Albian

The Albian is both an age of the geologic timescale and a stage in the stratigraphic column

Stratigraphic column

A stratigraphic column is a representation used in geology and its subfield of stratigraphy to describe the vertical location of rock units in a particular area....

. It is the youngest or uppermost subdivision of the Early/Lower Cretaceous

Early Cretaceous

The Early Cretaceous or the Lower Cretaceous , is the earlier or lower of the two major divisions of the Cretaceous...

 epoch/series

Series (stratigraphy)

Series are subdivisions of rock layers made based on the age of the rock and corresponding to the dating system unit called an epoch, both being formally defined international conventions of the geological timescale. A series is therefore a sequence of rock depositions defining a...

. Its approximate time range is 112.0 ± 1.0 Ma

Annum

Annum is a form of the Latin noun annus meaning year, from which are derived words such as annual and annuity. Annum is the accusative singular of the 2nd declension masculine noun annus , anni...

 to 99.6 ± 0.9 Ma (million years ago). The Albian is preceded by the Aptian

Aptian

The Aptian is an age in the geologic timescale or a stage in the stratigraphic column. It is a subdivision of the Early or Lower Cretaceous epoch or series and encompasses the time from 125.0 ± 1.0 Ma to 112.0 ± 1.0 Ma , approximately...

 and followed by the Cenomanian

Cenomanian

The Cenomanian is, in the ICS' geological timescale the oldest or earliest age of the Late Cretaceous epoch or the lowest stage of the Upper Cretaceous series. An age is a unit of geochronology: it is a unit of time; the stage is a unit in the stratigraphic column deposited during the corresponding...

.

Stratigraphic definitions

The Albian stage (French

French language

French is a Romance language globally spoken by about 65 million people as a first language , by 50 million as a second language, and by about another 200 million people as an acquired foreign language, with significant speakers in 57 countries. Most native speakers of the language live in France,...

 Albien, from Alba = the River Aube

Aube

Aube is a department in the northeastern part of France named after the Aube River. In 1995, its population was 293,100 inhabitants.- History :Aube is one of the original 83 departments created during the French Revolution on March 4, 1790...

 in France

France

France , officially the French Republic , is a country located in Western Europe, with several overseas islands and territories located on other continents. Metropolitan France extends from the Mediterranean Sea to the English Channel and the North Sea, and from the Rhine to the Atlantic Ocean...

) was first proposed in 1842 by Alcide d'Orbigny

Alcide d'Orbigny

Alcide Charles Victor Marie Dessalines d'Orbigny was a French naturalist who made major contributions in many areas, including zoology, malacology, palaeontology, geology, archaeology and anthropology....

.

The base of the Albian is defined as the place in the stratigraphic column where the coccolithophore

Coccolithophore

Coccolithophores are single-celled algae, protists and phytoplankton belonging to the division haptophytes. They are distinguished by special calcium carbonate plates of uncertain function called coccoliths , which are important microfossils...

 species Praediscosphaera columnata first appears. A reference profile for the base of the Albian stage (its GSSP) had in 2009 not yet been established.

The top of the Albian stage (the base of the Cenomanian stage and Upper Cretaceous series) is defined as the place where the foram species Rotalipora globotruncanoides first appears in the stratigraphic column.

The Albian is sometimes subdivided in Early/Lower, Middle and Late/Upper subages or substages. In western Europe, especially in the UK, a subdivision in two substages (Vraconian and Gaultian) is more often used.

Lithofacies

The following representatives of the Albian stage are worthy of notice: the gaize and phosphatic beds of Argonne

Argonne

Argonne can refer to several different things.*The Forest of Argonne in France*Argonne National Laboratory, a U.S. D.O.E. National Laboratory near Chicago, Illinois*Meuse-Argonne Offensive, also called the Battle of Argonne Forest, a World War I battle...

 and Bray

Bray

Bray is a town in north County Wicklow, Ireland. It is a busy urban centre and seaside town of approximately 35,100 people, making it the largest town in Ireland...

 in France; the Flammenmergel of northern Germany

Germany

Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a country in Central Europe. It is bordered to the north by the North Sea, Denmark, and the Baltic Sea; to the east by Poland and the Czech Republic; to the south by Austria and Switzerland; and to the west by France, Luxembourg, Belgium,...

; the lignite

Lignite

Lignite, often referred to as brown coal, or Rosebud coal by Northern Pacific Railroad,is a soft brown fuel with characteristics that put it somewhere between coal and peat. It is considered the lowest rank of coal; it is mined in Russia, the United States, Australia and many European countries,...

s of Utrillas

Utrillas

Utrillas is a municipality located in the province of Teruel, Aragon, Spain. According to the 2004 census , the municipality has a population of 3,209 inhabitants....

 in Spain

Spain

Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain , is a country located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula.The Spanish constitution does not establish any official denomination of the country, even though España , Estado español and Nación española are used interchangeably...

; the Upper sandstones of Nubia, and the Fredericksburg beds of North America

North America

North America is the northern continent of the Americas, situated in the Earth's northern hemisphere and in the western hemisphere. It is bordered on the north by the Arctic Ocean, on the east by the North Atlantic Ocean, on the southeast by the Caribbean Sea, and on the west by the North Pacific...

.

Ankylosaurs

Ankylosaurs of the Albian
Taxa	Presence	Location	Description	Images
Acanthopholis Acanthopholis Acanthopholis is a genus of ankylosaurid dinosaur in the family Nodosauridae that lived during the Early Cretaceous Period around 100 million years ago. The dinosaur's name refers to its armour...
Animantarx Animantarx Animantarx is a genus of nodosaurid ankylosaurian dinosaur from the Upper Cretaceous of western North America. Like other nodosaurs, it would have been a slow-moving quadrupedal herbivore covered in heavy armor scutes, but without a tail club...
Anoplosaurus Anoplosaurus Anoplosaurus was a genus of possible nodosaurid dinosaur, from the late Albian-age Lower Cretaceous Cambridge Greensand of Cambridgeshire, England...
Cedarpelta Cedarpelta Cedarpelta is the most basal known ankylosaurid ankylosaur , based on material recovered from the Lower Cretaceous of North America...		Cedar Mountain Formation Cedar Mountain Formation The Cedar Mountain Formation is the name given to distinctive sedimentary rocks in eastern Utah that occur between the underlying Morrison Formation and overlying Naturita Formation . It is composed of non-marine sediments, that is, sediments deposited in rivers, lakes and on flood plains... , Utah, USA
Gobisaurus Gobisaurus Gobisaurus is an ankylosaur from the Upper Cretaceous Ulansuhai Formation of China. The holotype consists of a skull and as yet undescribed postcranial remains...	Aptian Aptian The Aptian is an age in the geologic timescale or a stage in the stratigraphic column. It is a subdivision of the Early or Lower Cretaceous epoch or series and encompasses the time from 125.0 ± 1.0 Ma to 112.0 ± 1.0 Ma , approximately...  to ?Albian	Ulansuhai Formation Ulansuhai Formation The Ulansuhai Formation is a geological formation in Inner Mongolia, north China. Dinosaur remains are among the fossils that have been recovered from the formation.... , Inner Mongolia, China
Pawpawsaurus Pawpawsaurus Pawpawsaurus, meaning "Pawpaw Lizard", is a nodosaurid ankylosaur from the Cretaceous of Tarrant County, Texas, discovered in May 1992. The only species yet assigned to this taxon, Pawpawsaurus campbelli, is based on a complete skull from the marine Paw Paw Formation...
Sauropelta Sauropelta Sauropelta is a genus of nodosaurid dinosaur that existed in the Early Cretaceous Period of North America. One species has been named although others may have existed. Anatomically, Sauropelta is one of the most well-understood nodosaurids, with fossilized remains recovered in the U.S. states of...	Aptian Aptian The Aptian is an age in the geologic timescale or a stage in the stratigraphic column. It is a subdivision of the Early or Lower Cretaceous epoch or series and encompasses the time from 125.0 ± 1.0 Ma to 112.0 ± 1.0 Ma , approximately...  to Albian	Cloverly Formation Cloverly Formation The Cloverly Formation are Lower Cretaceous strata located in Montana and Wyoming, in the western United States. The term now includes strata that had formerly been called the Dakota Formation in central and southern Wyoming.-Members:... , Wyoming, Montana, Utah, USA	A medium-sized nodosaurid, measuring about 5 meters (16.5 ft) long, Sauropelta had a distinctively long tail which made up about half of its body length. Its neck and back were protected by an extensive bony body armor including characteristically large spines
Shamosaurus Shamosaurus Shamosaurus is the name given to a genus of dinosaur from the Early Cretaceous. It was an ankylosaurid dinosaur from Mongolia.-Shamosaurus and Gobisaurus:...		Mongolia
Silvisaurus Silvisaurus Silvisaurus, from the Latin silva "woodland" and Greek saurus "lizard", is a nodosaurid ankylosaur from the middle Cretaceous of Kansas.-Discovery and species:The holotype was recovered by T. H...		Dakota Formation Dakota Formation The Dakota Formation is composed of sedimentary rocks deposited on the east side of the Late Cretaceous seaway. F.B. Meek and F.V. Hayden named it for exposures along the Missouri River near Dakota City, Nebraska... , Kansas, USA	A nodosaurid estimated to have been approximately four meters in length (13 ft). Besides the usual rounded and polygonal osteoderms, Silvisaurus may have also sported bony spines on its shoulders and tail
Stegopelta Stegopelta Stegopelta is a genus of armored dinosaur. It is based on a partial skeleton from the latest Albian-earliest Cenomanian-age Lower and Upper Cretaceous Belle Fourche Member of the Frontier Formation of Fremont County, Wyoming....	Late Albian to early Cenomanian Cenomanian The Cenomanian is, in the ICS' geological timescale the oldest or earliest age of the Late Cretaceous epoch or the lowest stage of the Upper Cretaceous series. An age is a unit of geochronology: it is a unit of time; the stage is a unit in the stratigraphic column deposited during the corresponding...	Frontier Formation Frontier Formation The Frontier Formation is a geological formation in Wyoming whose strata date back to the Late Cretaceous. Dinosaur remains are among the fossils that have been recovered from the formation.-References:... , Wyoming, USA	A poorly known genus of nodosaurid
Texasetes Texasetes Texasetes is a genus of ankylosaurian dinosaur from the late Lower Cretaceous of North America. This poorly known genus has been recovered from the Paw Paw Formation near Haslet, Tarrant County Texas, which has also produced the nodosaurid ankylosaur Pawpawsaurus...		Paw Paw Formation Paw Paw Formation The Paw Paw Formation is a geological formation in Texas whose strata date back to the Early Cretaceous. Dinosaur remains are among the fossils that have been recovered from the formation.-References:... , Texas, USA	Poorly known, probably a nodosaurid

Birds

Birds of the Albian
Taxa	Presence	Location	Description	Images
Gansus Gansus Gansus is a genus of aquatic birds that lived during the Albian stage of the Early Cretaceous period in what is now Gansu province, western China...
Jeholornis

Bony Fish

Bony Fish of the Albian
Taxa	Presence	Location	Description	Images
Thrissops Thrissops Thrissops is an extinct genus of teleost fish from the Jurassic and Cretaceous periods.Thrissops was a fast predatory fish about long, that fed on other bony fish. It had a streamlined body with a deeply cleft tail and only very small pelvic fins...
Xiphactinus Xiphactinus Xiphactinus was a large, 4.5 to 5 m long predatory bony fish that lived in the Western Interior Sea, over what is now the middle of North America, during the Late Cretaceous. When alive, the fish would have resembled a gargantuan, fanged tarpon...

Cartilaginous Fish

Cartilaginous fish of the Albian
Taxa	Presence	Location	Description	Images
Cretoxyrhina mantelli Cretoxyrhina mantelli Cretoxyrhina mantelli was a large shark that lived during the Cretaceous period, about 100 to 82 million years ago.- Known physiology :- Identification and preserved specimens :...
Ischyodus Ischyodus Ischyodus is an extinct genus of cartilaginous fish belonging to the subclass Holocephali, which includes the modern-day chimaeras. Fossils are known from Europe and New Zealand....
Scapanorhynchus Scapanorhynchus Scapanorhynchus is an extinct genus of shark from the Cretaceous era. Their extreme similarities to the living goblin shark, Mitsukurina owstoni, lead some experts to consider reclassifying it as Scapanorhynchus owstoni...

Ceratopsia

Ceratopsia Ceratopsia Ceratopsia or Ceratopia is a group of herbivorous, beaked dinosaurs which thrived in what are now North America and Asia, during the Cretaceous Period, although ancestral forms lived earlier, in the Jurassic. Early members such as Psittacosaurus were small and bipedal...  of the Albian
Taxa	Presence	Location	Description	Images
Yamaceratops Yamaceratops Yamaceratops is a genus of dinosaur from the Late Cretaceous. It was a primitive ceratopsian which lived in the Gobi Desert of Mongolia. Initially, the rocks it was found in were thought to be from the Early Cretaceous, but the age was reevaluted in 2009.The type species, Yamaceratops...		Gobi Desert Gobi Desert The Gobi is the largest desert region in Asia. It covers parts of northern and northwestern China, and of southern Mongolia... , Mongolia	Had an intermediate phylogenetic position between Liaoceratops Liaoceratops Liaoceratops, meaning "Liao Horned Face", is a newly discovered dinosaur believed to be an early cousin to the horned ceratopsians. It lived in the early Cretaceous, some 130 million years ago. It was discovered in China by a team of American and Chinese scientists... and Archaeoceratops Archaeoceratops Archaeoceratops, meaning "ancient horned face", was a genus of basal neoceratopsian dinosaur from the Early Cretaceous of north central China. It appears to have been bipedal and quite small with a comparatively large head... within Neoceratopia

Crocodylomorphs

Crocodylomorphs of the Albian
Taxa	Presence	Location	Description	Images
Sarcosuchus Sarcosuchus Sarcosuchus is an extinct genus of crocodyliform and distant relative of the crocodile. It dates from the early Cretaceous Period of what is now Africa and is one of the largest giant crocodile-like reptiles that ever lived...

Ichthyosaurs

Ichthyosaurs of the Albian
Taxa	Presence	Location	Description	Images
Platypterigius

Mammalia

Mammals of the Hauterivian
Taxa	Presence	Location	Description	Images
Eobaatar Eobaatar Eobaatar is a genus of extinct mammal from the Lower Cretaceous of Mongolia and Spain. It was a member of the also extinct order Multituberculata, and lived at the same time as some dinosaurs. It lies within the suborder Plagiaulacida and family Eobaataridae. The genus Eobaatar was named by...	several species from Hauterivian to Albian Albian The Albian is both an age of the geologic timescale and a stage in the stratigraphic column. It is the youngest or uppermost subdivision of the Early/Lower Cretaceous epoch/series. Its approximate time range is 112.0 ± 1.0 Ma to 99.6 ± 0.9 Ma...	Spain, Mongolia
Kollikodon Kollikodon Kollikodon ritchiei is a fossil monotreme species. It is known only from an opalised dentary fragment, with one premolar and two molars in situ...		Lightning Ridge, New South Wales, Australia
Steropodon Steropodon Steropodon galmani was a prehistoric species of monotreme, or egg-laying mammal, that lived during the middle Albian stage, in the Lower Cretaceous period...		Lightning Ridge, New South Wales, Australia

Ornithopods

Ornithopods of the Albian
Taxa	Presence	Location	Description	Images
Altirhinus Altirhinus Altirhinus is a genus of iguanodontian ornithopod dinosaur from the Early Cretaceous Period of Mongolia. It was herbivorous and bipedal when walking or running, but probably became quadrupedal when feeding from the ground. The entire body probably extended 26 feet from snout to tail tip...		Khukhtek Formation, Dornogovi Province, Mongolia	An advanced iguanodontian, just basal to the family Hadrosauridae
Atlascopcosaurus Atlascopcosaurus Atlascopcosaurus is the name given to a genus of hypsilophodont dinosaur. It lived in what is now Australia; the type specimen, Atlascopcosaurus loadsi, was found at Dinosaur Cove in Victoria. It was about 2–3 metres long and weighed roughly 125 kg...	Aptian Aptian The Aptian is an age in the geologic timescale or a stage in the stratigraphic column. It is a subdivision of the Early or Lower Cretaceous epoch or series and encompasses the time from 125.0 ± 1.0 Ma to 112.0 ± 1.0 Ma , approximately... /Albian	Dinosaur Cove Dinosaur Cove Dinosaur Cove in Victoria, Australia is a major fossil bearing site in south-east of the continent where the Otway Ranges meet the sea to the west of Cape Otway, adjacent to Great Otway National Park... , Victoria, Australia	2-3 meters long hypsilophodont
Eolambia Eolambia Eolambia was a genus of iguanodontian dinosaur from the mid-Cretaceous Period. The name comes from the Greek eos/ηως meaning 'dawn' or 'morning', implying 'early'. The Lambia suffix is after Lawrence Lambe, Canadian Palaeontologist, whose name was given to Lambeosaurus...	Albian-Cenomanian Cenomanian The Cenomanian is, in the ICS' geological timescale the oldest or earliest age of the Late Cretaceous epoch or the lowest stage of the Upper Cretaceous series. An age is a unit of geochronology: it is a unit of time; the stage is a unit in the stratigraphic column deposited during the corresponding...	Utah, USA	An iguanodont
Leaellynasaura Leaellynasaura Leaellynasaura was a small herbivorous ornithopod dinosaur of about 60-90 cm in length from the earliest Cretaceous, first discovered in Dinosaur Cove, Australia. It was an Australian polar dinosaur. At this period in time, Victoria would have been well within the Antarctic Circle, which is...
Muttaburrasaurus Muttaburrasaurus Muttaburrasaurus is a genus of herbivorous ornithopod dinosaur related to Camptosaurus and Iguanodon, from what is now northeastern Australia between 100 and 98 million years ago during the early Cretaceous Period...
Nanyangosaurus Nanyangosaurus Nanyangosaurus is the name given to a genus of dinosaur from the Early Cretaceous. It was an iguanodont which lived in present-day China. The type species, Nanyangosaurus zhugeii, was described by Xu, Zhao, Lu, Huang, Li, and Dong in 2000. Nanyangosaurus was a hadrosauroid, an advanced iguanodont...		China
Penelopognathus Penelopognathus Penelopognathus is a genus of dinosaur which lived during the Early Cretaceous. It was an iguanodont ancestral to hadrosaurids. Fossils have been found in what is now Mongolia. The type species, Penelopognathus weishampeli, was described by Godefroit, Li, and Shang in 2005, based on fragmentary jaw...		Mongolia
Probactrosaurus Probactrosaurus Probactrosaurus was an early hadrosauroid iguanodont. It lived in China during the Early Cretaceous period. The type species is Probactrosaurus gobiensis, described by A. K. Rozhdestvensky in 1966....		China	An early hadrosauroid iguanodont, about 17 - 20 feet (5 - 6 metres) in length. It had a narrow snout, an elongated lower jaw and double rows of flattened cheek teeth. It was a possible ancestor of the duck-billed dinosaurs.
Qantassaurus Qantassaurus Qantassaurus is a genus of fast two-legged, plant-eating dinosaur that lived in Australia about 115 million years ago, when the continent was still south of the Antarctic Circle. It was the size of a small grey kangaroo, and had huge eyes to help it see in the polar night...
Siluosaurus Siluosaurus Siluosaurus is a genus of ornithopod dinosaur from the Barremian-Albian-age Lower Cretaceous Xinminbao Group of Gansu, China. It is based on IVPP V.11117 , two teeth...	Barremian Barremian The Barremian is an age in the geologic timescale between 130.0 ± 1.5 Ma and 125.0 ± 1.0 Ma). It is a subdivision of the Early Cretaceous epoch...  to Albian
Tenontosaurus Tenontosaurus Tenontosaurus is a genus of medium- to large-sized ornithopod dinosaur. It was formerly thought to be a 'hypsilophodont', but since Hypsilophodontia is no longer considered a clade, it is now considered to be a very primitive iguanodont.-Description:...
Theiophytalia Theiophytalia Theiophytalia is a genus of herbivorous dinosaur from the Lower Cretaceous of Colorado . The etymology of the generic name is, from Greek, theios: "divine" + Greek phytalia: "garden", or "garden of the gods". Garden of the Gods is a park near Colorado Springs, Colorado, where a skull, the only...	Aptian Aptian The Aptian is an age in the geologic timescale or a stage in the stratigraphic column. It is a subdivision of the Early or Lower Cretaceous epoch or series and encompasses the time from 125.0 ± 1.0 Ma to 112.0 ± 1.0 Ma , approximately...  to Albian	Purgatoire Formation, Colorado, USA	An iguanodont described as intermediate in derivation between Camptosaurus Camptosaurus Camptosaurus is a genus of plant-eating, beaked dinosaurs of the Late Jurassic and Early Cretaceous Periods. The name means 'bent lizard', because, when standing on all fours, its body must have been arched .-Discovery and species:Originally described by O. C...  and Iguanodon Iguanodon Iguanodon is a genus of ornithopod dinosaur that lived roughly halfway between the first of the swift bipedal hypsilophodontids and the ornithopods' culmination in the duck-billed dinosaurs...
Timimus Timimus Timimus is a genus of small coelurosaurian theropod, which may have been an ornithomimosaur, known only from two fossilised upper leg bones found at Dinosaur Cove at the southern tip of Australia. The name "Tim's Mimic" was coined by the discoverers' son Tim and for Tim Flannery...
Zephyrosaurus Zephyrosaurus Zephyrosaurus is a genus of hypsilophodont ornithopod dinosaur. It is based on a partial skull and postcranial fragments discovered in the Aptian-Albian-age Lower Cretaceous Cloverly Formation of Carbon County, Montana...	Aptian Aptian The Aptian is an age in the geologic timescale or a stage in the stratigraphic column. It is a subdivision of the Early or Lower Cretaceous epoch or series and encompasses the time from 125.0 ± 1.0 Ma to 112.0 ± 1.0 Ma , approximately...  to Albian	Cloverly Formation Cloverly Formation The Cloverly Formation are Lower Cretaceous strata located in Montana and Wyoming, in the western United States. The term now includes strata that had formerly been called the Dakota Formation in central and southern Wyoming.-Members:... , Montana, USA	Hypsilophodont

Plesiosaurs

†Plesiosauria Plesiosauria Plesiosauria are an order of Mesozoic marine reptiles. They first appeared in the middle Triassic Period and became especially common during the Jurassic Period, thriving until the K-T extinction at the end of the Cretaceous Period.The name "plesiosaur" is variously used to refer both to the...  of the Albian
Taxa	Presence	Location	Description	Images
†Kronosaurus Kronosaurus Kronosaurus is an extinct genus of short-necked pliosaur. It was among the largest pliosaurs, and is appropriately named after the leader of the Greek Titans, Kronos.-Discovery and species:... †Kronosaurus queenslandicus	Aptian Aptian The Aptian is an age in the geologic timescale or a stage in the stratigraphic column. It is a subdivision of the Early or Lower Cretaceous epoch or series and encompasses the time from 125.0 ± 1.0 Ma to 112.0 ± 1.0 Ma , approximately...  to Albian	Hughenden district, Queensland, Australia	Among the largest pliosaurs, body-length estimates put the total length of Kronosaurus at 9–10 meters

Pterosauria

Pterosaurs of the Albian
Taxa	Presence	Location	Description	Images
Amblydectes		Cambridge Greensand Cambridge Greensand The Cambridge Greensand is a geological formation in England whose strata date back to the Early Cretaceous. Dinosaur remains are among the fossils that have been recovered from the formation.-References:... , United Kingdom
Coloborhynchus Coloborhynchus Coloborhynchus is a genus in the pterosaur family Ornithocheiridae, and is known from the Lower Cretaceous of Europe, North America, and South America....		Morocco; Santana Formation Santana Formation The Santana Formation is a geologic Lagerstätte in northeastern Brazil's Araripe Basin where the states of Pernambuco, Piauí and Ceará come together. The geological formation, named after the village of Santana do Cariri, lies at the base of the Araripe Plateau... , Brazil; Paw Paw Formation Paw Paw Formation The Paw Paw Formation is a geological formation in Texas whose strata date back to the Early Cretaceous. Dinosaur remains are among the fossils that have been recovered from the formation.-References:... , Texas, USA
Lonchodectes Lonchodectes Lonchodectes was a genus of ?azhdarchoid pterosaur from several formations dating from the ?Valanginian to the Turonian of England, mostly in the area around Kent...		Kent and Sussex, England, United Kingdom
Lonchognathosaurus Lonchognathosaurus Lonchognathosaurus was a genus of dsungaripterid pterodactyloid pterosaur from the Albian-age Lower Cretaceous Lianmuxin Formation of Xinjiang, China....		Lianmuxin Formation, Xinjiang, China
Pterodaustro Pterodaustro Pterodaustro was a Cretaceous pterodactyloid pterosaur from South America, living 105 million years ago.-Naming:The genus was named in 1969 by José Bonaparte as an as yet undescribed nomen nudum. The first description followed in 1970, making the name valid, the type species being Pterodaustro...	Valanginian Valanginian In the geologic timescale, the Valanginian is an age or stage of the Early or Lower Cretaceous. It spans between 140.2 ± 3.0 Ma and 136.4 ± 2.0 Ma...  to Albian	Lagarcito Formation, Argentina
Santanadactylus Santanadactylus Santanadactylus was a genus of pterodactyloid pterosaur from the Aptian-age Romualdo Member of the Lower Cretaceous Santana Formation, of Barra do Jardim, Araripe Plateau, Ceará Province, Brazil. Four species have been named, but today it is doubted they are part of the same genus...	Aptian Aptian The Aptian is an age in the geologic timescale or a stage in the stratigraphic column. It is a subdivision of the Early or Lower Cretaceous epoch or series and encompasses the time from 125.0 ± 1.0 Ma to 112.0 ± 1.0 Ma , approximately...  or Albian	Santana Formation Santana Formation The Santana Formation is a geologic Lagerstätte in northeastern Brazil's Araripe Basin where the states of Pernambuco, Piauí and Ceará come together. The geological formation, named after the village of Santana do Cariri, lies at the base of the Araripe Plateau... , Brazil
Thalassodromeus Thalassodromeus Thalassodromeus was a large pterodactyloid pterosaur found in northeastern Brazil.The genus was named in 2002 by Alexander Kellner and Diogenes de Almeida Campos. The type species is Thalassodromeus sethi. The genus name is derived from Greek thalasse, "sea" and dromaios, "runner", in reference to...	Aptian Aptian The Aptian is an age in the geologic timescale or a stage in the stratigraphic column. It is a subdivision of the Early or Lower Cretaceous epoch or series and encompasses the time from 125.0 ± 1.0 Ma to 112.0 ± 1.0 Ma , approximately...  to early Albian	Santan do Cariri, Brazil; St Gallen, Switzerland
Tupuxuara Tupuxuara Tupuxuara is a genus of large, crested, toothless pterodactyloid pterosaur.The genus was in 1988 named and described by Alexander Kellner and Diogenes de Almeida Campos. The type species is Tupuxuara longicristatus. The genus name refers to a familiar spirit from the mythology of the Tupi...	Albian or Cenomanian Cenomanian The Cenomanian is, in the ICS' geological timescale the oldest or earliest age of the Late Cretaceous epoch or the lowest stage of the Upper Cretaceous series. An age is a unit of geochronology: it is a unit of time; the stage is a unit in the stratigraphic column deposited during the corresponding...	Santana Formation Santana Formation The Santana Formation is a geologic Lagerstätte in northeastern Brazil's Araripe Basin where the states of Pernambuco, Piauí and Ceará come together. The geological formation, named after the village of Santana do Cariri, lies at the base of the Araripe Plateau... , Brazil
Zhejiangopterus Zhejiangopterus Zhejiangopterus is a genus of pterodactyloid pterosaur, known from one species, which lived in China during the late Cretaceous Period.The genus was named in 1994 by Chinese paleontologists Cai Zhengquan and Wei Feng. The type species is Zhejiangopterus linhaiensis. The genus name refers to...	?	Zhejiang, China

Sauropods

Sauropods Sauropoda Sauropoda , or the sauropods , are an infraorder or clade of saurischian dinosaurs. They are notable for the enormous sizes attained by some species, and the group includes many of the largest animals to have ever lived on land. Well-known genera include Apatosaurus , Brachiosaurus and Diplodocus...  of the Albian
Taxa	Presence	Location	Description	Images
Aegyptosaurus Aegyptosaurus Aegyptosaurus meaning 'Egypt’s lizard', for the country in which it was discovered is a genus of dinosaur believed to have lived in what is now Africa, around 95 million years ago, during the mid- and late-Cretaceous Period...
Amazonsaurus Amazonsaurus Amazonsaurus is a genus of diplodocoid sauropod dinosaur from the Early Cretaceous Period of what is now South America. It would have been a large-bodied quadrupedal herbivore with a long neck and whiplash tail...
Argentinosaurus Argentinosaurus Argentinosaurus is a genus of sauropod dinosaur first discovered by Guillermo Heredia in Argentina. The generic name means "silver lizard", in reference to the country in which it was discovered...
Brachiosaurus Brachiosaurus Brachiosaurus , meaning "arm lizard", from the Greek brachion/βραχιων meaning "arm" and sauros/σαυρος meaning "lizard", was a genus of sauropod dinosaur that lived during the Late Jurassic Period and possibly the Early Cretaceous Period. It was named thus because its forelimbs were longer than its...	? Brachiosaurus nougaredi	Wargla, Algeria
Chubutisaurus Chubutisaurus Chubutisaurus was a species of dinosaur from the Early Cretaceous Period. It lived in South America. It is classified as a Sauropod, specifically one of the titanosaurs. The type species, C. insignis, was described by del Corro in 1975...
Jobaria Jobaria Jobaria was a sauropod dinosaur discovered in the Sahara Desert in 1997, and is one of the most completely known Cretaceous sauropods. It was named after "Jobar", a creature of local legends, and is thought to have been about 18 metres long...	Aptian Aptian The Aptian is an age in the geologic timescale or a stage in the stratigraphic column. It is a subdivision of the Early or Lower Cretaceous epoch or series and encompasses the time from 125.0 ± 1.0 Ma to 112.0 ± 1.0 Ma , approximately...  or Albian
Sauroposeidon Sauroposeidon Sauroposeidon is a genus of sauropod dinosaur known from four neck vertebrae that were found in the southwestern portion of the US state of Oklahoma...

Theropods

Theropods Theropoda Theropods are a group of bipedal saurischian dinosaurs. Although they were primarily carnivorous, a number of theropod families evolved herbivory during the Cretaceous Period...  of the Albian
Taxa	Presence	Location	Description	Images
Acrocanthosaurus Acrocanthosaurus Acrocanthosaurus is a genus of theropod dinosaur that existed in what is now North America during the Aptian and early Albian stages of the Early Cretaceous. Like most dinosaur genera, Acrocanthosaurus contains only a single species, A. atokensis. Its fossil remains are found mainly in the U.S...		North America
Alxasaurus Alxasaurus Alxasaurus is a genus of therizinosauroid theropod dinosaur from the Early Cretaceous Period of Inner Mongolia. It is one of the earliest known members of the superfamily Therizinosauroidea, but it still possessed the body shape - including the long neck, short tail, and long hand claws - of later...		Asia
Angaturama Angaturama Angaturama is a genus of spinosaurid theropod from the Early Cretaceous Santana Formation of northeastern Brazil. The type specimen was discovered in a limestone nodule and consisted of the incomplete anterior portion of a skull. A description of the new species, A. limai by Alexander W.A...
Cristatusaurus Cristatusaurus Cristatusaurus is an extinct genus of spinosaurid theropod dinosaur. It lived during the Early Cretaceous Period of what is now Africa....		Niger
Deinonychus Deinonychus Deinonychus was a genus of carnivorous dromaeosaurid dinosaur. There is one described species, Deinonychus antirrhopus. This 3.4 meter long dinosaur lived during the early Cretaceous Period, about 115-108 million years ago...		North America
Erectopus Erectopus Erectopus is an allosauroid theropod from the Lower Cretaceous of France. The material comprising the type series was discovered in the late 19th century from the Phosphate-bearing beds of La Penthèive at Louppy-le-Château in eastern France, which have also produced remains of plesiosaurs,...
Irritator Irritator Irritator is a genus of spinosaurid dinosaur that lived in the early Cretaceous Period , around 110 million years ago. Current estimations indicate a length of 8 meters and a height of 3 meters . It was found in Brazil...
Fukuiraptor Fukuiraptor Fukuiraptor was a medium-sized carnivore of the Early Cretaceous that lived in what is now Japan. Scientists first thought it was a member of the Dromaeosauridae, but after studying the fossils they now believe it was related to Allosaurus in the family Neovenatoridae. The type specimen is the...
Spinosaurus Spinosaurus Spinosaurus is a genus of theropod dinosaur which lived in what is now North Africa, sometime during the Albian and Cenomanian stages of the Cretaceous period, about 112 to 93.5 million years ago. This genus was first known from Egyptian remains discovered in the 1910s and described by...
Suchomimus Suchomimus Suchomimus is a genus of large spinosaurid dinosaur with a crocodile-like mouth that lived 125 to 112 million years ago, during the Aptian stage of the Cretaceous period in Africa....
Timimus Timimus Timimus is a genus of small coelurosaurian theropod, which may have been an ornithomimosaur, known only from two fossilised upper leg bones found at Dinosaur Cove at the southern tip of Australia. The name "Tim's Mimic" was coined by the discoverers' son Tim and for Tim Flannery...

Originating in Lower Albian Strata

The following is a list of Ammonite genera whose fossils are geochronologically found first in lower Albian strata. These genera may survive into later portions of the Ablian stage, or even into later geological stages. This list should not be thought of in terms of the lifespan of the genera included.

• Aioloceras
  Aioloceras
  Aioloceras is an extinct genus of cephalopod belonging to the Ammonite subclass....
  
  
• Anacleoniceras
  Anacleoniceras
  Anacleoniceras is an extinct genus of cephalopod belonging to the Ammonite subclass....
  
  
• Anadesmoceras
  Anadesmoceras
  Anadesmoceras is an extinct genus of cephalopod belonging to the Ammonite subclass....
  
  
• Anisoceras
  Anisoceras
  Anisoceras is an extinct genus of cephalopods belonging to the Anisoceratidae family of the Ammonite subclass.- References :* http://paleodb.org/cgi-bin/bridge.pl?action=checkTaxonInfo&taxon_no=14564&is_real_user=1...
  
  
• Arcthoplites
  Arcthoplites
  Arcthoplites is an extinct genus of cephalopod belonging to the Ammonite subclass....
  
  
• Brancoceras
• Brewericeras
• Cleoniceras
• Cymahoplites
• Douvilleiceras
  Douvilleiceras
  Douvilleiceras is a genus of ammonite from the Cretaceous. Its fossils have been found in Europe, North America, and South America.-External links:* in the Paleobiology Database...
  
  
• Epileymeriella
• Eubranoceras
• Farnhamia
• Hoplites
• Kossmatella
• Labeceras
• Leconteites
• Lemuroceras
• Leymeriella
• Lyelliceras
• Neobibolites
• Otohoplites
• Oxytropidoceras
• Paracanthoplites
• Parasilesites
• Parengonoceras
• Plictetia
• Prohelicoceras
• Proleymeriella
• Prolyelliceras
• Protohoplites
• Pseudoleymeriella
• Pseudosonneratia
• Puzosia
• Puzosigella
• Rhytidohoplites
• Rossalites
• Silesitoides
• Sokolovites
• Sonneratia
  Sonneratia
  Sonneratia is a genus of plants in the family Lythraceae. Formerly the Sonneratia were placed in a family called Sonneratiaceae which included both the Sonneratia and the Duabanga, but these two are now placed in their own monotypic subfamilies of the family Lythraceae...
  
  
• Tegoceras
• Tetrahoplites
• Tetrahoplitoides
• Zealandites
  Zealandites
  Zealandites is an extinct genus of cephalopod belonging to the Ammonite subclass....
  
  

Originating in Middle Albian Strata

The following is a list of Ammonite genera whose fossils are geochronologically found first in middle Albian strata. These genera may survive into later portions of the Ablian stage, or even into later geological stages. This list should not be thought of in terms of the lifespan of the genera included.

• Anagaudryceras
  Anagaudryceras
  Anagaudryceras is an extinct genus of cephalopod belonging to the Ammonite subclass.-References:* Accessed on 9/24/07...
  
  
• Anahoplites
  Anahoplites
  Anahoplites is an extinct genus of cephalopod belonging to the Ammonite subclass....
  
  
• Astiericeras
  Astiericeras
  Astiericeras is an extinct genus of cephalopod belonging to the Ammonite subclass....
  
  
• Dimorphoplites
• Dipoloceras
• Dipoloceroides
• Engonoceras
• Epihoplites
• Euhoplites
  Euhoplites
  Euhoplites is an extinct genus of cephalopod belonging to the ammonite subclass. Fossils of this animal are commonly found in strata dating back to the Albian stage of the Cretaceous Period in southeastern England. The most common ammonites of the Folkstone fossil beds are the various species of...
  
  
• Falciferella
• Falloticeras
• Gastroplites
• Hamitoides
• Hysteroceras
• Isohoplites
• Manuaniceras
• Mojsisoviczia
• Mortoniceras
  Mortoniceras
  Mortoniceras is an ammonoid genus belonging to the superfamily Acanthocerataceae, named by Meek in 1876, based on Ammonites vespertinu, named by Morton in 1834....
  
  
• Ostlingoceras
• Protengonoceras
• Proturrilitoides
• Pseudhelicoceras
• Scaphamites
• Subarcthoplites
• Sulcohoplites
• Turrilitoides
• Venezoliceras
• Zuluscaphites
  Zuluscaphites
  Zuluscaphites is an extinct genus of cephalopod belonging to the Ammonite subclass....
  
  

Originating in Upper Albian Strata

The following is a list of Ammonite genera whose fossils are geochronologically found first in upper Albian strata. These genera may survive into later portions of the Ablian stage, or even into later geological stages. This list should not be thought of in terms of the lifespan of the genera included.

• Adkinsites
  Adkinsites
  Adkinsites is an extinct genus of cephalopod belonging to the Ammonite subclass....
  
  
• Arestoceras
  Arestoceras
  Arestoceras is an extinct genus of cephalopod belonging to the Ammonite subclass....
  
  
• Beudantiella
  Beudantiella
  Beudantiella is an extinct genus of cephalopod belonging to the Ammonite subclass....
  
  
• Bhimaites
  Bhimaites
  Bhimaites is an extinct genus of cephalopod belonging to the Ammonite subclass....
  
  
• Borissiakoceras
• Cainoceras
• Callihoplites
• Cantabrigites
• Cenisella
• Cottreauites
• Cyrtochilus
• Deiradoceras
• Diplasioceras
• Discohoplites
• Ellipsoceras
• Elobiceras
• Eogunnarites
• Eopachydiscus
• Eoscaphites
• Erioliceras
• Ficheuria
• Flickia
• Gaudryceras
• Gazdaganites
• Goodhallites
• Hemiptychoceras
• Hengestites
• Hypengonoceras
• Hyphoplites
• Idiohamites
• Karamaiceras
  Karamaiceras
  Karamaiceras is an extinct genus of cephalopod belonging to the Ammonite subclass....
  
  
• Karamaites
  Karamaites
  Karamites is an extinct genus of cephalopod belonging to the Ammonite subclass....
  
  
• Koloceras
• Lechites
  Lechites
  Lechites or Lekhites - name for some tribes of West Slavs whose shared quality was the use of the Lechitic languages.*Lechitic group**Poles***Masovians***Polans***Vistulans***Lendians***Silesians**Pomeranians***Kashubians***Slovincians...
  
  
• Lepthoplites
• Lytodiscoides
• Mantelliceras
• Mariella
  Mariella
  Mariella is an ammonoid genus, named by Nowak from the upper Albian and Cenomanian stages of the mid Cretaceous, included in the Turrilitidae. Its type is Turrilites bergeri-References:...
  
  
• Metengonoceras
• Myloceras
• Neogastroplites
• Neoharpoceras
• Neokentoceras
• Neophlycticeras
• Pachydesmoceras
• Paradolphia
• Paraturrilites
• Pervinquieria
• Plesiohamites
• Plesioturrilites
• Pleurohoplites
• Prohysteroceras
• Psilohamites
• Rusoceras
• Salaziceras
• Saltericeras
• Scaphites
  Scaphites
  Scaphites is a genus of extinct cephalopod belonging to the family of heteromorph ammonites . They were a widespread genus that thrived during the Cretaceous period....
  
  
• Schloenbachia
  Schloenbachia
  Schloenbachia is an extinct genus of cephalopod belonging to the Ammonite subclass, and containing two species found in the Cenomanian ....
  
  
• Sciponoceras
• Semenovites
• Spathiceras
• Stoliczkaia
• Stomohamites
• Worthoceras

Belemnites

Belemnites of the Albian
Taxa	Presence	Location	Description	Images
Belospirula Belospirula Belospirula is a genus of belemnite, an extinct group of cephalopods....
Dimitobelus Dimitobelus Dimitobelus is a genus of belemnite, an extinct group of cephalopods....

Nautiloids

Nautiloids of the Albian
Taxa	Presence	Location	Description	Images
Deltoidonautilus

Literature

; 2004: A Geologic Time Scale 2004, Cambridge University Press

Cambridge University Press

Cambridge University Press is a printer and publisher granted a Royal Letters Patent by Henry VIII in 1534. It is the world's oldest continually operating book publisher...

.; 2004: The Global Boundary Stratotype Section and Point (GSSP) for the base of the Cenomanian Stage, Mont Risou, Hautes-Alpes, France, Episodes 27, pp. 21–32.; 1842: Paléontologie française: Terrains crétacés, vol. ii.

External links

• GeoWhen Database - Albian
• Mid-Cretaceous timescale, at the website of the subcommission for stratigraphic information of the ICS (The top of the Albian stage is also still visible on their Late Cretaceous timescale)
• Stratigraphic chart of the Lower Cretaceous, at the website of Norges Network of offshore records of geology and stratigraphy
• Albian Stage, Cretaceous Period in Hampshire