What animals lived in Arizona in prehistoric times?

Answer 1

Some of the most famous fossils from Arizona are those of animals and plants that lived during the late Triassic (about 225 million years ago), whose fossils are preserved in the famous Petrified Forest National Park. These include:

Metoposaurus (a 10 foot long, fish eating amphibian)

Trilophosaurus (a 9 foot, herbivorous reptile, looking somewhat like a lizard)

Desmatosuchus (a 16 foot long, herbivorous reptile with spikes protruding horizontally from its shoulders. Its fossils have been found in Texas, so I think it is reasonable to assume that they also lived in Arizona).

Paleorhinus (a crocodile like reptile)

Postosuchus (a 15 foot, armored, four legged carnivorous reptile)

Rutiodon (a crocodile-like reptile)

Stagonolepis (a 10 foot, herbivorous reptile that was armored)

Hesperosuchus (a reptile, resembling a crocodile with erect limbs)

Coelophysis (a small, carnivorous dinosaur)

Herrerasaurus (a 10 to 20 foot carnivorous dinosaur)

Panphagia (an omnivorous dinosaur, that was was related to the early sauropods)

Placerias (a 10 foot, bulky, herbivorous reptile)

Adelobasileus (possibly the common ancestor of all mammals; fossils found in Texas, so it is likely it also lived in Arizona)

Also, there is the Kayenta Formation, which yields fossils from the early Jurassic, about 190 million years ago. These include:

Prosalirus (an early frog)

Kayentachelys (an early turtles)

Dilophosaurus (a crested, 20 foot long carnivorous dinosaur)

Kayentavenator (a small, carnivorous dinosaur)

Massospondylus (a prosauropod, which were herbivorous dinosaurs that later evolved into the huge, long necked dinosaurs such as Apatosaurus)

Megapnosaurus (a small, carnivorous dinosaur)

Rhamphinion (a pterosaur, or flying reptile)

Scelidosaurus (a lightly armored, herbivorous dinosaur that was 13 feet long)

Scutosaurus (a small, two legged, herbivorous dinosaur that was lightly armored)

Dinnebitodon (a small, herbivorous, mammal like reptile)

Kayentatherium (a small mammal like reptile)

Oligokyphus (a small, herbivorous, mammal like reptile)

Of course, these are just a few examples. Many animals lived in Arizona that were not fossilized there, and may have only been fossilized somewhere else. For example, a huge variety of famous dinosaurs (such as Apatosaurus, Allosaurus, and Stegosaurus) lived in nearby areas, but their fossils have not been found in Arizona even though they probably lived there.