Dinosaur fossils in the UK
The Paleobiology Database records 662 non-avian dinosaur finds in the UK, from 62 genera. The oldest is Agnosphitys cromhallensis from the Carnian age, about 237 million years old. The youngest is Anoplosaurus curtonotus from the Early Cenomanian age, as young as about 93.9 million years. Ages are the range the database gives for the rocks, so a find can be tens of millions of years across.
- 662finds
- 62genera
- 237oldest, million years ago
- 93.9youngest, million years ago
It ranks 7th of 93 countries on the map by number of finds. The most recorded dinosaurs are Iguanodon (70), Megalosaurus (34) and Cetiosaurus (22). The rock formation with the most finds is called Wessex, with 89.
These are the British dinosaurs: the dinosaurs recorded in the rocks of England, Wales and Scotland. A find here is a record of a dinosaur kind from one fossil collection, not a whole skeleton. Counties with the most finds are listed further down, and each has its own page.
Which dinosaurs were found in the UK?
The genera with the most finds here:
| Dinosaur | Finds |
|---|---|
| Iguanodon | 70 |
| Megalosaurus | 34 |
| Cetiosaurus | 22 |
| Polacanthus | 12 |
| Scelidosaurus | 12 |
| Valdosaurus | 10 |
| Hypselospinus | 9 |
| Hylaeosaurus | 8 |
| Mantellisaurus | 7 |
| Thecodontosaurus | 7 |
The Jurassic Coast
The Jurassic Coast is a World Heritage Site along the Dorset and east Devon coast. It is best known for marine reptiles such as ichthyosaurs and plesiosaurs and for ammonites. Those are not dinosaurs, so they are not on this map. The finds counted on this page are the dinosaurs recorded in the UK.
Rock formations with dinosaur finds in the UK
| Formation | Finds |
|---|---|
| Wessex | 89 |
| Durlston | 36 |
| Wadhurst Clay | 34 |
| Weald Clay | 32 |
| Tunbridge Wells Sand | 29 |
| Forest Marble | 28 |
| Kimmeridge Clay | 28 |
| Lulworth | 28 |
| Oxford Clay | 24 |
| Ashdown | 20 |
UK counties with dinosaur finds
- Isle of Wight (128)
- Dorset (126)
- East Sussex (66)
- Oxfordshire (54)
- West Sussex (46)
- Cambridgeshire (44)
- North Yorkshire (37)
- Ross and Cromarty (36)
- Gloucestershire (29)
- Wiltshire (17)
- Kent (10)
- Surrey (9)
- Somerset (8)
- Bristol (7)
- Buckinghamshire (7)
- Essex (6)
- South Glamorgan (6)
- Warwickshire (5)
- Northamptonshire (4)
- Leicestershire (3)
- Bedfordshire (2)
- Nottinghamshire (2)
- Rutland (2)
- East Riding of Yorkshire (1)
- Hertfordshire (1)
- Lincolnshire (1)
- Mid Glamorgan (1)
- Moray (1)
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.