49Mesozoic
Iguanodon
Iguanodon bernissartensis
A conical thumb spike and batteries of chewing teeth equipped this adaptable herbivore.
Western Europe
EXTINCT ATLAS WIKIEXTINCT LIFE ARCHIVEBack to archiveDinosaurs by continent
Dinosaurs of Europe
Discover European dinosaurs including Plateosaurus, Megalosaurus, Iguanodon, Concavenator and Miragaia through their fossil localities and geological ages.
Places, environments and evidence
Central European Triassic records, British Jurassic discoveries, Portuguese coastal deposits and Spanish Cretaceous lake beds preserve different pieces of dinosaur history. Europe’s coastlines and islands changed through the Mesozoic. This modern regional directory therefore links fossil evidence across time rather than reconstructing a single ancient European landscape.
52Mesozoic
Plateosaurus
Plateosaurus trossingensis
This early long-necked herbivore could rear upright but mainly walked on two legs.
Central Europe
86Mesozoic
Baryonyx
Baryonyx walkeri
A crocodile-like snout and huge thumb claw equipped this theropod to catch fish and other prey.
River and lake country of Western Europe · Present-day Britain
225Mesozoic
Concavenator
Concavenator corcovatus
Two very tall vertebrae ahead of the hips formed a short steep back crest, while the forearm carried unusual knobs.
Lake wetland · Las Hoyas, Spain
273Mesozoic
Megalosaurus
Megalosaurus bucklandii
The first formally named non-avian dinosaur later became a wastebasket for unrelated theropod bones.
Island valleys and coastal plains · Britain
494Mesozoic
Miragaia
Miragaia longicollum
At least seventeen cervical vertebrae produced an unusually long neck for a stegosaur.
Coastal floodplain · Portugal
535Mesozoic
Eotyrannus
Eotyrannus lengi
Long three-fingered arms and a light body preceded the giant two-fingered tyrannosaurs.
Humid floodplain · Britain
539Mesozoic
Scelidosaurus
Scelidosaurus harrisonii
Rows of armor from neck to tail mark an early split among armored dinosaurs.
Coastal plain and estuary · Britain
Common questions
Were European dinosaurs confined to Britain?
No. Britain is one well-studied part of a wider record. This selection also includes dinosaurs from continental Europe, such as Portugal’s Miragaia and Spain’s Concavenator.