The dinosaurs of Maghreb: the history of their discovery

Abstract

A century of prospecting and exploring in North Africa has led to the discovery of remarkable dinosaur localities and excavating spectacular and diverse faunas from the Mesozoic outcrops. The first observations and publications were the work of courageous travellers, intrepid naturalists or motivated soldiers. They were followed by scientific expeditions with the main purpose of collecting more complete remains of these fascinating fossil reptiles, the dinosaurs. Today, by the number, the variety and the importance of its dinosaur localities, the Maghreb has nothing to envy the paleontological richness of dinosaurs from North America or Asia. The description of new genera and new species of dinosaurs discovered recently in North Africa completely changed the vision we had of these Mesozoic reptiles, together with the knowledge of their history and geographical distribution. From the first discovery of dinosaur footprints in the south of Algeria in 1880 to the most recent collection of Liassic dinosaur bones in the High Atlas Mountains of Morocco, and with the exploration of the Cenomanian sediments of the Egyptian desert, numerous localities have yielded splendid and fascinating new theropods, sauropods and ornithopods. The countries of North Africa and especially of the Maghreb are now the first places among the most famous dinosaur localities in the world. Their faunas contributed greatly to understanding of the evolution of life during the Mesozoïc.