The Dino Archive holds 17 dinosaurs whose fossils were found in India. The oldest are small early plant-eaters from the Triassic, more than 210 million years old. Early Jurassic rocks of the Pranhita-Godavari valley gave some of the first big long-necked sauropods, Barapasaurus and Kotasaurus. The last chapter is the Late Cretaceous, when titanosaurs and short-faced predators such as Rajasaurus lived here until the end of the dinosaurs, about 66 million years ago. For the story behind the finds, read India's own dinosaurs on the blog.
| Dinosaur | When | Diet | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alwalkeria | Middle Triassic | Omnivore | ~1.5 m |
| Jaklapallisaurus | Late Triassic | Herbivore | ~2.5 m (8 ft) |
| Nambalia | Late Triassic | Herbivore | ~3 m (10 ft) |
| Pradhania | Early Jurassic | Herbivore | ~3 m (10 ft) |
| Lamplughsaura | Early Jurassic | Herbivore | ~10 m (33 ft) |
| Barapasaurus | Early Jurassic | Herbivore | ~14 m (46 ft) |
| Kotasaurus | Early Jurassic | Herbivore | ~9 m (30 ft) |
| Lametasaurus | Late Cretaceous | Carnivore | length not known |
| Titanosaurus | Late Cretaceous | Herbivore | ~9-12 m |
| Rajasaurus | Late Cretaceous | Carnivore | ~11 m (36 ft) |
| Isisaurus | Late Cretaceous | Herbivore | ~18 m (59 ft) |
| Jainosaurus | Late Cretaceous | Herbivore | ~18 m (59 ft) |
| Rahiolisaurus | Late Cretaceous | Carnivore | ~8 m (26 ft) |
| Indosuchus | Late Cretaceous | Carnivore | ~7 m (23 ft) |
| Indosaurus | Late Cretaceous | Carnivore | ~6 m (20 ft) |
| Laevisuchus | Late Cretaceous | Carnivore | ~2 m (6.6 ft) |
| Bruhathkayosaurus | Late Cretaceous | Herbivore | ~30 m (98 ft) |
Alwalkeria is a dinosaur known from fossils found in India. It is classified within Saurischia · basal. Its full size, appearance and biology are not yet widely documented.
An early omnivorous dinosaur from India, named after British palaeontologist Alick Walker.
Open in the Dino Archive ›A small early plant-eater from the late Triassic of southern India.
It lived at the very dawn of the dinosaur age.
Open in the Dino Archive ›An early long-necked plant-eater from the late Triassic of India.
It is named after the village of Nambal, near where it was found.
Open in the Dino Archive ›An early plant-eater from the early Jurassic of central India.
Open in the Dino Archive ›A large early plant-eater near the origin of the giant sauropods.
It honours Pamela Lamplugh, founder of an Indian research institute.
Open in the Dino Archive ›One of the earliest large long-necked sauropods, known from hundreds of bones.
Its name comes from Hindi 'bara pao', meaning 'big leg'.
Open in the Dino Archive ›An early sauropod found alongside Barapasaurus in central India.
Dozens of individuals were found jumbled together at one site.
Open in the Dino Archive ›Lametasaurus is a predatory theropod dinosaur known from fossils found in India. It is classified within Theropoda · Abelisauridae. Its full size, appearance and biology are not yet widely documented.
Named after the Lameta Formation of India; its original fossils turned out to be a mix-up of several animals.
Open in the Dino Archive ›Titanosaurus is a long-necked plant-eating sauropod known from fossils found in India. It is classified within Sauropoda · Sauropodomorpha. Its full size, appearance and biology are not yet widely documented.
The dinosaur that gave its name to all titanosaurs, though its original Indian fossils are now considered too incomplete to be valid.
Open in the Dino Archive ›India's best-known predatory dinosaur, a short-faced abelisaur with a low head horn.
A single bony horn sat on top of its head, perhaps for display.
Open in the Dino Archive ›A large titanosaur with an unusually long, horizontally-held neck.
It is named after the Indian Statistical Institute, which backed the research.
Open in the Dino Archive ›A giant titanosaur from the late Cretaceous of central India.
It honours Indian palaeontologist Sohan Lal Jain.
Open in the Dino Archive ›A short-faced abelisaur predator from western India.
It is known from a bonebed holding at least seven individuals.
Open in the Dino Archive ›One of the first predatory dinosaurs named from India.
Despite its name, it was a dinosaur, not a true crocodile.
Open in the Dino Archive ›A horned-browed predator from late Cretaceous India.
It had thick, ridged bone above its eyes.
Open in the Dino Archive ›A small, lightly built relative of India's bigger abelisaur predators.
It was a nimble little hunter living among giant cousins.
Open in the Dino Archive ›A titanosaur that, from its limited remains, may have rivalled the largest dinosaurs ever.
Some estimates make it one of the biggest animals to ever walk the Earth.
Open in the Dino Archive ›