Dinosaur Provincial Park
IUCN Category III (Natural Monument)
Location of Dinosaur Provincial Park in Alberta
Location	Alberta, Canada
Nearest city	Brooks
Coordinates	50°45′43″N 111°31′5″W / 50.76194, -111.51806
Area	73.29km²
Established	1955
Governing body	Alberta Tourism, Parks, Recreation and Culture

Dinosaur Provincial Park*
UNESCO World Heritage Site
State Party	Canada
Type	Natural
Criteria	vii, viii
Reference	71
Region†	Europe and North America
Inscription History
Inscription	1979  (3rd Session)
* Name as inscribed on World Heritage List. † Region as classified by UNESCO.

Dinosaur Provincial Park is a World Heritage Site located about 2 hours drive east of Calgary, Alberta, Canada or 48 kilometres northeast of the community of Brooks. The World Conservation Union or International Union for the Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources (IUCN) is an international organization dedicated to natural resource conservation. ... A Natural Monument is a natural/cultural feature which is of outstanding or unique value because of its inherent rarity, representative of aesthetic qualities or cultural significance. ... Image File history File links Red_pog. ... Image File history File links Size of this preview: 431 × 599 pixel Image in higher resolution (558 × 776 pixel, file size: 112 KB, MIME type: image/png) File links The following pages on the English Wikipedia link to this file (pages on other projects are not listed): Jasper National Park... For other uses, see Alberta (disambiguation). ... For other uses, see Alberta (disambiguation). ... Nickname: Location of Brooks in Alberta Coordinates: , Country Province Region Southern Alberta Census division 2 Incorporated 1910 (village)   1911 (town)   2005 (city) Government [1]  - Mayor Don Weisbeck  - Governing body Brooks City Council  - MP Monte Solberg (Cons - Medicine Hat)  - MLA Lyle Oberg (PC - Strathmore-Brooks) Area [2]  - City 17. ... Year 1955 (MCMLV) was a common year starting on Saturday (link displays the 1955 Gregorian calendar). ... Alberta Tourism, Parks, Recreation and Culture is a ministry of the Executive Council of Alberta. ... A UNESCO World Heritage Site is a specific site (such as a forest, mountain, lake, desert, monument, building, complex, or city) that has been nominated and confirmed for inclusion on the list maintained by the international World Heritage Programme administered by the UNESCO World Heritage Committee, composed of 21 State... Image File history File links Metadata Size of this preview: 800 × 600 pixelsFull resolution (1280 × 960 pixel, file size: 233 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg) File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old version, (rev) = revert to this old version. ... As of 2006, there are a total of 830 World Heritage Sites located in 138 State Parties. ... Image File history File links This is a lossless scalable vector image. ... A UNESCO World Heritage Site is a specific site (such as a forest, mountain, lake, desert, monument, building, complex, or city) that has been nominated and confirmed for inclusion on the list maintained by the international World Heritage Programme administered by the UNESCO World Heritage Committee, composed of 21 State... A UNESCO World Heritage Site is a specific site (such as a forest, mountain, lake, desert, monument, building, complex, or city) that has been nominated and confirmed for inclusion on the list maintained by the international World Heritage Programme administered by the UNESCO World Heritage Committee, composed of 21 State... A UNESCO World Heritage Site is a specific site (such as a forest, mountain, lake, desert, monument, building, complex, or city) that has been nominated and confirmed for inclusion on the list maintained by the international World Heritage Programme administered by the UNESCO World Heritage Committee, composed of 21 State... Calgary is a city in the province of Alberta, Canada. ... For other uses, see Alberta (disambiguation). ... // Brooks as a toponym can refer to: Brooks, Alberta (Canada) Brooks, Kentucky (United States) Brooks, Maine (United States) Brooks, Minnesota (United States) Brooks, Oregon (United States) Brooks, California (United States) See Brooks (surname) Brooks as a given name can refer to: Brooksie (or Brooks Hatlen) (see Rita Hayworth and Shawshank...

The park is situated in the valley of the Red Deer River, which is noted for its striking badland topography. It is well known for being one of the greatest dinosaur fossil beds in the world. Thirty-nine dinosaur species have been discovered here and more than 500 specimens have been removed and exhibited in museums across the globe. Its significance justified it becoming a World Heritage Site in 1979. Red Deer River is a river is in Alberta, Canada, it is a tributary of the South Saskatchewan River. ... Categories: Stub | Geology | Landforms | Alberta geography ... Orders & Suborders Saurischia Sauropodomorpha Theropoda Ornithischia Thyreophora Ornithopoda Marginocephalia Dinosaurs were vertebrate animals that dominated the terrestrial ecosystem for over 160 million years, first appearing approximately 230 million years ago. ... A UNESCO World Heritage Site is a specific site (such as a forest, mountain, lake, desert, monument, building, complex, or city) that has been nominated and confirmed for inclusion on the list maintained by the international World Heritage Programme administered by the UNESCO World Heritage Committee, composed of 21 State...

Geology

The sediments of Dinosaur Provincial Park span 2.8 million years and three formations: the terrestrial Oldman Formation at the base of the strata, the terrestrial Dinosaur Park Formation above, and the marine Bearpaw at the top. The Dinosaur Park Formation, which contains most of the fossils from articulated skeletons, was primarily laid down by large meandering rivers in very warm temperate coastal lowlands along the western margin of the Western Interior Seaway. The formation dates to the Late Campanian, about 75 million years ago. The Dinosaur Park Formation spans about 1 million years. This article or section cites very few or no references or sources. ... The Oldman Formation is the middle member of the Judith River Group, a major geologic unit in southern Alberta. ... The Dinosaur Park Formation is the uppermost member of the Judith River Group, a major geologic unit in southern Alberta. ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ... Western Interior Seaway during the mid-Cretaceous, about 100 million years before the present The Western Interior Seaway, also called the Cretaceous Seaway, the Niobraran Sea, and the North American Inland Sea, was a huge inland sea that split the continent of North America into two halves during most of... The Campanian is a stage on the geologic time scale occuring from 83. ...

Paleontology

Dinosaur Provincial Park preserves an extraordinarily diverse group of freshwater vertebrates. Fish include sharks, rays (such as the durophage Myledaphus), paddlefish, bowfins, gars, and teleosts. Amphibians include frogs, salamanders, and the extinct albanerpetontids. Reptiles include lizards (such as the large monitor Paleosaniwa), a wide range of turtles, crocodilians, and the fish-eating Champsosaurus. Mammals such as shrews, marsupials, and squirrel-like rodents are also represented, although usually only by their fossilized teeth, rather than bones. Species Genus Polyodon   Polyodon spathula Genus Psephurus   Psephurus gladius Paddlefish (family Polyodontidae) are primitive Chondrostian ray-finned fishes. ... Binomial name Amia calva Linnaeus, 1766 The bowfins are an order (Amiiformes) of primitive ray-finned fish. ... Species Atractosteus spatula Atractosteus tristoechus Atractosteus tropicus Lepisosteus oculatus Lepisosteus osseus Lepisosteus platostomus Lepisosteus platyrhincus In American English the name gar (or garpike) is strictly applied to members of the Lepisosteidae, a family including seven living species of fish in two genera that inhabit fresh, brackish, and occasionally marine, waters... Superorders Osteoglossomorpha Elopomorpha Clupeomorpha Ostariophysi Protacanthopterygii Sternopterygii Cyclosquamata Scopelomorpha Lampridiomorpha Polymyxiomorpha Paracanthopterygii Polymyxiomorpha Acanthopterygii Teleostei is one of three infraclasses in class Actinopterygii, the ray-finned fishes. ... Distribution of frogs (in black) Suborders Archaeobatrachia Mesobatrachia Neobatrachia - List of Anuran families The frogness babe is an amphibian in the order Anura (meaning tail-less from Greek an-, without + oura, tail), formerly referred to as Salientia (Latin saltare, to jump). ... For other uses, see Salamander (disambiguation). ... Champsosaurus is a semiaquatic reptile known from the Late Cretaceous of North America, and a member of the Choristodira. ... It has been suggested that Echolocating shrew be merged into this article or section. ...

Mega-plant fossils are rare in the park, but pollen grains and spores collected from here suggest that these Campanian forests contained sycamore, magnolia and bald cypress trees, along with Metasequoia. The Campanian is a stage on the geologic time scale occuring from 83. ... Sycamore is a name applied at various times and places to three very different types of trees, but with somewhat similar leaf forms. ... This article is about the plant. ... Binomial name Taxodium distichum (L.) Rich. ... Binomial name Metasequoia glyptostroboides Hu & Cheng Metasequoia glyptostroboides (Dawn Redwood) is a fast growing tree in the conifer family Cupressaceae (Taxaceae or Taxodiaceae by others)native to the Sichuan-Hubei region of China. ...

The dinosaurs of the park are astonishingly diverse. They include:

Ceratopsia The Ceratopsia are a group of omnivorous and herbivorous, beaked dinosaurs which thrived in North America and Asia during the Cretaceous. ...

• Leptoceratops sp.
• Centrosaurus apertus,C. brinkmani
• Styracosaurus albertensis
• Pachyrhinosaurus
• Chasmosaurus belli, C. russeli, C. irvinensis

Hadrosauridae Leptoceratops was a primitive ceratopsian dinosaur from the Late Cretaceous of Western North American. ... Species Centrosaurus (”pointed lizard) is an herbivorous ceratopsid dinosaur from the late Cretaceous period of North America about 75 million years ago. ... Species Styracosaurus (meaning spiked lizard from Greek styrax/στυραξ spike at the butt-end of a spear-shaft and saurus/σαυρος lizard) was a herbivorous ceratopsian dinosaur from the Cretaceous Period, about 77 to 74 million years ago. ... Species Pachyrhinosaurus ( thick-nosed reptile) is an ornithischian (bird-hipped) dinosaur from the Late Cretaceous period of North America. ... Species Chasmosaurus (KAZ-mo-sawr-us) is a ceratopsid dinosaur genus from the Upper Cretaceous Period of North America. ... Genera Lambeosaurinae     Corythosaurus    Lambeosaurus    Parasaurolophus Hadrosaurinae    Anasazisaurus     Anatotitan     Edmontosaurus     Hadrosaurus    Maiasaura    Prosaurolophus    Saurolophus    Shantungosaurus Hadrosaurids or duck-billed dinosaurs are members of the family Hadrosauridae, and include ornithopods such as Edmontosaurus and Parasaurolophus. ...

• Corythosaurus casuarius
• Gryposaurus notabilis, G. incurvimanus
• Lambeosaurus lambei,L. magnicristatus
• Prosaurolophus
• Parasaurolophus walkeri

Ankylosauria Binomial name Corythosaurus casuarius Brown, 1914 Corythosaurus // meaning helmet lizard because of the shape of its crest (Greek korythos meaning helmet and sauros meaning lizard) was a duck-billed dinosaur genus from the Upper Cretaceous Period, about 80 million years ago. ... Binomial name Gryposaurus notabilis Lambe, 1914 Species G. latidens Horner, 1992 Gryposaurus (griffin-Lizard) A hadrosaurid known from the Late Santonian to Early Campanian, Gryposaurs are known from the Oldman Formation in Alberta, Canada, and the Lower Two Medicine Formation in Montana, as well as possible Gryposaurs found in South... Species Lambeosaurus (Lambes lizard) is a bipedal herbivore of the late Cretaceous period, found in North America. ... Prosaurolophus was a genus of dinosaur from the Late Cretaceous. ... Species (type) Wiman, 1931 Ostrom, 1961 Parasaurolophus was a genus of hadrosaurid (duck-billed) dinosaur from the Upper Cretaceous Period (about 76-65 million years ago) of what is now North America. ... Families Nodosauridae Ankylosauridae Ankylosauria is an infraorder of the suborder Thyreophora. ...

• Panoplosaurus
• Edmontonia
• Euoplocephalus

Hypsilophodontidae Binomial name Panoplosaurus mirus Lambe, 1919 Panoplosaurus was a heavily armored ankylosaurian dinosaur from the Late Cretaceous. ... Edmontonia (From Edmonton) lived in Edmonton, Canada in the Late Cretaceous. ... Species E. tutus ?E. acutosquameus Euoplocephalus (yu-op-lo-SEF-ah-lus) meaning well armored head (Greek euoplo = well-armed + kephale = head) was one of the largest of the ankylosaurian dinosaurs at about the size of a small elephant. ... Genera See text. ...

• Orodromeus

Pachycephalosauria Orodromeus was a hypsilophodont from Cretaceous North America. ...

• Stegoceras

Tyrannosauridae A plant-eating boneheaded homalocephalid dinosaur who lived in North America and China during the Late Cretaceous and measured up to 2 metres long. ... Genera See text. ...

• Daspletosaurussp.
• Gorgosaurus libratus

Ornithomimidae Species D. torosus Russell, 1970 (type) Daspletosaurus (pronounced IPA: or das-PLEET-o-SAWR-us; meaning frightful lizard) is a genus of tyrannosaurid theropod dinosaur that lived in western North America between 80 and 73 million years ago, during the Late Cretaceous Period. ... Binomial name Gorgosaurus libratus Lambe, 1914 Gorgosaurus, meaning fierce lizard (from the Greek: gorgos/γορργος meaning terrible or fierce and saurus/σαυρος meaning lizard) is a genus of carnivorous dinosaur that reached 7 to 8 metres (27 to 30 feet) in length, with an estimated weight of 2. ... Genera Anserimimus Archaeornithomimus Deinocheirus ? Dromiceiomimus Gallimimus Garudimimus Harpymimus Ornithomimus Pelecanimimus Shenzhousaurus Struthiomimus Ornithomimids (Bird mimics) or members of the Ornithomimidae family are theropod dinosaurs, like Gallimimus. ...

• Ornithomimus
• Struthiomimus
• new ornithomimid species A

• Chirostenotes pergracilis
• Chirostenotes elegans
• Chirostenotes collinsi

Dromaeosauridae Ornithomimus (bird mimic) is a genus of dinosaur from the Late Cretaceous of North America. ... Binomial name Struthiomimus altus Osborn, 1917 Paleo Template Project Struthiomimus was a long-legged, ostrich-like dinosaur of the family ornithomimidae, which lived in Alberta, Canada during the Late Cretaceous period, about 85 to 80 million years ago. ... Chirostenotes was an oviraptosaur from late Cretaceous Canada. ... Chirostenotes was an oviraptosaur from late Cretaceous Canada. ... Chirostenotes was an oviraptosaur from late Cretaceous Canada. ... Genera See text. ...

• Dromaeosaurus
• Saurornitholestes
•  ?new dromaeosaur species A
•  ?new dromaeosaur species B

Troodontidae Species (type species) Dromaeosaurus (drom-ee-oh-SAWR-us) meaning running lizard (Greek dromaios = swift-runner + sauros = lizard) is a wolf-sized theropod dinosaur genus from the Upper Cretaceous (Upper Campanian) of Alberta, Canada. ... Saurornitholestes langstoni is a coyote-sized carnivorous dinosaur from the Late Cretaceous of North America. ... Genera See text. ...

• Troodon
• new troodontid species A

Classification Uncertain Binomial name Troodon formosus Leidy, 1856 Troodon formosus was a relatively small, bird-like dinosaur from the late Cretaceous Period (68–65 MYA). ...

• Ricardoestesia gilmorei

Birds such as Hesperornithiformes were present, as well as giant Pterosauria related to Quetzalcoatlus. Stagodont marsupials, placentals and multituberculates scurried underfoot. Some factual claims in this article or section need to be verified. ... Families Hesperornithidae Hesperornithiformes are an extinct and highly specialized order of Cretaceous toothed birds. ... Suborders Rhamphorhynchoidea Pterodactyloidea Pterosaurs (TEH-row-sore, winged lizards) were flying reptiles of the clade Pterosauria. ... Species Quetzalcoatlus northropi (type) Quetzalcoatlus, named after the Aztec feathered serpent god Quetzalcoatl, was a pterodactyloid pterosaur known from the Late Cretaceous of North America (Campanian–Maastrichtian stages, 84–65 ma), and one of the largest known flying animals of all time. ... Orders Superorder Xenarthra: Pilosa Cingulata Infraclass Epitheria: Superorder Afrotheria: Afrosoricida (Golden mole and tenrec) Macroscelidea (Elephant shrew) Tubulidentata (Aardvark) Hyracoidea (Hyrax) Proboscidea (Elephant) Sirenia (Manatee, Dugong) Superorder Laurasiatheria: Chiroptera (Bats) Insectivora (Shrews, Moles) Cetacea (Whale, dolphin) Artiodactyla (Ruminants et al) Perissodactyla(Horse et al. ... It has been suggested that Multituberculatea be merged into this article or section. ...

Nature

The park boasts a very complex ecosystem including three communities: prairie grasslands, badlands, and riverside cottonwoods. Its ecosystem is surrounded by prairies but is unique unto itself. Choruses of coyotes are common at dusk, as are the calls of nighthawks. Cottontail rabbits, mule deer, and pronghorn can all be seen in the park; the prairie rattlesnake, bull snake and the red-sided garter snake are present as well. Curlews and Canada geese are among the 165 bird species that can be seen in the spring and summer. Some of the most northern species of cactus, including Opuntia (prickly pear) and Pediocactus (pincushion) can be observed in full bloom during the latter half of June. Species Populus deltoides L. Populus fremontii [[]] Populus nigra L. This article is about the poplar species. ... For other uses, see Prairie (disambiguation). ... For other uses, see Coyote (disambiguation). ... Genera Nyctiprogne Podager Lurocalis Chordeiles Nighthawks are birds of the nightjar family in the New World subfamily Chordeilinae. ... Type species Lepus sylvaticus Bachman, 1837 (=Lepus sylvaticus floridanus J. Allen, 1890) Species 16, see text The cottontail rabbits are the 16 lagomorph species in the genus Sylvilagus, found in the Americas. ... Binomial name (Rafinesque, 1817) The mule deer (Odocoileus hemionus) is a deer whose habitat is in the western half of North America. ... Binomial name Antilocapra americana Ord, 1815 Subspecies The Pronghorn (Antilocapra americana) is the only surviving member of the family Antilocapridae, and the fastest mammal in North America running at speeds of 58 mph (90 km/h). ... Species 27 species; see list of rattlesnake species and subspecies. ... Trinomial name Pituophis catenifer sayi Schlegel, 1837 The Bull Snake (Pituophis catenifer sayi) is a large species of non-venomous colubrid snake found predominantly in the central United States. ... Species See Taxonomy section. ... Species N. phaeopus N. tenuirostris N. arquata N. americanus N. madagascariensis N. minutus N. borealis N. tahitiensis For other uses, see Curlew (disambiguation). ... Binomial name Branta canadensis (Linnaeus, 1758) The Canada Goose (Branta canadensis), colloquially Canadian Goose in North America, belongs to the Branta genus of geese, which contains species with largely black plumage, distinguishing them from the grey Anser species. ... Species Some 250, see also Example species. ... Species Pediocactus despainii Pediocactus hermannii Pediocactus peeblesianus - Peebles Navajo cactus Pediocactus simpsonii Pediocactus-winkleri etc. ...

History

Established on June 27,1955 as part of Alberta's 50th Jubilee Year with the goal of protecting the fossil bone beds, the first warden was Roy Fowler, a farmer and amateur fossil hunter. Year 1955 (MCMLV) was a common year starting on Saturday (link displays the 1955 Gregorian calendar). ...

Until 1985 discoveries made in the park had to be shipped to museums throughout the world for scientific analysis and display, including the Royal Ontario Museum in Toronto, the Canadian Museum of Nature in Ottawa, and the American Museum of Natural History in New York. This changed with the opening of the Royal Tyrrell Museum of Palaeontology 100 kilometers upstream in the Midland Provincial Park near Drumheller. This article is about the year. ... The Royal Ontario Museum, commonly known as the ROM (rhyming with Tom), is a major museum for world culture and natural history in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. ... The east face of the Victoria Memorial Museum Building The Canadian Museum of Nature (French: Musée canadien de la nature) is a natural history museum in Ottawa, Canada. ... This article is about the capital city of Canada. ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ... This article is about the state. ... The Royal Tyrrell Museum of Palaeontology in Drumheller, Alberta, Canada, 90 minutes drive east of Calgary, is known the world over as an outstanding paleontology museum and research facility. ... Midland Provincial Park is a provincial park located in Alberta, Canada. ... Drumheller is a town (formerly a city) in the Badlands of east-central Alberta, on the Red Deer River. ...

World Heritage Site

The park was established as a UNESCO World Heritage Site on October 26, 1979 both for its nationally significant badlands and riverside riparian habitats, and for the international importance of the fossils found here. Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... UNESCO (United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization) is a specialized agency of the United Nations established in 1945. ... A UNESCO World Heritage Site is a specific site (such as a forest, mountain, lake, desert, monument, building, complex, or city) that has been nominated and confirmed for inclusion on the list maintained by the international World Heritage Programme administered by the UNESCO World Heritage Committee, composed of 21 State... Also: 1979 by Smashing Pumpkins. ... A riparian zone schematic from the Everglades. ... For other uses, see Fossil (disambiguation). ...

See also

• List of Alberta provincial parks
• List of Canadian provincial parks
• List of Canadian national parks
• List of World Heritage Sites in the Americas

Dinosaur Provincial Park Dry Island Buffalo Jump Provincial Park Fish Creek Provincial Park Pigeon Lake Provincial Park Kananaskis Country Lakeland Provincial Park Sundance Provincial Park Williamson Provincial Park Writing-on-Stone Provincial Park Writing-on-Stone Provincial Park This is a partial list of provincial parks in Alberta. ... This is a list of all provincial parks in Canada. ... A stylized beaver is the logo of Parks Canada The National Parks of Canada preserve both spectacular and representative areas of the country, located in every one of the nations 13 provinces and territories. ... This is a list of UNESCO World Heritage Sites in North America, Central America, South America, and the Caribbean. ...

External links

• Dinosaur Provincial Park official site
• UNESCO World Heritage

v • d • e World Heritage Sites in Canada
Canada	Canadian Rocky Mountain Parks · Dinosaur Provincial Park · Gros Morne · Head-Smashed-In Buffalo Jump · L'Anse aux Meadows · Old Town Lunenburg · Miguasha · Nahanni · Old Quebec · Rideau Canal · SGaang Gwaay · Wood Buffalo
Canada / USA	Kluane-Wrangell-St. Elias-Glacier Bay-Tatshenshini-Alsek · Waterton-Glacier International Peace Park

v • d • e Parks in Alberta
National parks	Banff · Elk Island · Jasper · Waterton Lakes · Wood Buffalo · more...
Provincial parks	Cypress Hills · Dry Island Buffalo Jump · Kananaskis Country · Lakeland · Fish Creek · Vermilion · Willmore Wilderness · Writing-on-Stone · more...
World Heritage Sites	Canadian Rocky Mountain Parks · Dinosaur Provincial Park · Head-Smashed-In Buffalo Jump · Waterton-Glacier International Peace Park · Wood Buffalo National Park · more...
Urban parks	Calgary Zoo · Devonian Botanical Garden · Devonian Gardens · Muttart Conservatory · Nose Hill · Oldman River Valley · Valley Zoo
Museums	Fort Calgary · Fort Edmonton · Fort Victoria · Frank Slide · Heritage Park · Pioneer Acres · Reynolds-Alberta · Royal Alberta · Royal Tyrrell · Ukrainian Village · Whyte · National historic sites · Provincial historic sites