The Dinosaur Park Formation is the uppermost member of the Belly River Group (also known as the Judith River Group), a major geologic unit in southern

Alberta Alberta is a Provinces and territories of Canada, province in Canada. It is a part of Western Canada and is one of the three Canadian Prairies, prairie provinces. Alberta is bordered by British Columbia to its west, Saskatchewan to its east, t ...

. It was deposited during the

Campanian The Campanian is the fifth of six ages of the Late Cretaceous epoch on the geologic timescale of the International Commission on Stratigraphy (ICS). In chronostratigraphy, it is the fifth of six stages in the Upper Cretaceous Series. Campa ...

stage of the

Late Cretaceous The Late Cretaceous (100.5–66 Ma) is the more recent of two epochs into which the Cretaceous Period is divided in the geologic time scale. Rock strata from this epoch form the Upper Cretaceous Series. The Cretaceous is named after ''cre ...

, between about 76.5 and 74.4 million years ago. It was deposited in

alluvial Alluvium (, ) is loose clay, silt, sand, or gravel that has been deposited by running water in a stream bed, on a floodplain, in an alluvial fan or beach, or in similar settings. Alluvium is also sometimes called alluvial deposit. Alluvium is ...

and

coastal plain A coastal plain (also coastal plains, coastal lowland, coastal lowlands) is an area of flat, low-lying land adjacent to a sea coast. A fall line commonly marks the border between a coastal plain and an upland area. Formation Coastal plains can f ...

environments, and it is bounded by the nonmarine Oldman Formation below it and the marine

Bearpaw Formation The Bearpaw Formation, also called the Bearpaw Shale, is a geologic formation of Late Cretaceous (Campanian) age. It outcrops in the U.S. state of Montana, as well as the Canadian provinces of Alberta and Saskatchewan, and was named for the Bear ...

above it.Eberth, D.A. 2005. The geology. In: Currie, P.J., and Koppelhus, E.B. (eds), '' Dinosaur Provincial Park: A Spectacular Ancient Ecosystem Revealed''. Indiana University Press: Bloomington and Indianapolis, p.54-82. . The Dinosaur Park Formation contains dense concentrations of

dinosaur Dinosaurs are a diverse group of reptiles of the clade Dinosauria. They first appeared during the Triassic Geological period, period, between 243 and 233.23 million years ago (mya), although the exact origin and timing of the #Evolutio ...

skeletons, both articulated and disarticulated, which are often found with preserved remains of soft tissues. Remains of other animals such as

fish A fish (: fish or fishes) is an aquatic animal, aquatic, Anamniotes, anamniotic, gill-bearing vertebrate animal with swimming fish fin, fins and craniate, a hard skull, but lacking limb (anatomy), limbs with digit (anatomy), digits. Fish can ...

turtle Turtles are reptiles of the order (biology), order Testudines, characterized by a special turtle shell, shell developed mainly from their ribs. Modern turtles are divided into two major groups, the Pleurodira (side necked turtles) and Crypt ...

s, and

crocodilia Crocodilia () is an order of semiaquatic, predatory reptiles that are known as crocodilians. They first appeared during the Late Cretaceous and are the closest living relatives of birds. Crocodilians are a type of crocodylomorph pseudosuchia ...

ns, as well as plant remains, are also abundant. The formation has been named after

Dinosaur Provincial Park Dinosaur Provincial Park is a UNESCO World Heritage Site situated 220 kilometres (137 mi) east of Calgary, Alberta, Canada; or northeast of Brooks. The park is situated in the Red Deer River valley, which is noted for its striking badland topo ...

, a

UNESCO The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO ) is a List of specialized agencies of the United Nations, specialized agency of the United Nations (UN) with the aim of promoting world peace and International secur ...

World Heritage Site World Heritage Sites are landmarks and areas with legal protection under an treaty, international treaty administered by UNESCO for having cultural, historical, or scientific significance. The sites are judged to contain "cultural and natural ...

where the formation is well exposed in the

badlands Badlands are a type of dry terrain where softer sedimentary rocks and clay-rich soils have been extensively eroded."Badlands" in '' Chambers's Encyclopædia''. London: George Newnes, 1961, Vol. 2, p. 47. They are characterized by steep slopes, ...

that flank the

Red Deer River The Red Deer River is a river in Alberta and a small portion of Saskatchewan, Canada. It is a major tributary of the South Saskatchewan River and is part of the larger Saskatchewan / Nelson River, Nelson system that empties into Hudson Bay. T ...

Research history

The Dinosaur Park Formation has been a significant source of terrestrial

vertebrate Vertebrates () are animals with a vertebral column (backbone or spine), and a cranium, or skull. The vertebral column surrounds and protects the spinal cord, while the cranium protects the brain. The vertebrates make up the subphylum Vertebra ...

fossils for over a century. The first recorded account of fossils was in 1871 by the priest Jean-Baptiste L’Heureux who was shown bones of the "grandfather of the buffalo" by the

Blackfoot Confederacy The Blackfoot Confederacy, ''Niitsitapi'', or ''Siksikaitsitapi'' (ᖹᐟᒧᐧᒣᑯ, meaning "the people" or "Blackfoot language, Blackfoot-speaking real people"), is a historic collective name for linguistically related groups that make up ...

he was living with, though these notes were never published. Official reports of dinosaur bones in western Canada were reported by

George Mercer Dawson George Mercer Dawson (August 1, 1849 – March 2, 1901) was a Canadian geologist and surveyor. He performed many early explorations in western North America and compiled numerous records of the native peoples. Biography He was born in ...

in 1874 from southern

Saskatchewan Saskatchewan is a Provinces and territories of Canada, province in Western Canada. It is bordered on the west by Alberta, on the north by the Northwest Territories, on the east by Manitoba, to the northeast by Nunavut, and to the south by the ...

and

along the Milk River. Further discoveries by Dawson and his colleagues of the

Geological Survey of Canada The Geological Survey of Canada (GSC; , CGC) is a Canadian federal government agency responsible for performing geological surveys of the country developing Canada's natural resources and protecting the environment. A branch of the Earth Science ...

continued in the 1880s, including the 1884 discovery by Joseph Burr Tyrrell of the

skull The skull, or cranium, is typically a bony enclosure around the brain of a vertebrate. In some fish, and amphibians, the skull is of cartilage. The skull is at the head end of the vertebrate. In the human, the skull comprises two prominent ...

of a

theropod Theropoda (; from ancient Greek , (''therion'') "wild beast"; , (''pous, podos'') "foot"">wiktionary:ποδός"> (''pous, podos'') "foot" is one of the three major groups (clades) of dinosaurs, alongside Ornithischia and Sauropodom ...

identified as '' Laelaps'' by American palaeontologist

Edward Drinker Cope Edward Drinker Cope (July 28, 1840 – April 12, 1897) was an American zoologist, paleontology, paleontologist, comparative anatomy, comparative anatomist, herpetology, herpetologist, and ichthyology, ichthyologist. Born to a wealthy Quaker fam ...

but named in 1905 as ''

Albertosaurus ''Albertosaurus'' (; meaning "Alberta lizard") is a genus of large tyrannosaurid theropod dinosaur that lived in northwestern North America during the early to middle Maastrichtian age of the Late Cretaceous period, about 71 million yea ...

'' by American palaeontologist

Henry Fairfield Osborn Henry Fairfield Osborn, Sr. (August 8, 1857 – November 6, 1935) was an American paleontologist, geologist and eugenics advocate. He was professor of anatomy at Columbia University, president of the American Museum of Natural History for 25 y ...

. In 1889 rich fossil beds in the areas of Deadlodge Canyon and Berry Creek were found by Thomas Chesmer Weston along the

. The areas along the Red Deer River would be more completely surveyed by Canadian palaeontologist Lawrence Lambe from 1897 until 1901, when he, along with Osborn, described the fossils found in what was then considered to be the Belly River Formation of mid-

Cretaceous The Cretaceous ( ) is a geological period that lasted from about 143.1 to 66 mya (unit), million years ago (Mya). It is the third and final period of the Mesozoic Era (geology), Era, as well as the longest. At around 77.1 million years, it is the ...

age.

Geological setting

The Dinosaur Park Formation is composed of sediments that were derived from the erosion of the mountains to the west. It was deposited on an alluvial to coastal plain by river systems that flowed eastward and southeastward to the Bearpaw Sea, a large inland sea that was part of the

Western Interior Seaway The Western Interior Seaway (also called the Cretaceous Seaway, the Niobraran Sea, the North American Inland Sea, or the Western Interior Sea) was a large inland sea (geology), inland sea that existed roughly over the present-day Great Plains of ...

. That sea gradually inundated the adjacent coastal plain, depositing the marine

shale Shale is a fine-grained, clastic sedimentary rock formed from mud that is a mix of flakes of Clay mineral, clay minerals (hydrous aluminium phyllosilicates, e.g., Kaolinite, kaolin, aluminium, Al2Silicon, Si2Oxygen, O5(hydroxide, OH)4) and tiny f ...

s of the

on top of the Dinosaur Park Formation. The Dinosaur Park Formation is about thick at Dinosaur Park. The lower portion of the formation was laid down in fluvial channel environments and consists primarily of fine- to medium-grained, crossbedded

sandstone Sandstone is a Clastic rock#Sedimentary clastic rocks, clastic sedimentary rock composed mainly of grain size, sand-sized (0.0625 to 2 mm) silicate mineral, silicate grains, Cementation (geology), cemented together by another mineral. Sand ...

s. The upper portion, which was deposited in overbank and

floodplain A floodplain or flood plain or bottomlands is an area of land adjacent to a river. Floodplains stretch from the banks of a river channel to the base of the enclosing valley, and experience flooding during periods of high Discharge (hydrolog ...

environments, consists primarily of massive to laminated, organic-rich

mudstone Mudstone, a type of mudrock, is a fine-grained sedimentary rock whose original constituents were clays or muds. Mudstone is distinguished from ''shale'' by its lack of fissility.Blatt, H., and R.J. Tracy, 1996, ''Petrology.'' New York, New York, ...

s with abundant root traces, and thin beds of

bentonite Bentonite ( ) is an Absorption (chemistry), absorbent swelling clay consisting mostly of montmorillonite (a type of smectite) which can either be Na-montmorillonite or Ca-montmorillonite. Na-montmorillonite has a considerably greater swelli ...

. The Lethbridge Coal Zone, which consists of several seams of low-rank

coal Coal is a combustible black or brownish-black sedimentary rock, formed as rock strata called coal seams. Coal is mostly carbon with variable amounts of other Chemical element, elements, chiefly hydrogen, sulfur, oxygen, and nitrogen. Coal i ...

interbedded with mudstones and

siltstone Siltstone, also known as aleurolite, is a clastic sedimentary rock that is composed mostly of silt. It is a form of mudrock with a low clay mineral content, which can be distinguished from shale by its lack of fissility. Although its permeabil ...

s, marks the top of the formation. The sediments of the Dinosaur Park Formation are similar to those of the underlying Oldman Formation and they were originally included in that formation. The two formations are separated by a regional

disconformity An unconformity is a buried erosion surface, erosional or non-depositional surface separating two Rock (geology), rock masses or Stratum, strata of different ages, indicating that sediment deposition was not continuous. In general, the older layer ...

, however, and are distinguished by petrographic and sedimentologic differences. In addition, articulated skeletal remains and bonebeds are rare in the Oldman Formation but abundant in the Dinosaur Park Formation.

Biostratigraphy

The Dinosaur Park Formation can be divided into at least two distinct faunas. The lower part of the formation is characterized by the abundance of ''

Corythosaurus ''Corythosaurus'' (; ) is a genus of hadrosaurid "duck-billed" dinosaur from the Late Cretaceous Period (geology), period, about 77–75.7 million years ago, in what is now Laramidia, western North America. Its name is derived from the Anci ...

'' and '' Centrosaurus''. This group of species is replaced higher in the formation by a different ornithischian fauna characterized by the presence of ''

Lambeosaurus ''Lambeosaurus'' ( ) is a genus of hadrosaurid dinosaur that lived during the Late Cretaceous period of western North America. The first skull of ''Lambeosaurus'' found was used by palaeontologist Lawrence M. Lambe to justify the creation of ...

'' and ''

Styracosaurus ''Styracosaurus'' ( ; meaning "spiked lizard" from the Ancient Greek / "spike at the butt-end of a spear-shaft" and / "lizard") is an extinct genus of herbivorous ceratopsian dinosaur from the Late Cretaceous (Campanian stage) of North America. ...

''. The appearance of several new, rare species of

ornithischian Ornithischia () is an extinct clade of mainly herbivorous dinosaurs characterized by a pelvic structure superficially similar to that of birds. The name ''Ornithischia'', or "bird-hipped", reflects this similarity and is derived from the Greek st ...

at the very top of the formation may indicate that a third distinct fauna had replaced the second during the transition into younger, non-Dinosaur Park sediments, at the same time an inland sea transgresses onto land, but there are fewer remains here. An unnamed pachyrhinosaur, '' Vagaceratops irvinensis'', and ''Lambeosaurus magnicristatus'' may be more common in this third fauna.

Fossil content

Amphibians

Remains of the following amphibians have been found in the formation:

Albanerpetontidae The Albanerpetontidae (also spelled Albanerpetidae and Albanerpetonidae) are an extinct family of small amphibians, native to the Northern Hemisphere during the Mesozoic and Cenozoic. The only members of the order Allocaudata, they are thought to ...

(extinct,

salamander Salamanders are a group of amphibians typically characterized by their lizard-like appearance, with slender bodies, blunt snouts, short limbs projecting at right angles to the body, and the presence of a tail in both larvae and adults. All t ...

-like amphibians) *'' Albanerpeton gracilis''

Caudata The Caudata are a group of amphibians containing the extant salamanders (the order Urodela) and all extinct species of amphibians more closely related to salamanders than to frogs. They are typically characterized by a superficially lizard-lik ...

(

s) *''

Habrosaurus ''Habrosaurus'', meaning "graceful lizard", is an extinct genus of prehistoric salamanders, and the oldest and largest known member of the family Sirenidae. Two species are known, ''H. prodilatus'' from the middle Campanian Dinosaur Park Formati ...

prodilatus'' *'' Lisserpeton'' *'' Opisthotriton kayi'' *'' Scapherpeton tectum'' *unnamed caudatan *Two indeterminate caudatans

Salientia The Salientia (Latin ''salire'', ''salio'' meaning "to jump") are a total group of amphibians that includes the order Anura, the frogs and toads, and various extinct proto-frogs that are more closely related to the frogs than they are to the ...

(

frog A frog is any member of a diverse and largely semiaquatic group of short-bodied, tailless amphibian vertebrates composing the order (biology), order Anura (coming from the Ancient Greek , literally 'without tail'). Frog species with rough ski ...

s) *Two unnamed salientans *'' Tyrrellbatrachus brinkmani'' *'' Hensonbatrachus kermiti''

Dinosaurs

Remains of the following dinosaurs have been found in the formation:

Ornithischians

Remains of the following ornithischians have been found in the formation:

= Ankylosaurs

= Numerous specimens that cannot be definitively assigned to ankylosaurs are known from the formation, including fragmentary cranial, dental, postcranial, and armour material. As all ankylosaurids from the Campanian of Alberta and Montana were historically referred to ''Euoplocephalus'' sensu lato, the taxonomy is variable between studies and ranges from one to seven valid genera between the Dinosaur Park, Judith River, Two Medicine, and Horseshoe Canyon Formations.

= Ceratopsians

= An unnamed '' Pachyrhinosaurus''-like taxon has been recovered from the formation.

= Ornithopods

= At least one indeterminate thescelosaurid specimen has been recovered from the formation. In a 2001 review of hadrosaur

eggshell An eggshell is the outer covering of a hard-shelled egg (biology), egg and of some forms of eggs with soft outer coats. Worm eggs Nematode eggs present a two layered structure: an external vitellin layer made of chitin that confers mechanical ...

and hatchling material from the Dinosaur Park Formation, Darren H. Tanke and

M. K. Brett-Surman M, or m, is the thirteenth letter of the English alphabet. M may also refer to: Companies and products * M (fragrance), a 2008 fragrance by Mariah Carey * M-series rangefinder, a series of Leica camera models * M (virtual assistant), a form ...

concluded that hadrosaurs nested in both the ancient upland and lowlands of the formation's depositional environment. The upland nesting grounds may have been preferred by the less common hadrosaurs, like ''

Brachylophosaurus ''Brachylophosaurus'' ( or ) is a genus of hadrosaurid dinosaur that lived during the Late Cretaceous period of western North America. It was first named in 1953 by Charles Mortram Sternberg for a skull and skeleton he discovered in 1936 in th ...

'' or ''

Parasaurolophus ''Parasaurolophus'' (; meaning "beside crested lizard" in reference to ''Saurolophus'') is a genus of hadrosaurid "duck-billed" dinosaur that lived in what is now western North America and possibly Asia during the Late Cretaceous period, a ...

''. However, the authors were unable to determine what specific factors shaped nesting ground choice in the formation's hadrosaurs. They suggested that behavior, diet, soil condition, and competition between dinosaur species all potentially influenced where hadrosaurs nested. Sub-centimeter fragments of pebbly-textured hadrosaur eggshell have been reported from the Dinosaur Park Formation. This eggshell is similar to the hadrosaur eggshell of Devil's Coulee in southern

as well as that of the

Two Medicine Two Medicine is the collective name of a region located in the southeastern section of Glacier National Park (U.S.), Glacier National Park, in the U.S. state of Montana. It has a campground alongside Two Medicine Lake. From the period starting in ...

and

Judith River Formations The Judith River Formation is a fossil-bearing geologic formation in Montana, and is part of the Montana Group. It dates to the Late Cretaceous, between 79 and 75.3 million years ago, corresponding to the "Judithian" land vertebrate age. It was l ...

in Montana, United States. While present, dinosaur eggshell is very rare in the Dinosaur Park Formation and is only found in two different microfossil sites. These sites are distinguished by large numbers of

pisidiid ''Pisidium'' is a genera, genus of very small or minute freshwater clams known as pill clams or pea clams, Aquatic animal, aquatic bivalve molluscs in the family (biology), family Sphaeriidae, the pea clams and fingernail clams. In some bivalve ...

clams Clam is a common name for several kinds of bivalve mollusc. The word is often applied only to those that are deemed edible and live as infauna, spending most of their lives halfway buried in the sand of the sea floor or riverbeds. Clams h ...

and other less common shelled invertebrates like

unionid The Unionidae are a Family (biology), family of freshwater mussels, the largest in the order Unionida, the bivalve molluscs sometimes known as river mussels, or simply as unionids. The range of distribution for this family is world-wide. It is a ...

clams and snails. This association is not a coincidence as the invertebrate shells would have slowly dissolved and released enough basic calcium carbonate to protect the eggshells from naturally occurring acids that otherwise would have dissolved them and prevented fossilization. In contrast with eggshell fossils, the remains of very young hadrosaurs are actually somewhat common.

Darren Tanke Darren H. Tanke (born 1960) is a Canadian fossil preparation technician of the Dinosaur Research Program at the Royal Tyrrell Museum of Palaeontology in Drumheller, Alberta. Born in Calgary, Tanke became interested in natural history at an early ...

has observed that an experienced collector could actually discover multiple juvenile hadrosaur specimens in a single day. The most common remains of young hadrosaurs in the Dinosaur Park Formation are dentaries, bones from limbs and feet, as well as vertebral

centra Centra is a convenience shop chain that operates throughout Ireland. The chain operates as a symbol group owned by Musgrave Group, the food wholesaler, meaning the individual shops are all owned by individual franchisees. The chain has three ...

. The material showed little or none of the abrasion that would have resulted from transport, meaning the fossils were buried near their point of origin. Bonebeds 23, 28, 47, and 50 are productive sources of young hadrosaur remains in the formation, especially bonebed 50. The bones of juvenile hadrosaurs and fossil eggshell fragments are not known to have preserved in association with each other, despite both being present in the formation.

= Pachycephalosaurs

Theropods

In the Dinosaur Park Formation, small theropods are rare due to the tendency of their thin-walled bones to be broken or poorly preserved. Small bones of small theropods that were preyed upon by larger ones may have been swallowed whole and digested. In this context, the discovery of a small theropod dinosaur with preserved tooth marks was especially valuable. Possible indeterminate avimimid remains are known from the formation.

= Ornithomimids

= Oviraptorosaurs

= Paravians

= A new taxon of

troodontid Troodontidae is a clade of bird-like theropod dinosaurs from the Late Jurassic to Late Cretaceous. During most of the 20th century, troodontid fossils were few and incomplete and they have therefore been allied, at various times, with many dinos ...

based solely on teeth is known from the upper part of the formation.

= Tyrannosaurs

Other reptiles

Choristoderes

Choristoderes, or champsosaurs, were aquatic reptiles. Small examples looked like lizards, while larger types were superficially similar to crocodilians. Remains of the following Choristoderes have been found in the formation: * ''

Champsosaurus ''Champsosaurus'' is an extinct genus of crocodile-like choristodere reptile, known from the Late Cretaceous and early Paleogene periods of North America and Europe (Campanian–Paleocene). The name ''Champsosaurus'' is thought to come from , () ...

'' (at least 3 species) * '' Cteniogenys'' sp. cf. ''antiquus'' (possibly another genus)

Crocodylians

Remains of the following Crocodylians have been found in the formation: * '' Albertochampsa'' * '' Leidyosuchus'' * at least 1 unnamed taxon

Lizards

Remains of the following lizards have been found in the formation: * Helodermatids ** '' Labrodioctes'' * Necrosaurids ** '' Parasaniwa'' * Teiids ** '' Glyptogenys'' ** '' Socognathus'' * Varanids ** '' Palaeosaniwa'' * Xenosaurids ** ?'' Exostinus''

Plesiosaurs

Remains of the following Plesiosaurs have been found in the formation: * '' Fluvionectes'' * indeterminate

polycotylids Polycotylidae is a family of plesiosaurs from the Cretaceous, a sister group to Leptocleididae. They are known as false pliosaurs. Polycotylids first appeared during the Albian stage of the Early Cretaceous, before becoming abundant and widesprea ...

(shorter-necked)

Pterosaurs

Remains of the following pterosaurs have been found in the formation: * '' Cryodrakon'' (known from small and large specimens) *1 unnamed non-azhdarchid pterosaur

Turtles

Remains of the following turtles have been found in the formation: * ''

Adocus ''Adocus'' is an extinct genus of aquatic turtles belonging to the family Adocidae. Description Species of the genus ''Adocus'' had flattened and smoothly contoured shells with horny sculptured plates. The shells could reach a length of at le ...

'' * "''

Apalone ''Apalone'' is a genus of turtles in the family Trionychidae. The three species of ''Apalone'' are native to freshwater habitats in North America; they are the only living softshell turtles from the Americas (other American softshell turtles ar ...

''" * ''

Aspideretoides ''Aspideretoides'' is an extinct genus of soft-shelled turtle from the Late Cretaceous of North America. Naming and description The genus was named in 1995 by James D. Gardner and colleagues to unite multiple species that had at times been ref ...

'' (3 species) * ''

Basilemys ''Basilemys'' ("king turtle" in Greek) is a large, terrestrial Nanhsiungchelyidae, nanhsiungchelyid turtle from the Upper Cretaceous of North and Central America. ''Basilemys'' has been found in rocks dating to the Campanian and Maastrichtian subd ...

'' * '' Boremys'' * '' Judithemys'' * '' Neurankylus'' * '' Plesiobaena'' * 2 indeterminate taxa

Mammals

Remains of the following mammals have been found in the formation: *

Multituberculata Multituberculata (commonly known as multituberculates, named for the multiple tubercles of their teeth) is an extinct Order (biology), order of rodent-like mammals with a fossil record spanning over 130 million years. They first appeared in the M ...

** ''

Cimexomys ''Cimexomys'' is an extinct North American mammal that lived from the Upper Cretaceous to the Paleocene. For a while, it shared the world with dinosaurs, but outlived them. It was a member of the extinct order Multituberculata and lies within the ...

'' sp. ** '' Cimolodon'' spp. ** '' Cimolomys clarki'' ** '' Meniscoessus major'' ** '' Mesodma primaeva'' ** unnamed multituberculates *

Metatheria Metatheria is a mammalian clade that includes all mammals more closely related to marsupials than to placentals. First proposed by Thomas Henry Huxley in 1880, it is a more inclusive group than the marsupials; it contains all marsupials as wel ...

ns ** '' Alphadon halleyi'' ** '' Eodelphis browni'' ** ''E. cutleri'' ** 5 species of " Pediomys" ** '' Turgidodon russelli'' ** ''T. praesagus'' *

Eutheria Eutheria (from Greek , 'good, right' and , 'beast'; ), also called Pan-Placentalia, is the clade consisting of Placentalia, placental mammals and all therian mammals that are more closely related to placentals than to marsupials. Eutherians ...

ns ** ''

Cimolestes ''Cimolestes'' (from Ancient Greek , 'chalk robber') is a genus of early eutherians with a full complement of teeth adapted for eating insects and other small animals. Paleontologists have disagreed on its relationship to other mammals, in part b ...

'' sp. (uncertain taxonomy) ** ''

Gypsonictops ''Gypsonictops'' is an extinct genus of leptictidan mammals of the family Gypsonictopidae, which was described in 1927 by George Gaylord Simpson. Species in this genus were small mammals and the first representatives of the order Leptictida, tha ...

lewisi'' ** '' Paranyctoides sternbergi'' ** Unknown

theria Theria ( or ; ) is a scientific classification, subclass of mammals amongst the Theriiformes. Theria includes the eutherians (including the Placentalia, placental mammals) and the metatherians (including the marsupials) but excludes the egg-lay ...

ns: at least 1 species

Fish

Remains of the following fish have been found in the formation:Neuman, A.G., and Brinkman, D.B. 2005. Fishes of the fluvial beds. In: Currie, P.J., and Koppelhus, E.B. (eds), Dinosaur Provincial Park: A Spectacular Ancient Ecosystem Revealed. Indiana University Press: Bloomington and Indianapolis, p. 167-185. . *

Chondrichthyans Chondrichthyes (; ) is a class of jawed fish that contains the cartilaginous fish or chondrichthyans, which all have skeletons primarily composed of cartilage. They can be contrasted with the Osteichthyes or ''bony fish'', which have skeletons ...

** '' Cretorectolobus olsoni'' (a

carpet shark Carpet sharks are sharks classified in the order (biology), order Orectolobiformes . Sometimes the common name "carpet shark" (given because many species resemble ornately patterned carpets) is used interchangeably with "wobbegong", which is the ...

) ** '' Eucrossorhinus microcuspidatus'' (a carpet shark) ** '' Ischyrhiza mira'' (a sclerorhynchid) ** '' Meristodonoides montanensis'' (a

shark Sharks are a group of elasmobranch cartilaginous fish characterized by a ribless endoskeleton, dermal denticles, five to seven gill slits on each side, and pectoral fins that are not fused to the head. Modern sharks are classified within the ...

) ** '' Myledaphus bipartitus'' (a ray) ** '' Protoplatyrhina renae'' (a

guitarfish The guitarfish, also referred to as shovelnose rays, are a family, Rhinobatidae, of rays. The guitarfish are known for an elongated body with a flattened head and trunk and small, ray-like wings. The combined range of the various species is tro ...

) ** indeterminate orectolobid *

Acipenseriformes Acipenseriformes is an order (biology), order of basal (phylogenetics), basal Actinopterygii, ray-finned fishes that includes living and fossil sturgeons and paddlefishes (Acipenseroidei), as well as the extinct family (biology), families C ...

(

sturgeons Sturgeon (from Old English ultimately from Proto-Indo-European language, Proto-Indo-European *''str̥(Hx)yón''-) is the common name for the 27 species of fish belonging to the family Acipenseridae. The earliest sturgeon fossils date to the ...

) ** "''

Acipenser ''Acipenser'' is a genus of sturgeons, containing three species native to freshwater and estuarine systems of eastern North America and Europe. It is the type genus of the family Acipenseridae and the order Acipenseriformes. Taxonomy Prior t ...

albertensis''" ** '' Anchiacipenser acanthaspis'' ** unnamed sturgeon ** unnamed paddlefish * Holostean fish ** '' Lepisosteus occidentalis'' (the gar) ** unnamed

bowfin The ruddy bowfin (''Amia calva'') is a ray-finned fish native to North America. Common names include mudfish, mud pike, dogfish, grindle, grinnel, swamp trout, and choupique. It is regarded as a relict, being one of only two surviving species ...

** at least 2 other holosteans *

Teleost Teleostei (; Ancient Greek, Greek ''teleios'' "complete" + ''osteon'' "bone"), members of which are known as teleosts (), is, by far, the largest group of ray-finned fishes (class Actinopterygii), with 96% of all neontology, extant species of f ...

fish ** '' Archaeosiilik'' sp. (a pike) ** '' Belonostomus longirostris'' ** '' Cretophareodus alberticus'' (an osteoglossomorph) ** '' Coriops amnicolus'' ** '' Estesesox foxi'' (a pike) ** ''Horseshoeichthys'' ''armaserratus'' (an ellimmichthyiform) ** '' Nunikuluk gracilis'' (a pike) ** '' Oldmanesox canadensis'' (a pike) ** '' Paralbula'' (including ''Phyllodus'') ** '' Paratarpon apogerontus'' (an elopomorph, like the tarpon) ** '' Primuluchara laramidensis'' (a

characin Characiformes is an order of ray-finned fish, comprising the characins and their allies. Grouped in 18 recognized families, more than 2000 different species are described, including the well-known piranha and tetras.; Buckup P.A.: "Relationsh ...

) ** '' Sivulliusalmo'' sp. (a

salmonid Salmonidae (, ) is a family of ray-finned fish, the only extant member of the suborder Salmonoidei, consisting of 11 extant genera and over 200 species collectively known as "salmonids" or "salmonoids". The family includes salmon (both Atlantic a ...

) ** at least 8 other teleosts

Invertebrates

Remains of the following invertebrates have been found in the formation: *

Freshwater Fresh water or freshwater is any naturally occurring liquid or frozen water containing low concentrations of dissolved salts and other total dissolved solids. The term excludes seawater and brackish water, but it does include non-salty mi ...

bivalve Bivalvia () or bivalves, in previous centuries referred to as the Lamellibranchiata and Pelecypoda, is a class (biology), class of aquatic animal, aquatic molluscs (marine and freshwater) that have laterally compressed soft bodies enclosed b ...

s ** '' Fusconaia'' ** '' Lampsilis'' ** '' Sphaerium'' (2 species) * Freshwater

gastropod Gastropods (), commonly known as slugs and snails, belong to a large Taxonomy (biology), taxonomic class of invertebrates within the phylum Mollusca called Gastropoda (). This class comprises snails and slugs from saltwater, freshwater, and fro ...

s ** '' Campeloma'' (2 species) ** '' Elimia'' ** '' Goniobasis'' (3 species) ** '' Hydrobia'' ** '' Lioplacodes'' (2 species)

Flora

Plant body fossils

The following plant body fossils have been found in the formation: * various ferns * ''

Equisetum ''Equisetum'' (; horsetail) is the only living genus in Equisetaceae, a family of vascular plants that reproduce by spores rather than seeds. ''Equisetum'' is a "living fossil", the only living genus of the entire subclass Equisetidae, which ...

'' (

Equisetaceae Equisetaceae, also known as the horsetail family, is a family of ferns and the only surviving family of the order Equisetales, with one surviving genus, ''Equisetum'', comprising about twenty species. Evolution and systematics Equisetaceae is ...

) *

Gymnosperm The gymnosperms ( ; ) are a group of woody, perennial Seed plant, seed-producing plants, typically lacking the protective outer covering which surrounds the seeds in flowering plants, that include Pinophyta, conifers, cycads, Ginkgo, and gnetoph ...

s ** '' Platyspiroxylon'' (

Cupressaceae Cupressaceae or the cypress family is a family of conifers. The family includes 27–30 genera (17 monotypic), which include the junipers and redwoods, with about 130–140 species in total. They are monoecious, subdioecious or (rarely) dioecio ...

) ** '' Podocarpoxylon'' (

Podocarpaceae Podocarpaceae is a large family of mainly southern hemisphere conifers, known in English as podocarps, comprising about 156 species of evergreen trees and shrubs.James E. Eckenwalder. 2009. ''Conifers of the World''. Portland, Oregon: Timber Pres ...

) ** '' Elatocladus'' ( Taxodiaceae) ** '' Sequoia'' (Taxodiaceae) ** '' Sequoiaxylon'' (Taxodiaceae) ** '' Taxodioxylon'' (Taxodiaceae) *

Ginkgo ''Ginkgo'' is a genus of non-flowering seed plants, assigned to the gymnosperms. The scientific name is also used as the English common name. The order to which the genus belongs, Ginkgoales, first appeared in the Permian, , and ''Ginkgo'' is n ...

s ** '' Baiera'' ** ''

Ginkgoites ''Ginkgoites'' is a genus of extinct plants belonging to Ginkgoaceae. Fossils of these plants have been found around the globe during the Triassic, Jurassic, Cretaceous, with fossils also known from the Paleogene. The name was created as a form g ...

'' *

Angiosperm Flowering plants are plants that bear flowers and fruits, and form the clade Angiospermae (). The term angiosperm is derived from the Greek words (; 'container, vessel') and (; 'seed'), meaning that the seeds are enclosed within a fruit ...

s ** ''

Artocarpus ''Artocarpus'' is a genus of approximately 60 trees and shrubs of Southeast Asian and Pacific origin, belonging to the mulberry family, Moraceae. Most species of ''Artocarpus'' are restricted to Southeast Asia; a few cultivated species are more ...

'' (

Moraceae Moraceae is a family of flowering plants comprising about 48 genera and over 1100 species, and is commonly known as the mulberry or fig family. Most are widespread in tropical and subtropical regions, less so in temperate climates; however, their ...

) ** ''

Cercidiphyllum ''Cercidiphyllum'' is a genus containing two species of plants, both commonly called katsura. They are the sole members of the monotypic family (biology), family Cercidiphyllaceae. The genus is native plant, native to Japan and China and unrelate ...

'' ( Cercidiphyllaceae) ** '' Dombeyopsis'' (

Sterculiaceae Sterculiaceae was a family of flowering plant based on the genus '' Sterculia''. Genera formerly included in Sterculiaceae are now placed in the family Malvaceae, in the subfamilies: Byttnerioideae, Dombeyoideae, Helicteroideae and Sterculioide ...

) ** '' Menispermites'' (

Menispermaceae Menispermaceae (botanical Latin: 'moonseed family' from Greek ''mene'' 'crescent moon' and ''sperma'' 'seed') is a family (biology), family of flowering plants. The alkaloid tubocurarine, a neuromuscular blocker and the active ingredient in the ...

) ** ''

Pistia ''Pistia'' is a genus of aquatic plants in the arum family, Araceae. It is the sole genus in the tribe ''Pistieae'' which reflects its systematic isolation within the family. The single species it comprises, ''Pistia stratiotes'', is often call ...

'' (

Araceae The Araceae are a family of monocotyledonous flowering plants in which flowers are borne on a type of inflorescence called a spadix. The spadix is usually accompanied by, and sometimes partially enclosed in, a spathe (or leaf-like bract). Also ...

) ** ''

Platanus ''Platanus'' ( ) is a genus consisting of a small number of tree species native to the Northern Hemisphere. They are the sole living members of the family Platanaceae. All mature members of ''Platanus'' are tall, reaching in height. The type ...

'' (

Platanaceae Platanaceae, the plane family, is a family (biology), family of flowering plants in the order Proteales. The family consists of only a single extant taxon, extant genus ''Platanus'', with twelve known species. The plants are tall trees, native ...

) ** ''

Vitis ''Vitis'' (grapevine) is a genus of 81 accepted species of vining plants in the flowering plant family Vitaceae. The genus consists of species predominantly from the Northern Hemisphere. It is economically important as the source of grapes, bot ...

'' (

Vitaceae The Vitaceae are a family of flowering plants, with 14 genera and around 910 known species, including common plants such as Vitis, grapevines (''Vitis'' spp.) and Parthenocissus quinquefolia, Virginia creeper (''Parthenocissus quinquefolia''). Th ...

) ** ''

Trapa The water caltrop is any of three extant species of the genus ''Trapa'': ''Trapa natans'', ''Trapa bicornis'' and the endangered ''Trapa rossica''. It is also known as buffalo nut, bat nut, devil pod, ling nut, mustache nut, singhara nut or wate ...

'' ( Trapaceae)

Palynomorphs

Palynomorphs are organic-walled

microfossil A microfossil is a fossil that is generally between 0.001 mm and 1 mm in size, the visual study of which requires the use of light or electron microscopy. A fossil which can be studied with the naked eye or low-powered magnification, ...

s, like

spore In biology, a spore is a unit of sexual reproduction, sexual (in fungi) or asexual reproduction that may be adapted for biological dispersal, dispersal and for survival, often for extended periods of time, in unfavourable conditions. Spores fo ...

pollen Pollen is a powdery substance produced by most types of flowers of seed plants for the purpose of sexual reproduction. It consists of pollen grains (highly reduced Gametophyte#Heterospory, microgametophytes), which produce male gametes (sperm ...

, and

algae Algae ( , ; : alga ) is an informal term for any organisms of a large and diverse group of photosynthesis, photosynthetic organisms that are not plants, and includes species from multiple distinct clades. Such organisms range from unicellular ...

. The following palynomorphs have been found in the formation:Braman, D.R., and Koppelhus, E.B. 2005. Campanian palynomorphs. In: Currie, P.J., and Koppelhus, E.B. (eds), Dinosaur Provincial Park: A Spectacular Ancient Ecosystem Revealed. Indiana University Press: Bloomington and Indianapolis, p. 101-130. . * Unknown producers ** at least 8 species *

Fungi A fungus (: fungi , , , or ; or funguses) is any member of the group of eukaryotic organisms that includes microorganisms such as yeasts and mold (fungus), molds, as well as the more familiar mushrooms. These organisms are classified as one ...

** at least 35

taxa In biology, a taxon (back-formation from ''taxonomy''; : taxa) is a group of one or more populations of an organism or organisms seen by taxonomists to form a unit. Although neither is required, a taxon is usually known by a particular name and ...

Chlorophyta Chlorophyta is a division of green algae informally called chlorophytes. Description Chlorophytes are eukaryotic organisms composed of cells with a variety of coverings or walls, and usually a single green chloroplast in each cell. They are ...

(

green Green is the color between cyan and yellow on the visible spectrum. It is evoked by light which has a dominant wavelength of roughly 495570 nm. In subtractive color systems, used in painting and color printing, it is created by a com ...

algae and

blue-green algae Cyanobacteria ( ) are a group of autotrophic gram-negative bacteria that can obtain biological energy via oxygenic photosynthesis. The name "cyanobacteria" () refers to their bluish green (cyan) color, which forms the basis of cyanobacteria' ...

) ** at least 12

species A species () is often defined as the largest group of organisms in which any two individuals of the appropriate sexes or mating types can produce fertile offspring, typically by sexual reproduction. It is the basic unit of Taxonomy (biology), ...

Pyrrhophyta The Dinoflagellates (), also called Dinophytes, are a monophyletic group of single-celled eukaryotes constituting the phylum Dinoflagellata and are usually considered protists. Dinoflagellates are mostly marine plankton, but they are also commo ...

(

dinoflagellates The Dinoflagellates (), also called Dinophytes, are a monophyletic group of single-celled eukaryotes constituting the phylum Dinoflagellata and are usually considered protists. Dinoflagellates are mostly marine plankton, but they are also commo ...

, a type of marine

) ** unassigned

cyst A cyst is a closed sac, having a distinct envelope and division compared with the nearby tissue. Hence, it is a cluster of cells that have grouped together to form a sac (like the manner in which water molecules group together to form a bubb ...

s *

Bryophyte Bryophytes () are a group of embryophyte, land plants (embryophytes), sometimes treated as a taxonomic Division (taxonomy), division referred to as Bryophyta ''Sensu#Common qualifiers, sensu lato'', that contains three groups of non-vascular pla ...

s (

moss Mosses are small, non-vascular plant, non-vascular flowerless plants in the taxonomic phylum, division Bryophyta (, ) ''sensu stricto''. Bryophyta (''sensu lato'', Wilhelm Philippe Schimper, Schimp. 1879) may also refer to the parent group bryo ...

es,

liverworts Liverworts are a group of non-vascular plant, non-vascular embryophyte, land plants forming the division Marchantiophyta (). They may also be referred to as hepatics. Like mosses and hornworts, they have a gametophyte-dominant life cycle, in wh ...

, and

hornwort Hornworts are a group of non-vascular Embryophytes (land plants) constituting the division Anthocerotophyta (). The common name refers to the elongated horn-like structure, which is the sporophyte. As in mosses and liverworts, hornworts have a ...

s) **

Anthocerotophyta Hornworts are a group of non-vascular Embryophytes (land plants) constituting the division Anthocerotophyta (). The common name refers to the elongated horn-like structure, which is the sporophyte. As in mosses and liverworts, hornworts have a ...

(hornworts) *** at least 5 species **

Marchantiophyta Liverworts are a group of non-vascular plant, non-vascular embryophyte, land plants forming the division Marchantiophyta (). They may also be referred to as hepatics. Like mosses and hornworts, they have a gametophyte-dominant life cycle, in wh ...

(liverworts) *** at least 14 species ** Bryophyta (mosses) *** at least 5 species * Lycopodiophyta **

Lycopodiaceae The Lycopodiaceae (class Lycopodiopsida, order Lycopodiales) are an old family of vascular plants, including all of the core clubmosses and firmosses, comprising 17 accepted genera and about 500 known species. This family originated about 380 mi ...

( club mosses) *** at least 11 species **

Selaginellaceae ''Selaginella'', also known as spikemosses or lesser clubmosses, is a genus of lycophyte. It is usually treated as the only genus in the family Selaginellaceae, with over 750 known species. This family is distinguished from Lycopodiaceae (the ...

(small club mosses) *** at least 6 species **

Isoetaceae Isoetaceae is a family including living quillworts ('' Isoetes'') and comparable extinct herbaceous lycopsids ('' Tomiostrobus''). References External links * * Lycophytes Plant families {{Lycophyte-stub ...

( quillworts) *** at least 1 species * Polypodiophyta ** Osmundaceae ( cinnamon ferns) *** at least 6 species ** Schizaeaceae (

climbing fern ''Lygodium'' (climbing fern) is a genus of about 40 species of ferns, native to tropical regions across the world, with a few temperate species in eastern Asia and eastern North America. It is the sole genus in the family Lygodiaceae in the Pter ...

s) *** at least 20 species **

Gleicheniaceae The forked ferns are the family Gleicheniaceae, which includes six genera and about 160 known species. The formerly independent families Dicranopteridaceae and Stromatopteridaceae are generally included in the Gleicheniaceae, whereas the Dipteri ...

('' Gleichenia'' and allies; coral ferns) *** at least 5 species **

Cyatheaceae The Cyatheaceae are a family of ferns, the scaly tree ferns, one of eight families in the order Cyatheales in the Pteridophyte Phylogeny Group classification of 2016 (PPG I). Alternatively, the family may defined much more broadly (Cyatheaceae ...

(''

Cyathea ''Cyathea'' is a genus of tree ferns, the type genus of the fern order Cyatheales. The genus name ''Cyathea'' is derived from the Greek ''kyatheion'', meaning "little cup", and refers to the cup-shaped sori on the underside of the fronds. ...

'' and allies) *** at least 4 species ** Dicksoniaceae ('' Dicksonia'' and allies) *** at least 3 species **

Polypodiaceae Polypodiaceae is a Family (biology), family of ferns. In the Pteridophyte Phylogeny Group classification of 2016 (PPG I), the family includes around 65 genus, genera and an estimated 1,650 species and is placed in the order Polypodiales, suborder ...

(

fern The ferns (Polypodiopsida or Polypodiophyta) are a group of vascular plants (plants with xylem and phloem) that reproduce via spores and have neither seeds nor flowers. They differ from mosses by being vascular, i.e., having specialized tissue ...

s) *** at least 4 species ** Matoniaceae *** at least 1 species **

Marsileaceae Marsileaceae () is a small family of heterosporous aquatic and semi-aquatic ferns, though at first sight they do not physically resemble other ferns. The group is commonly known as the "pepperwort family" or as the "water-clover family" becau ...

*** at least 1 species *

Pinophyta Conifers () are a group of cone-bearing seed plants, a subset of gymnosperms. Scientifically, they make up the division Pinophyta (), also known as Coniferophyta () or Coniferae. The division contains a single extant class, Pinopsida. All ...

(

gymnosperm The gymnosperms ( ; ) are a group of woody, perennial Seed plant, seed-producing plants, typically lacking the protective outer covering which surrounds the seeds in flowering plants, that include Pinophyta, conifers, cycads, Ginkgo, and gnetoph ...

s) **

Cycadaceae ''Cycas'' is a genus of cycad, and the only genus in the family Cycadaceae with all other genera of cycad being divided between the Stangeriaceae and Zamiaceae families. '' Cycas circinalis'', a species endemic to India, was the first cycad speci ...

(

cycad Cycads are seed plants that typically have a stout and woody (ligneous) trunk (botany), trunk with a crown (botany), crown of large, hard, stiff, evergreen and (usually) pinnate leaves. The species are dioecious, that is, individual plants o ...

s) *** at least 3 species ** Caytoniaceae *** at least 1 species **

Pinaceae The Pinaceae (), or pine family, are conifer trees or shrubs, including many of the well-known conifers of commercial importance such as Cedrus, cedars, firs, Tsuga, hemlocks, Pinyon_pine, piñons, larches, pines and spruces. The family is incl ...

(

pine A pine is any conifer tree or shrub in the genus ''Pinus'' () of the family Pinaceae. ''Pinus'' is the sole genus in the subfamily Pinoideae. ''World Flora Online'' accepts 134 species-rank taxa (119 species and 15 nothospecies) of pines as cu ...

s) *** at least 4 species **

(

cypress Cypress is a common name for various coniferous trees or shrubs from the ''Cupressus'' genus of the '' Cupressaceae'' family, typically found in temperate climates and subtropical regions of Asia, Europe, and North America. The word ''cypress'' ...

es) *** at least 3 species **

(''

Podocarpus ''Podocarpus'' () is a genus of conifers, the most numerous and widely distributed of the podocarp family, the Podocarpaceae. ''Podocarpus'' species are evergreen shrubs or trees, usually from tall, known to reach at times. The cones have ...

'' and allies) *** at least 4 species **

Cheirolepidiaceae Cheirolepidiaceae (also spelled Cheirolepidaceae) is an extinct family of conifers. They first appeared in the Triassic, and were a diverse and common group of conifers during most of the Mesozoic era, primarily at low latitudes, where they often ...

*** at least 2 species **

Ephedraceae Ephedraceae is a family of gymnosperms belonging to Gnetophyta, it contains only a single extant genus, ''Ephedra (plant), Ephedra'', as well as a number of extinct genera from the Early Cretaceous. Taxonomy File:Eamesia chinensis.png, ''Eame ...

( Mormon teas) *** at least 6 species ** Unknown gymnosperms: at least 3 species *

Magnoliophyta Flowering plants are plants that bear flowers and fruits, and form the clade Angiospermae (). The term angiosperm is derived from the Greek words (; 'container, vessel') and (; 'seed'), meaning that the seeds are enclosed within a fruit. Th ...

(

angiosperms Flowering plants are plants that bear flowers and fruits, and form the clade Angiospermae (). The term angiosperm is derived from the Greek words (; 'container, vessel') and (; 'seed'), meaning that the seeds are enclosed within a fruit. T ...

) ** Magnoliopsida (

dicot The dicotyledons, also known as dicots (or, more rarely, dicotyls), are one of the two groups into which all the flowering plants (angiosperms) were formerly divided. The name refers to one of the typical characteristics of the group: namely, ...

s) ***

Buxaceae The Buxaceae are a small family of six genera and about 123 known species of flowering plants. They are shrubs and small trees, with a cosmopolitan distribution. A seventh genus, sometimes accepted in the past (''Notobuxus''), has been shown by ...

(

boxwood ''Buxus'' is a genus of about seventy species in the family Buxaceae. Common names include box and boxwood. The boxes are native to western and southern Europe, southwest, southern and eastern Asia, Africa, Madagascar, northernmost So ...

) **** at least 1 species *** Gunneraceae ( gunneras) **** at least 1 species ***

Salicaceae The Salicaceae are the willow family of flowering plants. The traditional family (Salicaceae ''sensu stricto'') includes the willows, poplars. Genetic studies summarized by the Angiosperm Phylogeny Group (APG) have greatly expanded the circumsc ...

(

willow Willows, also called sallows and osiers, of the genus ''Salix'', comprise around 350 species (plus numerous hybrids) of typically deciduous trees and shrubs, found primarily on moist soils in cold and temperate regions. Most species are known ...

s, cottonwood,

quaking aspen ''Populus tremuloides'' is a deciduous tree native to cooler areas of North America, one of several species referred to by the common name aspen. It is commonly called quaking aspen,

) **** at least 1 species ***

Droseraceae Droseraceae is a family of carnivorous flowering plants, also known as the sundew family. It consists of approximately 180 species in three extant genera, the vast majority being in the sundew genus '' Drosera''. The family also contains the wel ...

(

sundew ''Drosera'', which is commonly known as the sundews, is one of the largest genera of carnivorous plants, with at least 194 species. 2 volumes. These members of the family Droseraceae lure, capture, and digest insects using stalked mucilaginous ...

s) **** at least 1 species ***

Olacaceae Olacaceae is a family of flowering plants in the order Santalales. They are woody plants, native throughout the tropical regions of the world. , the circumscription of the family varies; some sources maintain a broad family, others split it int ...

( tallowwood) **** at least 2 species ***

Loranthaceae Loranthaceae, commonly known as the showy mistletoes, is a family of flowering plants. It consists of about 75 genera and 1,000 species of woody plants, many of them hemiparasites. The three terrestrial species are '' Nuytsia floribunda'' (the ...

( showy mistletoes) **** at least 1 species ***

Sapindaceae The Sapindaceae are a family (biology), family of flowering plants in the order Sapindales known as the soapberry family. It contains 138 genera and 1,858 accepted species. Examples include Aesculus, horse chestnut, maples, ackee and lychee. The ...

( soapberry) **** at least 1 species *** Aceraceae (

maple ''Acer'' is a genus of trees and shrubs commonly known as maples. The genus is placed in the soapberry family Sapindaceae.Stevens, P. F. (2001 onwards). Angiosperm Phylogeny Website. Version 9, June 2008 nd more or less continuously updated si ...

s) **** at least 1 species ***

Proteaceae The Proteaceae form a family (biology), family of flowering plants predominantly distributed in the Southern Hemisphere. The family comprises 83 genus, genera with about 1,660 known species. Australia and South Africa have the greatest concentr ...

(

protea ''Protea'' () is a genus of South African flowering plants, also called sugarbushes (Afrikaans: ''suikerbos''). It is the type genus of the Proteaceae family. About 92% of the species occur only in the Cape Floristic Region, a narrow belt of mo ...

s) **** at least 9 species ***

Compositae Asteraceae () is a large family of flowering plants that consists of over 32,000 known species in over 1,900 genera within the order Asterales. The number of species in Asteraceae is rivaled only by the Orchidaceae, and which is the larger fa ...

( sunflowers) **** at least 1 species ***

Fagaceae The Fagaceae (; ) are a family of flowering plants that includes beeches, chestnuts and oaks, and comprises eight genera with around 1,000 or more species. Fagaceae in temperate regions are mostly deciduous, whereas in the tropics, many species ...

(

beech Beech (genus ''Fagus'') is a genus of deciduous trees in the family Fagaceae, native to subtropical (accessory forest element) and temperate (as dominant element of Mesophyte, mesophytic forests) Eurasia and North America. There are 14 accepted ...

es,

oak An oak is a hardwood tree or shrub in the genus ''Quercus'' of the beech family. They have spirally arranged leaves, often with lobed edges, and a nut called an acorn, borne within a cup. The genus is widely distributed in the Northern Hemisp ...

chestnut The chestnuts are the deciduous trees and shrubs in the genus ''Castanea'', in the beech family Fagaceae. The name also refers to the edible nuts they produce. They are native to temperate regions of the Northern Hemisphere. Description ...

s) **** at least 2 species ***

Betulaceae Betulaceae, the birch family, includes six genera of deciduous nut-bearing trees and shrubs, including the birches, alders, hazels, hornbeams, hazel-hornbeam, and hop-hornbeams, numbering a total of 167 species. They are mostly natives of ...

(

birch A birch is a thin-leaved deciduous hardwood tree of the genus ''Betula'' (), in the family Betulaceae, which also includes alders, hazels, and hornbeams. It is closely related to the beech- oak family Fagaceae. The genus ''Betula'' contains 3 ...

es,

alder Alders are trees of the genus ''Alnus'' in the birch family Betulaceae. The genus includes about 35 species of monoecious trees and shrubs, a few reaching a large size, distributed throughout the north temperate zone with a few species ex ...

s) **** at least 1 species ***

Ulmaceae The Ulmaceae () are a family (biology), family of flowering plants that includes the elms (genus ''Ulmus''), and the zelkovas (genus ''Zelkova''). Members of the family are widely distributed throughout the Temperate, north temperate zone, and ha ...

(

elm Elms are deciduous and semi-deciduous trees comprising the genus ''Ulmus'' in the family Ulmaceae. They are distributed over most of the Northern Hemisphere, inhabiting the temperate and tropical- montane regions of North America and Eurasia, ...

s) **** at least 1 species ***

Chenopodiaceae Amaranthaceae ( ) is a family of flowering plants commonly known as the amaranth family, in reference to its type (biology), type genus ''Amaranthus''. It includes the former goosefoot family Chenopodiaceae and contains about 165 genera and 2,040 ...

(

goosefoot ''Chenopodium'' is a genus of numerous species of perennial or annual herbaceous flowering plants known as the goosefoot, which occur almost anywhere in the world. It is placed in the family Amaranthaceae in the APG II system; older classifica ...

s) **** at least 1 species **

Liliopsida Liliopsida Batsch (synonym: Liliatae) is a botanical name for the class containing the family Liliaceae (or Lily Family). It is considered synonymous (or nearly synonymous) with the name monocotyledon. Publication of the name is credited to Scopol ...

(

monocot Monocotyledons (), commonly referred to as monocots, (Lilianae ''sensu'' Chase & Reveal) are flowering plants whose seeds contain only one Embryo#Plant embryos, embryonic leaf, or cotyledon. A monocot taxon has been in use for several decades, but ...

s) ***

Liliaceae The lily family, Liliaceae, consists of about 15 genera and 610 species of flowering plants within the order Liliales. They are monocotyledonous, perennial, herbaceous, often bulbous geophytes. Plants in this family have evolved with a fai ...

( lilies) **** at least 6 species ***

Cyperaceae The Cyperaceae () are a family of graminoid (grass-like), monocotyledonous flowering plants known as wikt:sedge, sedges. The family (biology), family is large; botanists have species description, described some 5,500 known species in about 90 ...

(sedges) **** at least 1 species *** Sparganiaceae ( bur-reeds) **** possibly 1 species *** Unknown angiosperms: at least 88 species

Footnotes

References

* *Braman, D.R., and Koppelhus, E.B. 2005. Campanian palynomorphs. In: Currie, P.J., and Koppelhus, E.B. (eds), ''Dinosaur Provincial Park: A Spectacular Ancient Ecosystem Revealed.'' Indiana University Press: Bloomington and Indianapolis, 101–130. *Brinkman, D.B. 2005. Turtles: diversity, paleoecology, and distribution. In: Currie, P.J., and Koppelhus, E.B. (eds), ''Dinosaur Provincial Park: A Spectacular Ancient Ecosystem Revealed.'' Indiana University Press: Bloomington and Indianapolis, 202–220. *Caldwell, M.W. The squamates: origins, phylogeny, and paleoecology. In: Currie, P.J., and Koppelhus, E.B. (eds). 2005. ''Dinosaur Provincial Park: A Spectacular Ancient Ecosystem Revealed.'' Indiana University Press: Bloomington and Indianapolis, 235–248. *Currie, P.J. 2005. Theropods, including birds. In: Currie, P.J., and Koppelhus, E.B. (eds), ''Dinosaur Provincial Park: A Spectacular Ancient Ecosystem Revealed.'' Indiana University Press: Bloomington and Indianapolis, 367–397. *Currie, P.J., and Koppelhus, E.B. (eds). 2005. ''Dinosaur Provincial Park: A Spectacular Ancient Ecosystem Revealed.'' Indiana University Press: Bloomington and Indianapolis, 648 p. *Eberth, D.A. 2005. The geology. In: Currie, P.J., and Koppelhus, E.B. (eds), ''Dinosaur Provincial Park: A Spectacular Ancient Ecosystem Revealed.'' Indiana University Press: Bloomington and Indianapolis, 54–82. *Fox, R.C. 2005. Late Cretaceous mammals. In: Currie, P.J., and Koppelhus, E.B. (eds), ''Dinosaur Provincial Park: A Spectacular Ancient Ecosystem Revealed.'' Indiana University Press: Bloomington and Indianapolis, 417–435. *K. Gao and Brinkman, D.B. 2005. Choristoderes from the Park and its vicinity. In: Currie, P.J., and Koppelhus, E.B. (eds), ''Dinosaur Provincial Park: A Spectacular Ancient Ecosystem Revealed.'' Indiana University Press: Bloomington and Indianapolis, 221–234. *Gardner, J.D. 2005. Lissamphibians. In: Currie, P.J., and Koppelhus, E.B. (eds), ''Dinosaur Provincial Park: A Spectacular Ancient Ecosystem Revealed.'' Indiana University Press: Bloomington and Indianapolis, 186–201. *Godfrey, S.J., and Currie, P.J. 2005. Pterosaurs. In: Currie, P.J., and Koppelhus, E.B. (eds), ''Dinosaur Provincial Park: A Spectacular Ancient Ecosystem Revealed.'' Indiana University Press: Bloomington and Indianapolis, 292–311. *Johnston, P.A., and Hendy, A.J.W. 2005. Paleoecology of mollusks from the Upper Cretaceous Belly River Group. In: Currie, P.J., and Koppelhus, E.B. (eds), ''Dinosaur Provincial Park: A Spectacular Ancient Ecosystem Revealed.'' Indiana University Press: Bloomington and Indianapolis, 139–166. *Koppelhus, E.B. 2005. Paleobotany. In: Currie, P.J., and Koppelhus, E.B. (eds), ''Dinosaur Provincial Park: A Spectacular Ancient Ecosystem Revealed.'' Indiana University Press: Bloomington and Indianapolis, 131–138. * *Neuman, A.G., and Brinkman, D.B. 2005. Fishes of the fluvial beds. In: Currie, P.J., and Koppelhus, E.B. (eds), ''Dinosaur Provincial Park: A Spectacular Ancient Ecosystem Revealed.'' Indiana University Press: Bloomington and Indianapolis, 167–185. *Ryan, M.J., and Evans, D.C. 2005. Ornithischian dinosaurs. In: Currie, P.J., and Koppelhus, E.B. (eds), ''Dinosaur Provincial Park: A Spectacular Ancient Ecosystem Revealed.'' Indiana University Press: Bloomington and Indianapolis, 312–348. *Sato, T., Eberth, D.A., Nicholls, E.L., and Manabe, M. 2005. Plesiosaurian remains from non-marine to paralic sediments. In: Currie, P.J., and Koppelhus, E.B. (eds), ''Dinosaur Provincial Park: A Spectacular Ancient Ecosystem Revealed.'' Indiana University Press: Bloomington and Indianapolis, 249–276. * Tanke, D.H. and Brett-Surman, M.K. 2001. Evidence of Hatchling and Nestling-Size Hadrosaurs (Reptilia:Ornithischia) from Dinosaur Provincial Park (Dinosaur Park Formation: Campanian), Alberta, Canada. pp. 206–218. In: Mesozoic Vertebrate Life—New Research Inspired by the Paleontology of Philip J. Currie. Edited by D.H. Tanke and K. Carpenter. Indiana University Press: Bloomington. xviii + 577 pp. *Xiao-Chun Wu. 2005. Crocodylians. In: Currie, P.J., and Koppelhus, E.B. (eds), ''Dinosaur Provincial Park: A Spectacular Ancient Ecosystem Revealed.'' Indiana University Press: Bloomington and Indianapolis, 277-291 {{WCSB, South AB=yes * Geologic formations of Alberta Campanian Ooliferous formations Western Canadian Sedimentary Basin

Research history

Geological setting

Biostratigraphy

Fossil content

Amphibians

Dinosaurs

Ornithischians

= Ankylosaurs

= Ceratopsians

= Ornithopods

= Pachycephalosaurs

Theropods

= Ornithomimids

= Oviraptorosaurs

= Paravians

= Tyrannosaurs

Other reptiles

Choristoderes

Crocodylians

Lizards

Plesiosaurs

Pterosaurs

Turtles

Mammals

Fish

Invertebrates

Flora

Plant body fossils

Palynomorphs

See also

Footnotes

References

References