The El Gallo Formation is a geological formation in Mexico whose strata date back to the Late Cretaceous, from the Santonian to the Maastrichtian. Dinosaur remains are among the fossils that have been recovered from the formation."El Gallo Formation." Weishampel et al., 2004, pp.587-588
Vertebrate paleofauna
Crurotarsans Crurotarsans of the El Gallo Formation Genus Species Location Member Abundance Notes Images Brachychampsa "Appendix: Summary of the Mesozoic Reptilian Fossils of California," in Hilton (2003) p. 277 Leidyosuchus
Dinosaurs Indeterminate theropod, coelurosaur, dromaeosaurid, tyrannosaurid, hadrosaurid, and ankylosaurid remains are known from the formation. Dinosaur eggs are known from the formation."El Gallo Formation, Baja California Del Norte, Mexico," in Sullivan and Lucas (2006). Page 16. Alexornis antecedens actually comes from the La Bocana Roja Formation. An indeterminate hadrosaurine is known from the formation. Potential Hypacrosaurus remains have been unearthed here.
Dinosaurs of the El Gallo Formation Genus Species Location Member Abundance Notes Imagescf. ChirostenotesC. sp.GryposaurusIndeterminate Lambeosaurus"Appendix: Summary of the Mesozoic Reptilian Fossils of California," in Hilton (2003) p. 260 L. laticaudus Magnapaulia M. laticaudus El Rosario site El Disecado A partial skeleton A large lambeosaur SaurornitholestinaeIndeterminate cf. Troodon"4.5 Estado de Baja California Norte, Mexico; 1. El Gallo Formation," in Weishampel, et al. (2004). Pages 587-588. T. formosus TyrannosauridaeIndeterminatePossibly represents a new taxon.ManiraptoraManiraptora indet.TroodontidaeTroodontidae indet.DromaeosauridaeDromaeosauridae indet.TheropodaTheropoda indet.
Lepidosaurs The diversity of lepidosaurs in El Gallo formation is scarce. However, the Polyglyphanodontian Dicothon bajaensis is by far the lizard with an important fossil record for this formation . Lepidosaurs of the El Gallo Formation Genus Species Location Member Abundance Notes ImagesDicothodonbajaensis ParaglyphanodonListed as "cf. Paraglyphanodon" in "El Gallo Formation, Baja California Del Norte, Mexico," in Sullivan and Lucas (2006). Page 16. Indeterminate Probably a juvenile Polyglyphanodon.
Mammals Mammals of the El Gallo Formation Genus Species Location Stratigraphic position Abundance Notes Images Cimolodon C. desosai MesodmaListed as "Mesodma cf. M. formosa" in "El Gallo Formation, Baja California Del Norte, Mexico," in Sullivan and Lucas (2006). Page 16. M. formosa Pediomys Indeterminate Stygimys Indeterminate
Amphibians An indeterminate albanerpetontid is known from the formation.
See also List of dinosaur-bearing rock formations List of fossiliferous stratigraphic units in Mexico
References
Bibliography
Sullivan, R.M., and Lucas, S.G. 2006. "The Kirtlandian land-vertebrate "age" – faunal composition, temporal position and biostratigraphic correlation in the nonmarine Upper Cretaceous of western North America." New Mexico Museum of Natural History and Science, Bulletin 35:7-29
Hilton, Richard P. 2003. Dinosaurs and Other Mesozoic Reptiles of California. Berkeley: University of California Press. 318 pp.
Further reading
M. L. Chavarria-Arellano, T. R. Simões, and M. Montellano-Ballesteros. 2018. New data on the Late Cretaceous lizard Dicothodon bajaensis (Squamata, Borioteiioidea) from Baja California, Mexico reveals an unusual tooth replacement pattern in squamates. Anais da Academia Brasileira de Ciências O. A. López Conde, J. Sterli, M. L. Chavarría Arellano, D. B. Brinkman, and M. Montellano Ballesteros. 2018. Turtles from the Late Cretaceous (Campanian) of El Gallo Formation, Baja California, Mexico. South American Journal of Earth Sciences 88:693-699 B. R. Peecook, J. A. Wilson, R. Hernandez-Rivera, M. Montellano-Ballesteros, and G. P. Wilson. 2014. First tyrannosaurid remains from the Upper Cretaceous "El Gallo" Formation of Baja California, Mexico. Acta Palaeontologica Polonica 59(1):71-80 A. A. Ramírez Velasco, R. Hernández Rivera, and R. Servin Pichardo. 2014. The hadrosaurian record from Mexico. In D. A. Eberth & D. C. Evans (ed.), Hadrosaurs 340–360 H. E. Rivera Sylva, K. Carpenter, and F. J. Aranda Manteca. 2011. Late Cretaceous nodosaurids (Ankylosauria: Ornithischia) from Mexico. Revista Mexicana de Ciencias Geológicas 28(3):371-378 W. J. Morris. 1973. Mesozoic and Tertiary vertebrates in Baja California. National Geographic Society Research Reports (1966) 7:197-209 A. Silva Bárcenas. 1969. Localidades de vertebrados fósiles en la Republica Méxicana [Vertebrate fossil localities in the Mexican Republic]. Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Instituto de Geología, Paleontología Mexicana 28:1-34 W. Langston and M. H. Oakes. 1954. Hadrosaurs in Baja California. Bulletin of the Geological Society of America 65(12):1344