Dinosaurs evolved partway through the Triassic period of the Mesozoic era, around 230 Ma (million years ago). At that time, the earth had one supercontinental landmass, called Pangaea, of which Europe was a part. By the start of the Jurassic period, some 30 million years later, the supercontinent began to split into Laurasia and Gondwana. The largest inlet from Panthalassa, the superocean that surrounded Pangaea, was called the Tethys Ocean, and as this inlet cut deeper into the supercontinent, much of Europe was flooded.

By the Cretaceous, from 145 to 66 million years ago, the continents were beginning to approach their present shapes, but not their present positions, and Europe remained tropical. At times, it was a chain of island-microcontinents including Baltica and Iberia.

Europe is relatively rich in fossils from the Jurassic-Cretaceous boundary, and much of what is known about European dinosaurs dates from this time. During the Maastrichtian the end of the Cretaceous dinosaurs were dominating western and Central Europe as the Tremp Formation in Spain dates back to that age. Examples of dinosaurs from Maastrichtian Europe are Struthiosaurus and Canardia.

Criteria for inclusion The genus must appear on the List of dinosaur genera. At least one named species of the creature must have been found in Europe.

List of European dinosaurs Valid genera

Name Year Formation Location Notes Images Abditosaurus 2022 Tremp Formation (Late Cretaceous, Maastrichtian) Larger and distantly related to other European sauropods, suggesting it was an immigrant from another continent Acanthopholis 1867 Chalk Group (Late Cretaceous, Cenomanian) () Possessed keeled oval scutes as well as long spines Adynomosaurus 2019 Tremp Formation (Late Cretaceous, Maastrichtian) Relatively basal despite its late age Aepisaurus 1852 Grès verts hevétiques (Early Cretaceous, Albian) Known only from a humerus which shares some features with camarasaurids and titanosaursLe Loeuff, J. (1993). European titanosaurids. Revue de Paléobiologie, Volume Spéciale 7:105-117. Ajkaceratops 2010 Csehbánya Formation (Late Cretaceous, Santonian) Known for its sharply hooked upper beak Allosaurus 1877 Lourinhã Formation (Late Jurassic, Kimmeridgian) Three species, including the type, are known from the United States. The European species may be a synonym of A. fragilis, but at least one study suggests that it is indeed valid Alocodon 1973 Cabaços Formation (Late Jurassic, Oxfordian) Had vertical grooves on its teeth Altispinax 1923 Wadhurst Clay Formation (Early Cretaceous, Valanginian) () Possessed elongated neural spines that may have supported a hump-like structure as in Concavenator Amanzia 2020 Reuchenette Formation (Late Jurassic, Kimmeridgian) One bone preserves fossilized cartilage. Originally believed to be a species of Ornithopsis or Cetiosauriscus Ampelosaurus 1995 Argiles et Grès à Reptiles Formation, Grès de Labarre, Gres de Saint-Chinian, Marnes Rouges Inférieures Formation (Late Cretaceous, Maastrichtian) Had three different types of osteoderms, including spines, plates and bulbs Anoplosaurus 1879 Cambridge Greensand (Early Cretaceous, Albian) () Considered an ankylosaur despite the fact no osteoderms have been found. Historically suggested to be an ornithopod Aragosaurus 1987 Villar del Arzobispo Formation (Early Cretaceous, Berriasian) Reportedly had a unique ischium Arcovenator 2014 Argiles et Grès à Reptiles Formation (Late Cretaceous, Campanian) Most closely related to abelisaurids from India and Madagascar Arenysaurus 2009 Tremp Formation (Late Cretaceous, Maastrichtian) One of the last lambeosaurines prior to their extinction Aristosuchus 1887 Wealden Group (Early Cretaceous, Barremian) () May have had long claws based on referred unguals Asylosaurus 2007 Avon Fissure Fill (Late Triassic, Rhaetian) () Remains originally identified as Thecodontosaurus Atsinganosaurus 2010 Argiles et Grès à Reptiles Formation (Late Cretaceous, Maastrichtian) Belongs to a unique clade of southwestern European titanosaursVerónica Díez Díaz; Géraldine Garcia; Xabier Pereda Suberbiola; Benjamin Jentgen-Ceschino; Koen Stein; Pascal Godefroit; Xavier Valentin (2018). The titanosaurian dinosaur Atsinganosaurus velauciensis (Sauropoda) from the Upper Cretaceous of southern France: New material, phylogenetic affinities, and palaeobiogeographical implications. Cretaceous Research. in press. doi:10.1016/j.cretres.2018.06.015. Aviatyrannis 2003 Alcobaça Formation (Late Jurassic, Oxfordian to Tithonian) Although originally described as a tyrannosauroid, it may in fact be the oldest known ornithomimosaur Barilium 2010 Wadhurst Clay Formation (Early Cretaceous, Valanginian) () Robust with strong vertebrae and short neural spines Baryonyx 1986 Weald Clay (Early Cretaceous, Barremian) () One specimen was found with the remains of fish and a juvenile iguanodont in its stomach, suggesting it was a generalist predator Betasuchus 1932 Maastricht Formation (Late Cretaceous, Maastrichtian) The first terrestrial vertebrate named from the Maastrichtian stageZoltan Csiki-Sava, Eric Buffetaut, Attila Ősi, Xabier Pereda-Suberbiola & Stephen L. Brusatte, 2015, "Island life in the Cretaceous -- faunal composition, biogeography, evolution, and extinction of land-living vertebrates on the Late Cretaceous European archipelago", ZooKeys 469: 1-161 Blasisaurus 2010 Arén Formation (Late Cretaceous, Maastrichtian) Only known from a partial skull but can be distinguished from contemporary lambeosaurines Bothriospondylus 1875 Kimmeridge Clay (Late Jurassic, Kimmeridgian) () Several specimens have been assigned to this genus, but most of them have been reclassified into different genera Bradycneme 1975 Sânpetru Formation (Late Cretaceous, Maastrichtian) Potentially an alvarezsaurid Brighstoneus 2021 Wessex Formation (Early Cretaceous, Barremian) () Possessed a long snout tipped with a low bump Burianosaurus 2017 Peruc-Korycany Formation (Late Cretaceous, Cenomanian) May be closely allied to the rhabdodontids Calamosaurus 1891 Wessex Formation (Early Cretaceous, Barremian) () Only known from two cervical vertebrae. Several bones have been referred to it over the years but there is no way to prove all of them belonged to the same genus Calamospondylus 1866 Wessex Formation (Early Cretaceous, Hauterivian) () Only definitively known from a sacrum and associated pelvic elements Caletodraco 2024 Chalk of the Pays de Caux (Late Cretaceous, Cenomanian) Possibly the first known non-South American furileusaurian abelisaurid Callovosaurus 1980 Oxford Clay (Middle Jurassic, Callovian) () The oldest known dryosaurid Calvarius 2023 Tremp Formation (Late Cretaceous, Maastrichtian) May have been a cursorial biped similar to basal ornithopods despite being more derived Camarillasaurus 2014 Camarillas Formation (Early Cretaceous, Barremian) Described as a ceratosaur but has since been reinterpreted as a spinosaurid Camelotia 1985 Westbury Formation (Late Triassic to Early Jurassic, Rhaetian to Hettangian) () One of the largest known non-sauropod sauropodomorphs Canardia 2013 Marnes d'Auzas Formation (Late Cretaceous, Maastrichtian) May have been a close relative of Aralosaurus Cardiodon 1841 Forest Marble Formation (Middle Jurassic, Bathonian) () The first sauropod ever named.Taylor, Michael P., 2010, "Sauropod dinosaur research: a historical review", pp. 361-386 in: Richard T. J. Moody, Eric Buffetaut, Darren Naish and David M. Martill (eds.), Dinosaurs and Other Extinct Saurians: a Historical Perspective. Geological Society of London, Special Publication 343 Known only from a tooth Cariocecus 2025 Papo Seco Formation (Early Cretaceous, Barremian) Represents the first Portuguese iguanodontian skull Ceratosuchops 2021 Wessex Formation (Early Cretaceous, Barremian) () Differs from Baryonyx in subtle details of its skull Cetiosauriscus 1927 Oxford Clay (Middle Jurassic, Callovian) () Has been assigned to a variety of positions around Eusauropoda Cetiosaurus 1841 Rutland Formation (Middle Jurassic, Bajocian to Bathonian) () The first sauropod known from decent remains. Once believed to be a large seagoing animal Chondrosteosaurus 1876 Wessex Formation (Early Cretaceous, Barremian) () The air sacs in its vertebrae were originally believed to be filled with cartilage Compsognathus 1859 Alcobaça Formation?, Canjuers Lagerstätte, Solnhofen Limestone (Late Jurassic, Tithonian) ? One of the smallest known non-avian dinosaurs Comptonatus 2024 Wessex Formation (Early Cretaceous, Barremian to Aptian) () One of the most completely known ornithopod taxa from the Isle of Wight Concavenator 2010 La Huérguina Formation (Early Cretaceous, Barremian) Preserves bumps on its ulna which have been interpreted as quill knobs, although they might have been muscle attachments instead Craspedodon 1883 Lonzée Member (Late Cretaceous, Santonian) May be the first neoceratopsian known from Europe Craterosaurus 1874 Woburn Sands Formation (Early Cretaceous, Aptian to Albian) () Potentially synonymous with Regnosaurus Cruxicheiros 2010 Chipping Norton Limestone (Middle Jurassic, Bathonian) () Inconsistent in phylogenetic placement Cryptosaurus 1869 Ampthill Clay (Late Jurassic, Oxfordian) () Only known from a single femur Cumnoria 1888 Kimmeridge Clay (Late Jurassic, Kimmeridgian) () May be a species of Camptosaurus or something a little more basal Dacentrurus 1902 Alcobaça Formation, Argiles d'Octeville, Kimmeridge Clay, Lourinhã Formation, Villar del Arzobispo Formation (Late Jurassic to Early Cretaceous, Kimmeridgian to Berriasian)