Egypt Egypt ( ar, مصر , ), officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, is a transcontinental country spanning the northeast corner of Africa and southwest corner of Asia via a land bridge formed by the Sinai Peninsula. It is bordered by the Medit ...

has many fossil-bearing

geologic formations A geological formation, or simply formation, is a body of rock having a consistent set of physical characteristics (lithology) that distinguishes it from adjacent bodies of rock, and which occupies a particular position in the layers of rock expo ...

, in which many

dinosaur Dinosaurs are a diverse group of reptiles of the clade Dinosauria. They first appeared during the Triassic period, between 243 and 233.23 million years ago (mya), although the exact origin and timing of the evolution of dinosaurs is t ...

s have been discovered.

Scientists

Ernst Stromer Ernst Freiherr Stromer von Reichenbach (12 June 1871 in Nürnberg – 18 December 1952 in Erlangen) was a German paleontologist. He is best remembered for his expedition to Egypt, during which the first known remains of ''Spinosaurus'' we ...

Richard Markgraf Richard Markgraf (13 March 1869 – January or February 1916) was a German Bohemian paleontologist. He is best remembered for his expeditions to Egypt, which discovered the first known remains of many extinct fossil reptiles, such as '' Aegyptos ...

, early 1900s, (he died in Sinnuris of Giza in 1916) * A. B. Orlebar, Fayoum 1845 * George Schweinfurth, Geziret al-Qarn in

Lake Qarun Lake Moeris ( grc, Μοῖρις, genitive Μοίριδος) is an ancient lake in the northwest of the Faiyum Oasis, southwest of Cairo, Egypt. In prehistory, it was a freshwater lake, with an area estimated to vary between and . It persists ...

1879 & Qasr al-Sagha Formation ancient whale fossils named Zeuglodom osiris. *

Hugh Beadnell Hugh may refer to: *Hugh (given name) Noblemen and clergy French * Hugh the Great (died 956), Duke of the Franks * Hugh Magnus of France (1007–1025), co-King of France under his father, Robert II * Hugh, Duke of Alsace (died 895), modern-day ...

, Fayoum 1898 * Charles Andrews, 1901, they unearthed a wealth of fossils Palaeomastodon, the oldest known elephant * Eberhard Frass, Fayoum 1905 * Walter Granger & Henry F. Osborn, Fayoum 1907 *

Wendell Phillips Wendell Phillips (November 29, 1811 – February 2, 1884) was an American abolitionist, advocate for Native Americans, orator, and attorney. According to George Lewis Ruffin, a Black attorney, Phillips was seen by many Blacks as "the one whi ...

, 1947 * Elwyn L. Simons, Fayoum 1961–1986 * Thomas M. Bown and

David Tab Rasmussen David Tab Rasmussen (June 17, 1958 – August 7, 2014), also known as D. Tab Rasmussen, was an American biological anthropologist. Specializing in both paleontology and behavioral ecology with interests in Paleogene mammals, early primate evol ...

, 1980s

Fossils

Petrified Wood

Fayoum,

Petrified wood Petrified wood, also known as petrified tree (from Ancient Greek meaning 'rock' or 'stone'; literally 'wood turned into stone'), is the name given to a special type of '' fossilized wood'', the fossilized remains of terrestrial vegetation. ' ...

protectorate in New-Cairo Area/ Cairo-Suez desert road & entire Western Desert of Egypt is covered in Petrified wood. This is one of the clues that the region was a tropical climate. The petrified wood is very diverse and many samples are very beautiful, often actually littering the ground in certain areas.

Reptiles

Turtle Turtles are an order of reptiles known as Testudines, characterized by a special shell developed mainly from their ribs. Modern turtles are divided into two major groups, the Pleurodira (side necked turtles) and Cryptodira (hidden necked t ...

fossils in

Fayoum Faiyum ( ar, الفيوم ' , borrowed from cop, ̀Ⲫⲓⲟⲙ or Ⲫⲓⲱⲙ ' from egy, pꜣ ym "the Sea, Lake") is a city in Middle Egypt. Located southwest of Cairo, in the Faiyum Oasis, it is the capital of the modern Faiyum ...

**'' Testudo ammon'', a large land tortoise **'' Podocnemis blanckenhorni'' river turtle **'' Stereogenys pelomedusa'' tropical land turtles * Gigantic snake fossils found in the Qasr al-Sagha Formation. **'' Gigantophis'' **'' Pterosphernus'' *

Tomistoma ''Tomistoma'' is a genus of gavialid crocodilians. They are noted for their long narrow snouts used to catch fish, similar to the gharial. ''Tomistoma'' contains one extant (living) member, the false gharial (''Tomistoma schlegelii''), as we ...

, a crocodile type animal.

Birds

The area of

Uganda }), is a landlocked country in East Africa. The country is bordered to the east by Kenya, to the north by South Sudan, to the west by the Democratic Republic of the Congo, to the south-west by Rwanda, and to the south by Tanzania. The sou ...

bordering Lake Victoria and the upper Nile River area is not unlike the climate of the Fayoum long ago, where many bird fossils have been discovered. *

osprey The osprey (''Pandion haliaetus''), , also called sea hawk, river hawk, and fish hawk, is a diurnal, fish-eating bird of prey with a cosmopolitan range. It is a large raptor reaching more than in length and across the wings. It is brown o ...

s (

Pandionidae ''Pandion'' is a genus of birds of prey, known as ospreys, the only genus of family Pandionidae. Most taxonomic treatments have regarded this genus as describing a single extant species, separated to subspecies or races, while some treatments rec ...

) * Gigantic shoebilled stork ( Balaenicipitidae) * jacanas, sometimes called lily-trotters ( Jacanidae) *

herons The herons are long-legged, long-necked, freshwater and coastal birds in the family Ardeidae, with 72 recognised species, some of which are referred to as egrets or bitterns rather than herons. Members of the genera ''Botaurus'' and ''Ixobrychus ...

egrets Egrets ( ) are herons, generally long-legged wading birds, that have white or buff plumage, developing fine plumes (usually milky white) during the breeding season. Egrets are not a biologically distinct group from herons and have the same build ...

rails Rail or rails may refer to: Rail transport *Rail transport and related matters *Rail (rail transport) or railway lines, the running surface of a railway Arts and media Film * ''Rails'' (film), a 1929 Italian film by Mario Camerini * ''Rail'' ( ...

(

Rallidae The rails, or Rallidae, are a large cosmopolitan family of small- to medium-sized, ground-living birds. The family exhibits considerable diversity and includes the crakes, coots, and gallinules. Many species are associated with wetlands, althou ...

) * cranes ( Gruidae) *

flamingos Flamingos or flamingoes are a type of wading bird in the family Phoenicopteridae, which is the only extant family in the order Phoenicopteriformes. There are four flamingo species distributed throughout the Americas (including the Caribbea ...

(

Phoenicopteridae Flamingos or flamingoes are a type of wading bird in the family Phoenicopteridae, which is the only extant family in the order Phoenicopteriformes. There are four flamingo species distributed throughout the Americas (including the Caribbean ...

) *

storks Storks are large, long-legged, long-necked wading birds with long, stout bills. They belong to the family called Ciconiidae, and make up the order Ciconiiformes . Ciconiiformes previously included a number of other families, such as herons an ...

( Ciconiidae) *

cormorants Phalacrocoracidae is a family of approximately 40 species of aquatic birds commonly known as cormorants and shags. Several different classifications of the family have been proposed, but in 2021 the IOC adopted a consensus taxonomy of seven gen ...

(

Phalacrocoracidae Phalacrocoracidae is a family of approximately 40 species of aquatic birds commonly known as cormorants and shags. Several different classifications of the family have been proposed, but in 2021 the IOC adopted a consensus taxonomy of seven gen ...

) * An ancient eagle named

Accipitridae The Accipitridae is one of the three families within the order Accipitriformes, and is a family of small to large birds with strongly hooked bills and variable morphology based on diet. They feed on a range of prey items from insects to medium-s ...

Mammals

* large Hyrax ('' Megalohyrax oecaenus'') * Elephants *

mastodons A mastodon ( 'breast' + 'tooth') is any proboscidean belonging to the extinct genus ''Mammut'' (family Mammutidae). Mastodons inhabited North and Central America during the late Miocene or late Pliocene up to their extinction at the end of th ...

* Fayoum's whale or '' Zeuglodon'' or more precisely the ''

Basilosaurus ''Basilosaurus'' (meaning "king lizard") is a genus of large, predatory, prehistoric archaeocete whale from the late Eocene, approximately 41.3 to 33.9 million years ago (mya). First described in 1834, it was the first archaeocete and prehistor ...

'' in Fayoum's Wadi Zeuglodon (or wadi al-Hitan, Whale Valley) * Another whale in Wadi Zeuglodon is the

Dorudon ''Dorudon'' ("spear-tooth") is a genus of extinct basilosaurid ancient whales that lived alongside ''Basilosaurus'' 40.4 to 33.9 million years ago in the Eocene. It was a small whale, with ''D. atrox'' measuring long and weighing . ''Dorudon'' ...

*Primitive whale from Fayum Depression

Phiomicetus ''Phiomicetus'' is a genus of protocetid whale that lived between 43 and 42 million years ago during the middle Eocene in what is now Egypt. It had powerful jaws and large teeth that would have allowed it to hunt and tear large prey. Discovery ...

* ''

Arsinoitherium ''Arsinoitherium'' is an extinct genus of paenungulate mammals belonging to the extinct order Embrithopoda. It is related to elephants, sirenians, hyraxes and the extinct desmostylians. Arsinoitheres were superficially rhinoceros-like herbivores ...

'', a rhinoceros like animal with two horns ** ''

Arsinoitherium zitteli ''Arsinoitherium'' is an extinct genus of paenungulate mammals belonging to the extinct order Embrithopoda. It is related to elephants, sirenians, hyraxes and the extinct desmostylians. Arsinoitheres were superficially rhinoceros-like herbiv ...

'' ** '' Arsinoitherium andrewsi'' * Elephants (

) in Fayoum ** ''

Moeritherium ''Moeritherium'' ("the beast from Lake Moeris") is an extinct genus of primitive proboscideans. These prehistoric mammals are related to the elephant and, more distantly, sea cows and hyraxes. They lived during the Eocene epoch. Description ''M ...

'' in

, and in

Wadi El Natrun Wadi El Natrun (Arabic: "Valley of Natron"; Coptic: , "measure of the hearts") is a depression in northern Egypt that is located below sea level and below the Nile River level. The valley contains several alkaline lakes, natron-rich salt ...

** ''

Palaeomastodon ''Palaeomastodon'' an extinct genus of Proboscidea. ''Palaeomastodon'' fossils have been found in Africa, where they lived some 36-35 million years ago. They are believed to be the ancestors of elephants or mastodons. ''Palaeomastodon'' lived in ...

'' ** '' Phioma'' * '' Apterodon'' * ''Pterodon'' * ''

Hyaenodon ''Hyaenodon'' ("hyena-tooth") is an extinct genus of carnivorous hyaenodont mammals from tribe Hyaenodontini, within subfamily Hyaenodontinae in family Hyaenodontidae,Malcolm C. McKenna, Susan K. Bell (1997."Classification of Mammals: Above the ...

'' *

Sirenia The Sirenia (), commonly referred to as sea-cows or sirenians, are an order of fully aquatic, herbivorous mammals that inhabit swamps, rivers, estuaries, marine wetlands, and coastal marine waters. The Sirenia currently comprise two distinct ...

(Sea Cow)

Primates

The Fayoum primates * The Lower sequence primates ** '' Oligopithecus savagei'' ** '' Qatrania wingi'' * The upper sequence primates ** '' Catopithecus browni'' ** '' Proteopitheus sylvia'' ** '' Oligopithecus'' ** '' Apidium moustafai'' ** '' Apidium phiomense'' * '' Parapithecus fraasi'' * '' Parapithecus grangeri'' * '' Aegyptopithecus zeuxis'' * ''

Propliopithecus ''Propliopithecus'' is an extinct genus of primate. The 40 cm (1 ft 4 in) long creature resembled today's gibbons. Its eyes faced forwards, giving it stereoscopical vision. ''Propliopithecus'' was most likely an omnivore. It is pos ...

'', (P. chirobates, P. ankeli, P. haeckeli and P. markgrafi)

Dinosaurs

*'' Aegyptosaurus'' *''

Bahariasaurus ''Bahariasaurus'' (meaning " Bahariya lizard") is an enigmatic genus of large theropod dinosaur. ''Bahariasaurus'' is known to have included at least 1 species, ''Bahariasaurus ingens'', which was found in North African rock layers dating to the ...

'' *''

Carcharodontosaurus ''Carcharodontosaurus'' (; ) is a genus of large carcharodontosaurid theropod dinosaur that existed during the Cenomanian age of the Late Cretaceous in Northern Africa. The genus ''Carcharodontosaurus'' is named after the shark genus '' Carc ...

'' *''

Deltadromeus ''Deltadromeus'' (meaning "delta runner") is a genus of theropod dinosaur from Northern Africa. It had long, unusually slender hind limbs for its size, suggesting that it was a swift runner. The skull is not known. One fossil specimen of a sin ...

'' * ‘’ Inosaurus’’ *'' Mansourasaurus'' *''

Paralititan ''Paralititan'' (meaning "tidal giant") was a giant titanosaurian sauropod dinosaur genus discovered in coastal deposits in the Upper Cretaceous Bahariya Formation of Egypt. It lived between 99.6 and 93.5 million years ago.Holtz, Thomas R. Jr. (2 ...

'' *''

Spinosaurus ''Spinosaurus'' (; ) is a genus of spinosaurid dinosaur that lived in what now is North Africa during the Cenomanian to upper Turonian stages of the Late Cretaceous period, about 99 to 93.5 million years ago. The genus was known first f ...

Fossil sites

* Wadi Al-Hitan *

Bahariya Formation The Bahariya Formation (also transcribed as Baharija Formation) is a fossiliferous geologic formation dating back to the early Cenomanian, which outcrops within the Bahariya depression in Egypt, and is known from oil exploration drilling across ...

Jebel Qatrani Formation The Jebel Qatrani Formation (also Gebel Qatrani) is a palaeontological and geologic formation located in the Faiyum Governorate of central Egypt. Conformably overlying the Qasr el Sagha Formation. It is exposed namely between the Jebel Qatrani ...

Nubian Sandstone The Nubian Sandstone is a variety of sedimentary rock deposited on the Precambrian basement in the eastern Sahara, north-east Africa and Arabian Peninsula. It consists of continental sandstone with thin beds of marine limestones, and marls. T ...

Qasr el Sagha Formation The Qasr el Sagha Formation is a geological formation located in Egypt. The formation is part of the Wadi El Hitan World Heritage Site. The Qasr el Sagha Formation overlies the Birket Qarun Formation and is overlain by the Gebel Qatrani Formation ...

* Upper Cretaceous Phosphates * Variegated Shale * Madwar al-Bighal *

Moghra Oasis The Moghra Oasis is an uninhabited oasis in the northeastern part of the Qattara Depression in the Western Desert (Egypt), Western Desert of Egypt. It has a lake containing brackish water, salt marshes and a swamp with Phragmites, reeds. Geograph ...

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Fossils Of Egypt Fossils of Egypt, Biota of Egypt

Scientists

Fossils

Petrified Wood

Reptiles

Birds

Mammals

Primates

Dinosaurs

Fossil sites

See also

External links