Dinosaur fossils in France
The Paleobiology Database records 489 non-avian dinosaur finds in France, from 46 genera. The oldest is Thecodontosaurus from the Ladinian age, about 241.5 million years old. The youngest is Ampelosaurus atacis from the Early Maastrichtian age, as young as about 66 million years. Ages are the range the database gives for the rocks, so a find can be tens of millions of years across.
- 489finds
- 46genera
- 241.5oldest, million years ago
- 66youngest, million years ago
It ranks 8th of 93 countries on the map by number of finds. The most recorded dinosaurs are Rhabdodon (23), Megalosaurus (11) and Plateosaurus (6). The rock formation with the most finds is called Grès à Reptiles, with 29.
Which dinosaurs were found in France?
The genera with the most finds here:
| Dinosaur | Finds |
|---|---|
| Rhabdodon | 23 |
| Megalosaurus | 11 |
| Plateosaurus | 6 |
| Iguanodon | 5 |
| Ampelosaurus | 4 |
| Dacentrurus | 4 |
| Erectopus | 4 |
| Piveteausaurus | 3 |
| Struthiosaurus | 3 |
| Variraptor | 3 |
Rock formations with dinosaur finds in France
| Formation | Finds |
|---|---|
| Grès à Reptiles | 29 |
| Marnes Rouges Inférieures | 25 |
| Marnes d'Auzas | 18 |
| Saint-Chinian | 10 |
| Mont-Lambert | 9 |
| Marnes de Dives | 8 |
| Marnes irisées supérieures | 8 |
| Couches du Chailley | 6 |
| Grès de Labarre | 6 |
| Marnes de Lestaillats | 6 |
Other countries to explore
See the sea floor where marine reptiles swam: oceanfloormap.com →
Before you go fossil hunting. A dot shows where a find was recorded, not where you may dig. Many fossil sites are on private or protected land and collecting rules differ by country. Check the rules before collecting and never dig on protected sites.