Elrhaz Formation

The Elrhaz Formation is a geological formation in Niger, West Africa.

Its strata date back to the Early Cretaceous, about 125 to 112 million years ago. Dinosaur remains are among the fossils that have been recovered from the formation, alongside those of multiple species of crocodyliformes.

Gadoufaoua

Gadoufaoua (Tuareg for "the place where camels fear to go") is a site within the Elrhaz Formation (located at ) in the Tenere desert of Niger known for its extensive fossil graveyard. It is where remains of Sarcosuchus imperator, popularly known as SuperCroc, were found (by Paul Sereno in 1997, for example), including vertebrae, limb bones, armor plates, jaws, and a nearly complete skull.

Today, Gadoufaoua is very hot and dry. However, 112 million years ago (based on the sedimentary and fossil record), Gadoufaoua had trees, plants, and wide rivers. The river covered the remains of dead animals, the fossilized remains of which were protected by the drying rivers over millions of years.SCIENCE IN THE NEWS - Nov. 13: Digest - 12 November 2001 Voice of America

Vertebrate paleofauna

Chondrichthyes Chondrichthyes Genus Species Material Notes ImagesHybodusH. sp.Dorsal spines

Sarcopterygii Sarcopterygii Genus Species Material Notes ImagesAsiatoceratodusA. tiguidiensisDipnomorph fish. Originally described as Ceratodus tiguidiensis,N. Tabaste. 1963. Étude derestes de poissons du Crétacé saharien [Study of fish remains from the Saharan Cretaceous]. Mélanges Ichthyologiques Dédiés à la Mémoire d'Achille Valenciennes (1794–1865). Mémoires de l'Institute Français d'Afrique Noire 68:437-485 assigned to Arganodus by M. Martin (1984)Martin, M., 1984. Révision des Arganodontidés et des Néocératodontidés (Dipnoi, Ceratodontiformes) du Crétacé africain. Neues Jb. Geol. Paläontol. Abh. 169, 225–260. and reassigned by Kemp (1998) to the genus Asiatoceratodus.MawsoniaM. tegamensisA small species.NeoceratodusN. africanusTooth plates.Dipnomorph fish. Originally described as Ceratodus africanus, assigned to Neoceratodus by M. Martin, 1982.

Actinopterygii Actinopterygii Genus Species Material Notes ImagesPliodetesS. Wenz. 1999. Pliodetes nigeriensis, gen. nov. et. sp. nov., a new semionotid fish from the Lower Cretaceous of Gadoufaoua (Niger Republic): phylogenetic comments. In G. Arratia & H.-P. Schultz (ed.), Mesozoic Fishes 2—Systematics and Fossil Record 107-120 P. nigeriensisSkull and postcranial material including body scales.A. López-Arbarello. 2012. Phylogenetic interrelationships of ginglymodian fishes (Actinopterygii: Neopterygii). PLoS ONEOriginally thought to be a semionotid, later assigned to Lepisosteoidei.Pycnodontidae indet."On the dinosaurian and crocodilian locality of Gadoufaoua (Republic of Niger)" (PDF). From Mr. Philippe Taquet (1970), presented by Mr. Jean Piveteau.Indeterminate

Testudines Testudines Genus Species Material Notes ImagesFrancemysF. gadoufaouaensis"Shell of a juvenile individual and several articulated and disarticulated plates."Pelomedusoid turtle. Named in honour of France de Lapparent de Broin.TaquetochelysT. decorataA few disarticulated plates and nearly complete skeleton.Araripemydid turtle, similar in shell size to South American Araripemys (20–30 cm). Laganemys tenerensis was synonymysed with Taquetochelys by Pérez-García, 2018.TeneremysF. de Broin. 1980. Les tortues de Gadoufaoua (Aptien du Niger); aperçu sur la Paléobiogéographie des Pelomedusidae (Pleurodira). Mémoires de la Société Géologique de FranceT. lapparenti"Several relatively complete skeletons."

Crocodyliformes Crocodyliformes Genus Species Material Notes Images Anatosuchus A. minor "Nearly complete skull" Araripesuchus"68.1 Departement D'Agedez, Niger; 1. Elrhaz Formation," in Weishampel, et al. (2004). Page 572 A. wegeneri "Nearly complete skull" SarcosuchusSereno et al., 2011 S. imperator "Partial skeletons, numerous skulls" Stolokrosuchus S. lapparenti

Pterosaurs Crocodyliformes Genus Species Material Notes Images Anhangueridae indet. Indeterminate Partial wing Ornithocheiridae indet. Indeterminate Tooth Tapejaroidea indet. Indeterminate Humerus Dinosaurs Ornithischians Ornithischians Genus Species Material Notes Images Elrhazosaurus E. nigeriensis "Femora.""Table 19.1," in Weishampel, et al. (2004). Page 415. A dryosaurid Lurdusaurus L. arenatus "Partial skull, fragmentary postcranial skeleton.""Table 19.1," in Weishampel, et al. (2004). Page 416. Ouranosaurus O. nigeriensis "Skull and poscrania, second skeleton.""Table 19.1," in Weishampel, et al. (2004). Page 417.

Theropods Theropods Genus Species Material Notes Images Afromimus A. tenerensis "caudal vertebrae, chevrons and portions of the right hind limb" A putative noasaurid Cristatusaurus C. lapparenti Jaw bones and vertebral fragments. A spinosaurid potentially synonymous with Suchomimus Eocarcharia E. dinopsSereno & Brusatte, 2008 "Partial skull and postcranial remains.""Table 4.1," in Weishampel, et al. (2004). Page 73. Known from chimaeric remains; the holotype and skull roof material likely derive from a baryonychine spinosaurid, while the referred maxilla is from a carcharodontosaurid. Kryptops K. palaios Postcranial skeleton and partial skull."Table 4.1," in Weishampel, et al. (2008). Page 72. An abelisaurid Suchomimus S. tenerensis Partial skull and associated skeleton."Table 4.1," in Weishampel, et al. (2004). Page 72. A baryonychine spinosaurid

Sauropods + Sauropods Genus Species Material Notes Images Nigersaurus N. taqueti Skull and skeletal remains A rebbachisaurid.

Flora + Plants Genus Species Material Notes Images Paradoxopteris P. stromeri A tree fern and member of Matoniaceae.ProtophyllocladoxylonP.chudeauiA conifer

See also List of dinosaur-bearing rock formations Crato Formation Romualdo Formation

References

Bibliography

Elrhaz Formation

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