"Other" Fauna of the Dinosaur Park Formation

[bh162@scn.org (Phillip Bigelow)]

Nice to see that paleoecosystems of the dinosaurs get discussed here
occasionally (e.g., the Dinosaur Park Formation and the Morrison
Formation threads).

Grant Harding has been tabulating an updated
list of dinosaurs from the Dinosaur Park Formation.  Although
admittedly not topical (dinosaurian), here is a very recent paper on
the Dinosaur Park Formation that includes some non-dinosaurian fauna
for your perusal:

Beavan, N.R., and A.P. Russell. 1999. An elasmobranch assemblage from
the terrestrial-marine transitional Lethbridge Coal Zone (Dinosaur
Park Formation: Upper Campanian), Alberta, Canada. Journal of
Paleontology 73(3):494-503

Therein are found the following fauna:

CHONDRICHTHYES
Cretorectolobus olsoni Case, 1978
Eucrossorhinus microcuspidatus Case, 1978
Odontaspis aculeatus (Capetta and Case, 1975)
Archaeolamna kopingensis judithensis Siverson, 1992
Protoplatyrhina renae Case, 1978
Ischyrhiza mira Leidy, 1856
cf. Ptychotrygon blainensis Case, 1978
Carcharias steineri (Case, 1987)
Hybodus montanensis Case, 1978
Myledaphus bipartitus Cope, 1876 (most common shark represented in the unit)

HOLOCEPHALI
Elasmodus greenoughii
unidentified gen.

OSTEICHTHYES
Enchodus sp.
Acipenser sp.       (sturgeon)
Polydontidae indet. (paddlefish)
Atractosteus sp.
Paralbula casei
unidentified gen.

REPTILIA
Trinacomerum sp.
Plioplatecarpus sp.     (mosasaur)
Leidyosuchus sp.        (croc')
Ceratopsidae unident.   (horned dinosaur)


The interrelationships between dinosaur fauna and associated
non-dinosaurian life is currently poorly understood.



                  <pb>