Fossil Finder

Discover dinosaurs by discovery location

Search for dinosaur fossils by geographic location. Explore which dinosaurs have been found on each continent, in each country, and at specific discovery sites. Learn about famous fossil formations and expeditions.

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How to Use

  1. 1
    Choose a location

    Select a continent, country, or named geological formation from the dropdown, or click directly on the world map to filter fossil records for that region.

  2. 2
    Browse results by taxon

    The returned list groups species by higher taxon. Each entry shows the formation name, the approximate stratigraphic age, the repository holding the type specimen, and whether the species is represented by complete or fragmentary material.

  3. 3
    Explore formation details

    Click any formation name to open a dedicated page covering its depositional environment, age, notable finds, and a map of active excavation sites that have produced significant specimens.

About

The geography of dinosaur fossil discovery is inseparable from the history of geology and exploration. The earliest scientifically described dinosaur remains came from Jurassic marine sediments in England in the early nineteenth century. The great bone rushes of the American West in the 1870s and 1880s, driven by the intense rivalry between Othniel Charles Marsh and Edward Drinker Cope, established North America as a centre of dinosaur palaeontology that remains dominant today.

In recent decades, the most significant new discoveries have come from China, particularly the Yixian and Jiufotang Formations of Liaoning Province, which preserve exceptional specimens with feather impressions, soft tissue outlines, and stomach contents. These Cretaceous lagerstätten — exceptionally preserved fossil deposits — have transformed understanding of theropod evolution and the origin of birds. South America continues to yield the world's largest dinosaurs from Patagonian formations.

Fossil distribution data feeds directly into macroecological analyses. By mapping occurrence density against stratigraphic time and palaeolatitude, researchers can test hypotheses about how climate change, sea-level fluctuation, and biogeographic barriers shaped dinosaur diversity. Open databases like the Paleobiology Database make this kind of large-scale quantitative palaeontology possible, and DinoFYI's Fossil Finder draws on these community-curated resources to give every user access to the same information as professional researchers.

FAQ

Why are so many important dinosaur fossils found in arid regions?
Preservation of large vertebrate fossils requires rapid burial under sediment before decomposition or scavenging destroys the skeleton. Fluvial and aeolian depositional environments — river flood plains, alluvial fans, and desert dune fields — are particularly effective at rapid burial. These environments are common in semi-arid and arid settings. Additionally, arid badlands with minimal vegetation today erode at rates that expose fossils at the surface without destroying them through repeated freeze-thaw cycles or root intrusion.
Are there significant dinosaur fossils on every continent?
Yes. Dinosaur fossils have been confirmed on all seven continents, including Antarctica, where the Cretaceous Vega Island Formation preserves ankylosaurs and hadrosaurs. Africa's record is historically undersampled but includes the extraordinary Tendaguru Beds of Tanzania, which preserve fauna directly comparable to the Morrison Formation. Australia's record was long considered sparse, but recent work has expanded the known diversity substantially, with opalised specimens from Lightning Ridge and Queensland formations.
What is a type specimen and why does its repository matter?
A type specimen is the individual fossil on which the formal description and naming of a species is based. Under the International Code of Zoological Nomenclature, the type specimen anchors the application of a species name — if you want to know precisely what a name refers to, you examine the type. Repositories matter because type specimens must remain accessible for re-examination. Most countries now require that types be housed in accredited public institutions rather than private collections.
How does continental drift affect the distribution of dinosaur fossils?
Continental positions during the Mesozoic were radically different from today. In the Triassic and Early Jurassic, most landmasses were connected, allowing faunal exchange across what is now multiple continents. Progressive break-up through the Jurassic and Cretaceous isolated populations, driving vicariant speciation. Modern fossil distributions therefore reflect both the palaeobiogeography of the Mesozoic and the subsequent tectonic dispersal of the land surfaces on which those fossils were buried.
What is the Paleobiology Database and how does it relate to fossil distribution data?
The Paleobiology Database (PBDB) is an open-access repository of published fossil occurrence data curated by the global palaeontological community. Each occurrence record cites a peer-reviewed source and records the taxon, formation, geographic coordinates, and stratigraphic age. DinoFYI's fossil distribution data is sourced from the PBDB and updated regularly. Users can access the underlying data directly via the PBDB public API for their own research.