The Chenini Member is a geological member of the Ain el Guettar Formation in Tunisia, whose strata date back to the Late Aptian to Early Albian stages of the Cretaceous period.Bateun el Hmaima at Fossilworks.orgBir Miteur, RH 45 at Fossilworks.org The lithology consists of coarse sandstones with occasional conglomerates and mudstones. Dinosaur remains are among the fossils that have been recovered from the formation.Weishampel, David B; et al. (2004). "Dinosaur distribution (Early Cretaceous, Africa)." In: Weishampel, David B.; Dodson, Peter; and Osmólska, Halszka (eds.): The Dinosauria, 2nd, Berkeley: University of California Press. Pp. 571-573. .
Vertebrate paleofauna The Chenini Member during the Early Cretaceous period was a marsh-like swampy habitat. The most famous dinosaur discoveries made here include Carcharodontosaurus and Spinosaurus.
Theropods of the Chenini member Genus Species Location Material Notes ImagesSpinosaurusBuffetaut, E & Ouaja, M (2002) A new specimen of Spinosaurus (Dinosauria, Theropoda) from the Lower Cretaceous of Tunisia, with remarks on the evolutionary history of the Spinosauridae. Bulletin de la Société Géologique de France 173: 415–421. S.cf. aegyptiacusA spinosaurid theropodCarcharodontosaurusC. saharicusA carcharodontosaurid theropodSauropodaSauropoda indet.IguanodontiaIguanodontia indet.
Pterosaurs of the Chenini member Genus Species Location Material Notes ImagesOrnithocheiridae Ornithocheiridae indet. BENTON, M. J., BOUAZIZ, S., BUFFETAUT, E., MARTILL, D. M., OUAJA, M., SOUSSI, M. & TRUEMAN, C. (2000): Dinosaurs and other fossil vertebrates from fluvial deposits in the Lower Cretaceous of southern Tunisia. Palaeogeography, Palaeoclimatology, Palaeoecology, 157: 227–246.
See also List of dinosaur-bearing rock formations Geology of Tunisia
References
Further reading S. Bouaziz, É. Buffetaut, M. Ghanmi, J.-J. Jaeger, M. Martin, J.-M. Mazin, and H. Tong. 1988. Nouvelles découvertes de vertébrés fossiles dans l'Albien du sud tunisien [New discoveries of fossil vertebrates in the Albian of southern Tunisia]. Bulletin de la Société Géologique de France, 8e série 4(2):335-339 J. Le Loeuff, É. Buffetaut, G. Cuny, Y. Laurent, M. Ouaja, C. Souillat, D. Srarfi and H. Tong. 2000. Mesozoic continental vertebrates of Tunisia. 5th European Workshop on Vertebrate Palaeontology, Staatliches Museum für Naturkunde, Geowissenschaften Abteilung. Program. Abstracts. Excursion Guides 45