The Cretaceous on the map
The Cretaceous is the last and longest of the three periods. Flowering plants spread, horned and duck-billed dinosaurs became common, and Tyrannosaurus and Triceratops lived near the end. The period closes with the extinction that ended the non-avian dinosaurs.
The Paleobiology Database records 13,578 dinosaur finds that sit wholly in the Cretaceous, from 945 genera. That is 76% of all the finds on the map. A further set of finds has an age range that spans two periods, so it is not counted here; the map shows them in grey.
The most recorded Cretaceous genera are Richardoestesia (236), Triceratops (166) and Saurornitholestes (148). The countries with the most Cretaceous finds are United States (3,938), Canada (1,666) and Spain (1,180). The age slider lets you compare this period with the others.
- 13,578finds
- 945genera
- 145starts, million years ago
- 66ends, million years ago
Most recorded Cretaceous dinosaurs
- Where was Richardoestesia found? (236)
- Where was Triceratops found? (166)
- Where was Saurornitholestes found? (148)
- Where was Paronychodon found? (140)
- Where was Iguanodon found? (130)
- Where was Troodon found? (103)
- Where was Edmontosaurus found? (85)
- Where was Tyrannosaurus found? (85)
- Where was Tenontosaurus found? (83)
- Where was Psittacosaurus found? (70)
Where Cretaceous dinosaurs were found
- United States (3,938)
- Canada (1,666)
- Spain (1,180)
- China (826)
- Mongolia (769)
- Argentina (604)
- Brazil (450)
- United Kingdom (382)
- Australia (345)
- France (344)