The Chinle Formation is an extensive geological unit in the southwestern United States, preserving a very diverse fauna of Late Triassic (primarily Norian-age) animals and plants. This is a list of fossilized organisms recovered from the formation.

Amniotes

Archosauromorphs

Phytosaurs Phytosaurs of the Chinle Formation Genus Species State Member Abundance Notes ImagesLeptosuchus"Vertebrate Fauna; Parasuchia; Leptosuchus adamanensis, L. crosbiensis, and L. gregorii," Irmis (2005) p. 72, 74L. crosbiensis Arizona Sonsela Blue Mesa Mesa RedondoA basal leptosuchomorph related to Smilosuchus.Machaeroprosopus"Vertebrate Fauna; Parasuchia; Pseudopalatus pristinus, P. buceros, and P. mccauleyi," Irmis (2005) p. 74-75M. buceros Arizona New Mexico Owl Rock Petrified Forest SonselaA mystriosuchin. The type species of Machaeroprosopus.M. jablonskiae Arizona SonselaPartial skullAn early-diverging mystriosuchin.M. mccauleyi Arizona Owl Rock Petrified Forest SonselaA mystriosuchin.M. pristinus Arizona Owl Rock Petrified Forest SonselaA mystriosuchin. The type species of "Pseudopalatus", which is now considered a synonym of Machaeroprosopus.cf. Paleorhinus"Vertebrate Fauna; Parasuchia; 'Paleorhinus sp.'" Irmis (2005) p. 72Indeterminate Arizona Mesa RedondoPravusuchusP. hortus Arizona SonselaThree skulls.A basal leptosuchomorph closely related to Mystriosuchini or Nicrosaurus.ProtomeP. batalaria Arizona SonselaPartial skull and jaw.A phytosaur originally described as a juvenile Leptosuchus, but probably an unrelated non-leptosuchomorph or mystriosuchin.RedondasaurusHunt, A.P. and Lucas, S.G. 1993. A new phytosaur (Reptilia: Archosauria) genus from the uppermost Triassic of the western United States and its biochronological significance. In; The Nonmarine Triassic, Lucas and Morales, eds., New Mexico Museum of Natural History and Science Bulletin 3.R. gregorii Arizona Utah "Siltstone" / Rock Point Petrified Forest Church Rock A large late-surviving mystriosuchin. Either a close relative of Machaeroprosopus (formerly known as Pseudopalatus),Hungerbühler A. 2002. The Late Triassic phytosaur Mystriosuchus westphali, with a revision of the genus. Palaeontology 45 (2): 377-418 or a subgenus of that taxon.SmilosuchusLong, R.A. and Murray, P.A. 1995. Late Triassic (Carnian and Norian) Tetrapods from the Southwestern United States. New Mexico Museum of Natural History and Science Bulletin 4. pp. 254. S. adamanensis Arizona Sonsela Blue Mesa Mesa RedondoKnown from a single skullPreviously referred to Leptosuchus, actually referable to Smilosuchus. S. gregoriiArizona Sonsela Blue Mesa Mesa RedondoKnown from a handful of skulls.A basal leptosuchomorph, split off from Leptosuchus.S. lithodendrorumArizonaBlue MesaKnown from only one skull.Previously considered synonymous with S. adamanensis.

Suchians

Suchians of the Chinle Formation Genus Species State Member Abundance NotesImagesAcaenasuchus"Vertebrate Fauna; Stagonolepididae; Acaenasuchus geoffreyi," Irmis (2005) pp. 75-77A. geoffreyi Arizona Sonsela Blue Mesa Mesa RedondoKnown from a handful of isolated osteoderms.A controversial suchian based primarily on osteoderms. Some paleontologists have considered Acaenasuchus to be juvenile Desmatosuchus haplocerus scutes, while others considered it a separate genus of small aetosaurs. In 2020 it was redescribed as an aetosauriform related to, but not within, Aetosauria. It is also related to Revueltosaurus (also from the Chinle) and the armored reptile Euscolosuchus from Virginia.AdamanasuchusA. eisenhardtae Arizona Blue MesaOsteoderms and skull and postcranial fragments.A basal desmatosuchine aetosaur related to Calyptosuchus and Scutarx.Calyptosuchus"Vertebrate Fauna; Stagonolepididae," Irmis (2005) p. 77C. wellesi"Vertebrate Fauna; Stagonolepididae; Stagonolepis wellesi," Irmis (2005) p. 77 Arizona Blue MesaCommon, although "non-armor material is comparatively rare".A basal desmatosuchine aetosaur originally considered a species of Stagonolepis.Desmatosuchus"Vertebrate Fauna; Stagonolepididae," Irmis (2005) p. 75D. spurensis"Vertebrate Fauna; Stagonolepididae; Desmatosuchus haplocerus," Irmis (2005) p. 75 Arizona Blue MesaNumerous osteoderms and other skeletal materialA large desmatosuchin aetosaur which was fairly common in the lower part of the Chinle Formation. Prior to 2008, fossils of D. spurensis were listed as the species D. haplocerus, until it was determined that D. haplocerus was a species name originally based on undiagnostic fossils.D. smalli"Vertebrate Fauna; Stagonolepididae; Desmatosuchus smalli," Irmis (2005) p. 75 Arizona Sonsela?A single lateral osteoderm.A desmatosuchin aetosaur which is very rare in the Chinle Formation. One of the youngest known occurrences of the genus Desmatosuchus.EffigiaE. okeeffeae New Mexico "Siltstone"A six-foot-long shuvosaurid from the Coelophysis quarry of Ghost Ranch.EosphorosuchusE. lacrimosa New Mexico "Siltstone" / Rock PointPartial skull, a cervical vertebra, pubes, left hindlimb and three osteoderms An early crocodylomorph from the Coelophysis quarry of Ghost Ranch. It had a short and reinforced facial region, likely adapted for powerful bites.Hesperosuchus"Vertebrate Fauna; Crocodylomorpha; Hesperosuchus agilis," Irmis (2005) pp. 79-80H. agilis Arizona Petrified Forest Blue Mesa Mesa Redondo An early-diverging crocodylomorphKryphioparmaK. caerula Arizona Blue MesaOsteoderms.An aetosaur described in 2023, probably related to other typothoracines.LabrujasuchusL. expectatus New Mexico Petrified ForestPartial skeleton and other postcraniaA shuvosaurid from the Hayden Quarry of Ghost Ranch.Paratypothorax"Vertebrate Fauna; Stagonolepididae; Paratypothorax sp.," Irmis (2005) p. 78P. andressorum Arizona Blue Mesa SonselaOsteodermsA significant number of researchers feel that the North American material referred to the German Paratypothorax species P. andressorum by Hunt and Lucas in 1992 is actually distinct.Indeterminate"Vertebrate Fauna; Stagonolepididae; 'Paratypothorax sp.' and 'Paratypothorax-Like Forms'," Irmis (2005) p. 78 Arizona New Mexico SonselaOsteoderms and minor postcranial fragments.A paratypothoracin typothoracine aetosaur known from isolated material similar to more complete specimens from Germany.Parrishia"Vertebrate Fauna; Crocodylomorpha; 'Parrishia mccreai,'" Irmis (2005) pp. 80-81P. mccreai Arizona Blue Mesa Mesa Redondo A dubious genus of crocodylomorph, known from isolated vertebraePoposaurus"Vertebrate Fauna; Poposauridae; Poposaurus gracilis," Irmis (2005) p. 79P. gracilis Arizona Blue Mesa Mesa Redondo A poposaurid pseudosuchian.Postosuchus"Vertebrate Fauna; 'Rauisuchidae'; Postosuchus kirkpatricki," Irmis (2005) p. 78P. kirkpatricki Arizona Owl Rock Petrified Forest Sonsela Blue Mesa Mesa Redondo A rauisuchid. "Rauisuchian" fossils from the Chinle are commonly referred to Postosuchus, under the assumption that it was the only large rauisuchian in the formation. The recognition of Vivaron indicates that this is not the case. Less ambiguous Postosuchus fossils are known from Texas.Revueltosaurus"Vertebrate Fauna; Pseudosuchia; 'Revueltosaurus callenderi' and 'Revueltosaurus hunti,'" Irmis (2005) pp. 71-72R. callenderi"Vertebrate Fauna; Pseudosuchia; Revueltosaurus callenderi," Irmis (2005) pp. 71-72 Arizona Petrified Forest A suchian with extensive armor and adaptations for herbivory, including teeth initially mistaken as belonging to ornithischian dinosaurs. It was probably an aetosauriform (aetosaur relative).R. hunti"Vertebrate Fauna; Pseudosuchia; Revueltosaurus hunti," Irmis (2005) p. 72 Arizona Blue Mesa RioarribasuchusR. chamaensis Arizona"Vertebrate Fauna; Stagonolepididae; "Desmatosuchus" chamaensis," Irmis (2005) p. 75 New Mexico Petrified Forest SonselaOsteoderms and possible ankle and vertebrae remains.A late-surviving paratypothoracin typothoracine aetosaur. Originally referred to Desmatosuchus, but later reinterpreted as a relative of Paratypothorax based on a phylogenetic analysis performed on the remains by Parker in 2003. New genus names were erected independently by Parker (coining the name Heliocanthus) and Lucas et al. (coining the name Rioarribasuchus), prompting an investigation into reports of unethical taxonomic claim-jumping by the latter party.Saurosuchus"Vertebrate Fauna; 'Rauisuchidae'; 'Saurosuchus sp.,'" Irmis (2005) p. 78Indeterminate Arizona Blue MesaJaw fragment.Identified from a fossil which has been reinterpreted as an indeterminate "rauisuchian".ScutarxS. deltatylus Arizona SonselaFour partial skeletons including skull fragments.A large basal desmatosuchine aetosaur based on fossils originally referred to "Stagonolepis" (=Calyptosuchus) wellesi, a close relative. Fossils of Scutarx represent the highest stratigraphic occurrence of Stagonolepis-like aetosaurs in Petrified Forest National Park.Shuvosaurus"Vertebrate Fauna; Poposauridae; 'Chatterjeea elegans,'" Irmis (2005) p. 79S. inexpectatus Arizona Owl Rock Petrified Forest Mesa RedondoFollowing a rediagnosis of the genus and species, only shuvosaurid fossils from the Cooper Canyon Formation are reliably identifiable as Shuvosaurus itself.SonselasuchusS. cedrus Arizona SonselaMore than 950 disassociated and non-articulated bones belonging to at least 36 individuals A shuvosaurid that may have shifted from quadrupedal to bipedal locomotion through ontogeny.StenomytiS. huangae Colorado "Red siltstone"Partial skeleton including a well-preserved skull.A small aetosaurine aetosaur similar to Aetosaurus.Typothorax"Vertebrate Fauna; Stagonolepididae; Typothorax coccinarum," Irmis (2005) pp. 77-78T. coccinarum Arizona Owl Rock Petrified Forest SonselaCommon in the Owl Rock and Petrified Forest Members.A large, wide-bodied typothoracine aetosaur abundant throughout the Chinle Formation. Almost all of the known Chinle Typothorax fossils are isolated whole or fragmentary osteoderms.TecovasuchusT. chatterjeei Arizona Blue MesaOsteoderms.A paratypothoracin aetosaur, previously thought to be more widespread in the formation.VivaronEmily J. Lessner; Michelle R. Stocker; Nathan D. Smith; Alan H. Turner; Randall B. Irmis; Sterling J. Nesbitt (2016). "A new rauisuchid (Archosauria, Pseudosuchia) from the Upper Triassic (Norian) of New Mexico increases the diversity and temporal range of the clade". PeerJ. 4: e2336. doi:10.7717/peerj.2336.V. haydeni New Mexico Petrified ForestSkull fragments and hip bonesA large rauisuchid from the Hayden Quarry of Ghost Ranch, similar to Postosuchus.

Ornithodirans "Prosauropod" tracks are present in the Redonda, Sloan Canyon, and Sheep Pen Sandstone formations, though these geological units are typically regarded as part of the Dockum Group rather than the Chinle Formation. Prosauropod tracks might be present in the Rock Point Formation as well. Geographically, the tracks are present in New Mexico.Weishampel, David B; et al. (2004). "Dinosaur distribution (Late Triassic, North America)." In: Weishampel, David B.; Dodson, Peter; and Osmólska, Halszka (eds.): The Dinosauria, 2nd, Berkeley: University of California Press. Pp. 518–521. .

Theropod tracks have been found in Utah and New Mexico recovered from the Redonda, Sloan Canyon, and Sheep Pen Sandstone formations. Indeterminate theropod remains are present throughout unambiguous strata of the Chinle Formation, including the Petrified Forest, Bluewater Creek, and Rock Point members of New Mexico.

Ornithodirans of the Chinle Formation Genus Species State Member Abundance NotesImages CamposaurusC. arizonensis Arizona Bluewater Creek Formation (or Blue Mesa) A coelophysine coelophysid from the Placerias Quarry. ChindesaurusC. bryansmalli Arizona Petrified Forest A large saurischian with similarities to herrerasaurids and Tawa hallae. CoelophysisC. bauri New Mexico "Siltstone"