A Review of the Dinosaurian Record from Mexico

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 Michoacan, 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 Michoacan 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 Michoacan. 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.