List of dinosaur specimens with documented taphonomic histories explained

This list of dinosaur specimens with documented taphonomic histories enumerates those fossil dinosaur specimens that have been subjected to focused efforts aimed at reconstructing the events following the animal's death and the processes by which its remains were preserved in the fossil record.

Ankylosaurs

Nodosaurids

Taxon	Nickname	Catalogue Number	Institution	Age	Unit	Country	Description and Taphonomic History	Images
Borealopelta markmitchelli	Not given	TMP 2011.033.0001	Royal Tyrrell Museum of Palaeontology	Albian	McMurray Formation	Canada	Individual preserving armor in life position, keratin sheaths, skin impressions, and stomach contents. The carcass was likely washed out to sea after death and buried in the seafloor.^[2] ^[3]
Edmontonia rugosidens	Not given	AMNH 5665	American Museum of Natural History	Middle Campanian	Dinosaur Park Formation	Canada	Exceptionally preserved articulated individual with skin impressions and armor in life position. The carcass was washed out to an aquatic setting, possibly a river channel, and buried.^[4]

Ceratopsians

Psittacosaurids

Taxon	Nickname	Catalogue Number	Institution	Age	Unit	Country	Description and Taphonomic History	Images
Psittacosaurus lujiatunensis	Not given	WZSSM VF000011	Weihai Ziguang Shi Yan School Museum	Lower Aptian	Yixian Formation	China	Association of a P. lujiatunensis and a Repenomamus robustus locked in combat that were buried alive.^[5]
Psittacosaurus sp.	Not given	DNHM D2156	Dalian Museum of Natural History	Lower Aptian	Yixian Formation	China	Assemblage of 34 juveniles and one adult that were buried alive, possibly as a result of a collapsed burrow.^[6]
Psittacosaurus sp.	Not given	IVPP V14341	Institute of Vertebrate Paleontology and Paleoanthropology	Lower Aptian	Yixian Formation	China	Assemblage of six juveniles that succumbed to a mudflow.^[7] ^[8]
Psittacosaurus sp.	Not given	SMF R 4970	Senckenberg Museum	Lower Aptian	Yixian Formation	China	Exceptionally preserved individual with numerous soft tissue impressions and color pattern.^[9] ^[10] ^[11] ^[12] ^[13] ^[14] After death, its right arm was possibly scavenged by a Tianyulong.^[15]

Protoceratopsids

Taxon	Nickname	Catalogue Number	Institution	Age	Unit	Country	Description and Taphonomic History	Images
Bagaceratops indet.	Not given	MPC-D 100/551B	Mongolian Palaeontological Center	Middle Campanian	Djadokhta Formation	Mongolia	Crouched individual that was scavenged after death by invertebrates.^[16] ^[17]
Protoceratops andrewsi	Fighting Dinosaurs	MPC-D 100/512	Mongolian Palaeontological Center	Middle Campanian	Djadokhta Formation	Mongolia	Preserves Protoceratops andrewsi locked in combat with a Velociraptor mongoliensis.^[18]
Protoceratops andrewsi	Fox site Protoceratops	Not given	Not given	Middle Campanian	Djadokhta Formation	Mongolia	Crouched individual that was extensively scavenged after death by invertebrates.^[19]
Protoceratops andrewsi	Not given	MPC-D 100/526	Mongolian Palaeontological Center	Middle Campanian	Djadokhta Formation	Mongolia	Group of four juveniles buried alive by a strong sand-bearing event. Scavenging traces are present among individuals.^[20]
Protoceratops andrewsi	Not given	MPC-D 100/534	Mongolian Palaeontological Center	Middle Campanian	Djadokhta Formation	Mongolia	Two sub-adults buried alive by a strong sand-bearing event. Scavenging traces are present among individuals.
Protoceratops andrewsi	Standing Protoceratops	Not given	Not given	Middle Campanian	Djadokhta Formation	Mongolia	An individual preserved in an upright position,^[21] possibly product of burrowing behavior.^[22]

Ornithopods

Hadrosaurs

Taxon	Nickname	Catalogue Number	Institution	Age	Unit	Country	Description and Taphonomic History	Images
Brachylophosaurus canadensis	Leonardo	JRF 115H	Judith River Foundation	Middle Campanian	Judith River Formation	United States	Exceptionally preserved individual that was rapidly covered with sediment after death.^[23]
Edmontosaurus annectens	Trachodon mummy	AMNH 5060	American Museum of Natural History	Late Maastrichtian	Lance Formation	United States	Well-preserved individual lying on its back with flexed limbs. After dehydration, the carcass likely was shortly buried by sediments transported by a river resulting in excellent preservation.^[24]
Edmontosaurus annectens	Senckenberg mummy	SMF R 4036	Senckenberg Museum	Late Maastrichtian	Lance Formation	United States	Individual preserved in a flexed posture. May have been quickly buried by sediments allowing exceptional preservation.^[25] ^[26]
Hadrosauridae indet.	Lizzie	2000 P-02	University of Alaska Museum	Middle Turonian	Matanuska Formation	United States	Partial remains of a juvenile. After death, the carcass was washed out to sea and sank to the seafloor where it got buried.^[27]
Saurolophus angustirostris	Not given	MPC-D 100/764	Mongolian Palaeontological Center	Late Campanian	Nemegt Formation	Mongolia	Block of partially articulated juveniles. After an unknown case of death, the individuals decomposed during a wet summer season when they got buried by sediments transported by a river channel.^[28]

Theropods

Oviraptorosaurs

Taxon	Nickname	Catalogue Number	Institution	Age	Unit	Country	Description and Taphonomic History	Images
Citipati osmolskae	Big Auntie	MPC-D 100/1004	Mongolian Palaeontological Center	Middle Campanian	Djadokhta Formation	Mongolia	Brooding individual preserved on top of a nest.^[29]
Citipati osmolskae	Big Mama	MPC-D 100/979	Mongolian Palaeontological Center	Middle Campanian	Djadokhta Formation	Mongolia	Brooding individual preserved on top of a nest.^[30]
Khaan mckennai	Romeo and Juliet (alternatively Sid and Nancy)	MPC-D 100/1002 and 100/1127	Mongolian Palaeontological Center	Middle Campanian	Djadokhta Formation	Mongolia	Two very complete individuals preserved in close association. The pair was likely interacting when they got buried by collapsed sand dunes.^[31] ^[32]
Nemegtomaia barsboldi	Not given	MPC-D 107/15	Mongolian Palaeontological Center	Late Campanian	Barun Goyot Formation	Mongolia	Brooding individual preserved on top of a nest.^[33]
Oksoko avarsan	Not given	MPC-D 102/110	Mongolian Palaeontological Center	Late Campanian	Nemegt Formation	Mongolia	Assemblage of three individuals buried in life positions.^[34]
Oviraptor philoceratops	Not given	AMNH 6517	American Museum of Natural History	Middle Campanian	Djadokhta Formation	Mongolia	Brooding individual preserved on top of a nest.^[35] ^[36]
Tongtianlong limosus	Not given	DYM-2013-8	Dongyang Museum	Late Maastrichtian	Nanxiong Formation	China	Individual preserved with raised head and splayed arms, possibly died while trapped in mud.^[37]

Notes and References

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2. Brown . C.M. . Henderson . D.M. . Vinther . J. . Fletcher . I. . Sistiaga . A. . Herrera . J. . Summons . R.E. . An Exceptionally Preserved Three-Dimensional Armored Dinosaur Reveals Insights into Coloration and Cretaceous Predator-Prey Dynamics . Current Biology . 27 . 16 . 2514–2521.e3 . 10.1016/j.cub.2017.06.071 . 28781051 . 2017 . free .
3. Brown. C. M.. Greenwood. D. E.. Kalyniuk. J. E.. Braman. D. R.. Henderson. D. M.. Greenwood. C. L.. Basinger. J. F.. 2020. Dietary palaeoecology of an Early Cretaceous armoured dinosaur (Ornithischia; Nodosauridae) based on floral analysis of stomach contents. Royal Society. 7. 6. 200305. 10.1098/rsos.200305. 32742695. 7353971. 2020RSOS....700305B. free. 2054-5703.
4. Mallon. J. C.. Henderson. D. M.. McDonough. C. M.. Loughry. W. J.. 2018. A bloat-and-float taphonomic model best explains the upside-down preservation of ankylosaurs. Palaeogeography, Palaeoclimatology, Palaeoecology. 497. 117–127. 2018PPP...497..117M. 10.1016/j.palaeo.2018.02.010. free.
5. Han. G.. Mallon. J. C.. Lussier. A. J.. Wu. X.-C.. Mitchell. R.. Li. L.-J.. 2023. An extraordinary fossil captures the struggle for existence during the Mesozoic. Scientific Reports. 13. 11221. 11221 . 10.1038/s41598-023-37545-8. free. 10354204. 37464026. 2023NatSR..1311221H . Supplemental Material
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18. Barsbold. R.. 2016. The Fighting Dinosaurs: The position of their bodies before and after death. Paleontological Journal. 50. 12. 1412−1417. 10.1134/S0031030116120042. 90811750.
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