado-de Jesús, C. R., Lerbekmo, J. F., Brinkman, D. B. Rodríguez-de la Rosa, R. A., and Sampson, S. D., 2005, Cerro del Pueblo Fm. (Difunta Group, Upper Cretaceous), Parras Basin, southern Coahuila, Mexico: Reference Sections, Age, and Correlation. Instituto de Geología, Rev Mex. Ciencias Geol.
Fastovsky, D. E., Clark, J. M., Strater, N. H., Montellano, M., Hernández, R., and Hopson, J. A., 1995, Depositional environments of a Middle Jurassic terrestrial vertebrate assemblage, Huizachal Canyon, Mexico, J. Vert. Paleont., 15(3): 561–575.
Ferrusquía-Villafranca, I., Applegate, S. P., and Espinosa-Arrubarrena, L., 1978a, Las huellas más australes de dinosaurios en Norte América y su significatión geobiológica. Actas del II Congreso de Paleontología y Bioestratigrafía y I Congreso Latinoamericano de Paleontología, Buenos Aires, Argentina: 249–263.
Ferrusquía-Villafranca, I., Applegate, S. P., and Espinosa-Arrubarrena, L., 1978b, Rocas volcanosedimentarias mesozoicas y huellas de dinosaurios en la región suroccidental pacífica de Mexico, Univ. Nal Auton. México, Inst. Geol., Rev. 2: 150–162.
Ferrusquía-Villafranca, I., Tilton, T. L., Lang, H. R., Pittman, J. G., and Lockley, M. G., 1993, Dinosauricnitas tardicretácicas en Puebla suroccidental y su significatión geológico-paleontológica, Memorias del IV Congreso National de Paleontología: 33–34.
Ferrusquía-Villafranca, I., Jiménez-Hidalgo, E., and Bravo-Cuevas, V. M., 1995, Jurassic and Cretaceous dinosaur footprints from México: additions and revisions, J. Vert. Paleont., 15 (Suppl. to No. 3):28A.
Ferrusquía-Villafranca, I., Jiménez-Hidalgo, E., and Bravo-Cuevas, V. M., 1996, Footprints of small sauropods from the Middle Jurassic of Oaxaca, southeastern México, in: The Continental Jurassic (M. Morales, ed.), Mus. North. Ariz. Bull. 60. Flagstaf, Arizona, pp. 119–126.
Ford, T. L. and Chure, D. J., 2001, “Aublysodon” teeth from the El Gallo Formation (Late Campanian) of Baja California: the southernmost record of tyrannosaurid theropods. McCord, R. D. and Boaz, D. (eds.), Western Association of Vertebrate Paleontologists and Southwest Paleontological Symposium Proceedings 2001, Mesa Southwest Museum Bulletin No. 8, pp 75–89.
Gillette, D. D. and Lockley, M. G., 1989, Dinosaur tracks and traces, Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, 454 p.
Hernández, R., 1992, New dinosaur finds in the Cerro del Pueblo Formation (Upper Cretaceus, Campanian) from Coahuila, Mexico. J. Vert. Paleont., 12 (Suppl. to No. 3): 32A.
Hernández, R., 1996, Los dinosaurios y otros vertebrados fósiles del Cretácico Superior en Coahuila, Geo UNAM, 3(1): 39–44.
Hernández, R., 1997, Mexican dinosaurs, in: Encyclopedia of Dinosaurs (Currie, P. J. and K. Padian, eds.), Academic Press, San Diego, California, pp. 433–437.
Hernández, R. and Espinosa-Arrubarrena, L., 1990, Dinosaur localities in Mexico, J. Vert. Paleont., 10 (Suppl. to No. 3): 27A.
Hernández, R. and Kirkland, J. I., 1993, The rediscovery of a rich uppermost Campanian dinosaur locality in the Cerro del Pueblo Fm, Coahuila, Mexico, J. Vert. Paleont., 13: 41A.
Hernández, R. and Delgado-de Jesús, C. R., 2000, Hadrosaur skin impression and associated skeletal remains from Cerro del Pueblo Fm. (Uppermost Campanian) southeastern Coahuila, Mexico, J. Vert. Paleont., 20: 48A.
Hunt, A. P., 1992, Late Pennsylvanian coprolites from the Kinney Brick Quarry, central New Mexico, with notes on the classification and utility of coprolites. New Mexico Bur. Min. Miner. Resch. Bull., 138:221–229.
Janensch, V. W., 1926, Dinosaurier-Reste aus Mexiko. Centr. Min., Geol. Pal., 1926B: 192–197.
Jianu, C. M., and Weishampel, D. B., 1999, The smallest of the largest: A new look at possible dwarfing in sauropod dinosaurs, Geol. Mijn., 78: 335–343.
Kirkland, J. I., Hernández, R., Aguillón-Martínez, M. C., Delgado-de Jesús, C. R., Gómez-Núñez, R., and Vallejo-González, I., 2000, The Late Cretaceous Difunta Group of the Parras Basin, Coahuila, Mexico, and its vertebrate fauna, Field Trip Guide Book, Society of Vertebrate Paleontology Annual Meeting, pp. 133–172.
Langston, Jr. W. and Oakes, M. H., 1954, Hadrosaurs in Baja California. Geol. Soc. Amer. Abstracts (65): 1344.
Lim, S. K., Yang, Y. S., and Lockley, M. G., 1989, Large Dinosaurs footprints assemblages from the Cretaceous Jindong Formation of Korea, in: Dinosaurs tracks and traces (Gillete, D. D., and M. G., Lockley, eds.), Cambridge Univ. Press, pp. 333–336.
Lockley, M. G., 1991, Tracking Dinosaurs: A New Look at an Ancient World, Cambridge University Press.
Lucas, S. G., and González-León, C. M., 1990, Reporte preliminar sobre los dinosaurios del Cretácico Tardío de la Cuenca de Cabullona. Bol. Dept. Geol. Univ. Sonora, 7(1–2): 1–6.
Lucas, S. G., and González-León, C. M., 1993, Fossil vertebrates from the Upper Cretaceous Cabullona Group, north-eastern Sonora, Mexico, J. Vert. Paleont., 13: 47A.
Lucas, S. G., and González-León, C. M., 1996, Dinosaurios del Cretácico Tardío del Grupo Cabullona, Sonora, Geol. Noroeste, 1: 20–25.
Lull, R. S., and Wright, N. E., 1942, Hadrosaurian dinosaurs of North America. Geol. Soc. Amer., Spec. Pap., 40:1–242.
Molnar, R. E., 1974, A distinctive theropod dinosaur from the Upper Cretaceous of Baja California (Mexico), J. Paleont., 48: 1009–1017.
Montellano-Ballesteros, M., 2003, A titanosaurid sauropod from the Upper Cretaceous of Chihuahua, Mexico, Rev. Mex. Cien. Geol., 20: 160–164.
Montellano-Ballesteros, M., Hernández, R., Álvarez-Reyes, G., Andrade-Ramos, P. and Martín-Medrano, L., 2000, Discovery of Late Cretaceous vertebrate local faunas in northern Mexico, J. Vert. Paleont., 20: 58A–59A.
Morris, W. J., 1967, Baja California: Late Cretaceous dinosaurs, Science, 155: 1539–1541.
Morris, W. J., 1971, Mesozoic and Tertiary Vertebrates in Baja California, Natl. Geogr. Soc. Resch. Repts., 1965: 195–198.
Morris, W. J., 1972, A giant hadrosaurian dinosaur from Baja California, J. Paleont., 46: 777–779.
Morris, W. J., 1973a, Mesozoic and Tertiary Vertebrates in Baja California, Natl. Geogr. Soc. Resch. Repts., 1973: 197–209.
Morris, W. J., 1973b, A review of Pacific Coast hadrosaurs, J. Paleont., 47: 551–561.
Morris, W. J., 1981, A new species of hadrosaurian dinosaur from the Upper Cretaceous of Baja California —? Lambeosaurus laticaudus. J. Paleont., 55: 453–462.
Morris, W. J., 1982, California dinosaurs, in: Late Cretaceous Depositional Environments and Paleogeography, Santa Ana Mountains, Southern California (Bottjer, D. J., Colburn, I. P. and Cooper, J. D., eds.), Pacific Section, SEPM, Field Trip Volume and Guidebook, pp. 89–90.
Morris, W. J., 1983, A Paleontologic reconnaissance of Baja California, Mexico, 1974, Natl. Geogr. Soc. Resch. Repts., 15: 157–174.
Munter, R. C., 1999, Two theropod dinosaur specimens from Huizachal Canyon, Mexico, J. Vert. Paleont., 19: 65A.
Murray, G. E., Boyd, D. R., Wolleben, J. A. and Wilson, J. A., 1960, Late Cretaceous fossil locality, Eastern Parras Basin, Coahuila, Mexico, J. Paleont., 34: 368–373.
Mussell, J. and Weishampel, D., 2000, Magyarosaurus and the possible role of progenesis in sauropod development. J. Vert. Paleont. 20: 59A.
Ortega-Guerrero, B. 1989. Paleomagnetismo y geología de las Unidades Clásticas Mesozoicas del Área Totoltepec-Ixcaquixtla, Estado de Puebla y Oaxaca. UNAM, Fac. Ciencias, Tesis de Maestría. 122 pp.
Ortíz-Mendieta, J. A., 2001, Dinosauricnitas Cretácico-tardías de El Aguaje, Michoacán, Región Suroccidental de México y sus implicaciones geológico-paleontológicas, Tesis de Licenciatura, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, 75 pp.
Ortíz-Mendieta, J. A., García-Orozco, J., Ferrusquía-Villafranca, I., Jiménez-Hidalgo, E. and Bravo-Cuevas, V. M., 2000, Primer hallazgo de huellas de dinosaurio en Michoacán suroccidental: Reporte preliminar, VII Congreso Nacional de Paleontología y I Simposio Geológico en el Noreste de México, Memorias, 109–110.
Paul, G.S. 1988. Predatory Dinosaurs of the World: A Complete Illustrated Guide. Simon & Schuster. New York.
Rivera-Sylva, H. E., 2003, Dinosaurs from the Mixteca Region in Central Mexico, Master Degree Thesis, Department of Earth Sciences, University of Bristol, 56 pp.
Rodríguez-de la Rosa, R. A., 1998a, Cáscaras de huevo avianas (Neognathae) y de Ornithopoda (Dinosauria) del Cretácico Tardío de Baja California, México. VI Congreso Nacional de Paleontología, Memorias, 59–60.
Rodríguez-de la Rosa, R. A., 1998b, ¿Aves o dinosaurios en Durango, México? VI Congreso Nacional de Paleontología, Memorias, 58–59.
Rodríguez-de la Rosa, R. A., 2001, Pterosaur tracks from the Late Cretaceous of northern México: Paleoecological and anatomical implications. Two hundred years of pterosaurs, Toulouse, France, Strata, série 1(11): 85–86.
Rodríguez-de la Rosa, R. A., 2003, Pterosaur tracks from the Latest Campanian Cerro del Pueblo Formation of south-eastern Coahuila, Mexico, in: Evolution and Palaeobiology of Pterosaurs (Buffetaut, E., and J. M. Mazin, eds.), Geological Society, London, Special Publications, pp. 275–282
Rodríguez-de la Rosa, R. A. and Aranda-Manteca, F. J., 1999, Theropod teeth from the Late Cretaceous El Gallo Formation, Baja California, Mexico. VII International Symposium on Mesozoic Terrestrial Ecosystems, Buenos Aires, Abstracts: 56.
Rodríguez-de la Rosa, R. A. and Aranda-Manteca, F. J., 2000a, Were there venomous theropods?, J. Vert. Paleont., 20: 64A.
Rodríguez-de la Rosa, R. A. and Aranda-Manteca, F. J., 2000b, Nuevos hallazgos de vertebrados de la Formación El Gallo (Campaniano Tardío) del Estado de Baja California, VI Congreso Nacional de Paleontología y I Simposio Geológico en el noreste de México, Memorias: 65–66.
Rodríguez-de la Rosa, R. A. and Cevallos-Ferriz, S. R. S. 1998. Vertebrates of the El Pelillal Locality (Campanian, Cerro del Pueblo Formation), south-eastern Coahuila, Mexico, J. Vert. Paleont., 18:751–764.
Rodríguez-de la Rosa, R. A., Cevallos-Ferriz, S. R. S. and Silva-Pineda, F. J., 1998, Paleobiological implications of Campanian coprolites, Palaeogeogr., Palaeoclimat., Palaeoecol, 142: 231–254.
Rodríguez-de la Rosa, R. A., López-Espinoza, J., Vallejo-González, J. I., Eberth, D. A. and Simith, J. A., 2002, Huellas de vertebrados cretácicos (Campaniano Tardío, Formación Cerro del Pueblo) del sureste de Coahuila, México, VIII Congreso Nacional de Paleontología, Memorias, pp. 75–76..
Rodríguez-de la Rosa, R. A., Eberth, D. A., Brinkman, D. B., Sampson, S. D. and López-Espinoza, J., 2003, Dinosaur tracks from the Late Campanian Las Aguilas locality south-eastern Coahuila, Mexico. J. Vert. Paleont., 23: 90A.
Rodríguez-de la Rosa, R. A., Aguillón-Martínez, M. C, López-Espinoza, J. and Eberth, D. A., 2004, The fossil record of vertebrate tracks in Mexico, Ichnos 1: 1–11.
Taliaferro, N. L., 1933, An occurrence of Upper Cretaceous sediments in northern Sonora, Mexico, J. Geol, 41:12–37.
Weishampel, D. B., 1990, Dinosaurian distribution, in: The Dinosauria (Weishampel, D.B., Dodson, P., and H., Osmólska, eds.), California University Press, Berkeley, pp. 63–139
Weishampel, D. B., Norman, D. B. and Grigorescu, D., 1993, Telmatosaurus transsylvanicus from the Late Cretaceous of Romania: The most basal hadrosaurid dinosaur, Palaeont., 36:361–368.
Westgate, J. W., Brown, R. B., Cope, D. and J. Pittman, 2000, A Late Cretaceous dinosaur-bearing community from coastal deposits in Chihuahua, Mexico, J. Vert. Paleont., 20: 78A.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Editor information
Editors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 2006 Springer
About this chapter
Cite this chapter
Rivera-Sylva, H.E., Rodríguez-De La Rosa, R., Ortiz-Mendieta, J.A. (2006). A Review of the Dinosaurian Record from Mexico. In: Vega, F.J., Nyborg, T.G., Perrilliat, M.D.C., Montellano-Ballesteros, M., Cevallos-Ferriz, S.R.S., Quiroz-Barroso, S.A. (eds) Studies on Mexican Paleontology. Topics in Geobiology, vol 24. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/1-4020-3985-9_11
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/1-4020-3985-9_11
Publisher Name: Springer, Dordrecht
Print ISBN: 978-1-4020-3882-2
Online ISBN: 978-1-4020-3985-0
eBook Packages: Earth and Environmental ScienceEarth and Environmental Science (R0)