Dinosaur genus
Ouranosaurus
Ouranosaurus is a dinosaur genus known from bones, found in rocks 121.4–100.5 million years old, in Niger and Tunisia.
Confidence labels are switched off. Facts with low confidence, or where sources disagree, still carry a small dot: tap it for the reason.
At a glance
Data as of 12 October 2026- Named by
- Taquet 1972
disputed
low: Sources disagree and an editor has not ruled yet.Sources
Given by: Paleobiology Database. How it was chosen: PBDB leads.
- Described in
- P. Taquet (1972). Il giacimento di Gadoufaoua [The locality of Gadoufaoua]. I Dinosauri del Teneré 41: 51–60.
medium
medium: Only PBDB gives this; its author and year match the naming authority (Taquet 1972).Sources
Given by: Paleobiology Database. The publication the Paleobiology Database gives as the authority for this genus name, usually the one that first named and described it.
- Lived
- Aptian to Maastrichtian, 121.4–66 million years ago
medium
medium: Only PBDB gives this; nothing contradicts it.Omnisaura calculation121.4–100.5 million years ago, from its dated fossil recordsmedium
medium: Omnisaura's calculation from 5 confirmed PBDB records.Sources
Given by: Paleobiology Database. How it was chosen: PBDB leads.
- Fossils found in
- NigerTunisia
medium
medium: Only PBDB records it (4 records).low
low: Only one PBDB record.mixed
mixed: Levels differ between entries; each has its own.Sources
Given by: Paleobiology Database. How it was chosen: Union of all sources (ISO 3166).
- Rock formations
- ElrhazAïn el Guettar
medium
medium: Only PBDB records it (4 records).low
low: Only one PBDB record.mixed
mixed: Levels differ between entries; each has its own.Sources
Given by: Paleobiology Database. How it was chosen: Canonical names, automatic and editor-approved matches applied.
- Parent group
- Neoiguanodontia
medium
medium: Only PBDB gives this; nothing contradicts it.Sources
Given by: Paleobiology Database. How it was chosen: PBDB leads.
- Known from
- Bones
Sources
Given by: Paleobiology Database (what the name was based on).
Gaps are answers
What isn't known yet
- Type species: no source we use gives it yet.
- Order: no source we use gives it yet.
- Family: no source we use gives it yet.
- Common names: no source we use gives it yet.
- What it was named after: no source we use gives it yet.
- Held back: 3 fossil records left out: identified only tentatively (for example "cf." or "?").
- Resting on one source: 2 facts come from a single source with nothing against them (rated medium): parent group (PBDB); age (headline) (PBDB).
Size, diet and behaviour aren't covered yet. Omnisaura leaves them out rather than guess.
Where sources disagree
1 openAuthority
- Taquet 1972PBDB (shown above)
- Philippe Taquet, 1976Wikidata
The sources give different values. An editor hasn't ruled yet, so this is rated low until they do.
Did it meet…?
No. Ouranosaurus had gone at least 16.9 million years before Tyrannosaurus appears in the fossil record.
Going by the ages and rock formations of their dated fossils, as on the map. Compare their fossil sites on the map.
Lived alongside
Genera found in the same rock formations, from rocks of the same age.
Credits
Where this page comes from
- Paleobiology DatabaseCC BY 4.0 · fossil records, ages, classification
- WikidataCC0 1.0 · names and identifiers
- OmnisauraOmnisaura editorial · confidence levels and gaps
- PaleoMAP PaleoCoastlines (Kocsis and Scotese 2021)CC BY 4.0 · ancient coastlines on the small map
- Natural EarthPublic domain · today's coastlines
Pictures linked from this page are credited beside each one, with their own licences; the full list is in the JSON download.