Albertosaurus Bonebed, Dry Island Buffalo Jump: Early/Lower Maastrichtian, Canada
collected by B. Brown & Kaisen, P. Currie 1910, 1997-2005

List of taxa
Where & when
Geology
Taphonomy & methods
Metadata & references
Taxonomic list
Osteichthyes
Osteichthyes indet. Huxley 1880
Longrich and Currie 2009 3 specimens
TMP 2003.45.63, 2001.45.93; 3 different sizes
Amphibia - Temnospondyli - Palaeobatrachidae
? Palaeobatrachus occidentalis Estes and Sanchíz 1982
Larson et al. 2010 3 specimens
TMP 2000.45.38, 2000.45.101
Amphibia - Temnospondyli - Urodela
Scapherpetontidae indet. (Auffenberg and Goin 1959)
Larson et al. 2010 1 specimen
TMP 1999.50.131
Reptilia - Ankylosauridae
Ankylosauridae indet. Brown 1908
Larson et al. 2010 2 specimens
TMP 2000.45.37, 2003.45.55
Reptilia - Ceratopsidae
Ceratopsidae indet. Marsh 1888
Larson et al. 2010 3 specimens
TMP 1999.50.121, 1999.50.164, 2000.45.36
Reptilia - Hadrosauridae
Hadrosauridae indet. Cope 1869
Longrich and Currie 2009 17 specimens
TMP 2002.45.54
    = Hypacrosaurus altispinus Brown 1913
Larson et al. 2010
Reptilia - Ornithomimidae
? Ornithomimus sp. Marsh 1890
Longrich and Currie 2009 5 specimens
TMP 2001.45.85, 2004.56.64, 1999.50.127, 2005.50.60
    = Ornithomimidae indet. Marsh 1890
Larson et al. 2010
Reptilia - Troodontidae
Troodon sp. Leidy 1856
Longrich and Currie 2009 17 specimens
TMP 2003.45.58, 2000.45.10, 2000.45.24, 2000.45.41, 2000.45.90, 2000.45.91, 2001.45.81, 2001.45.81, 2002.45.48, 2003.45.57
    = cf. Troodon sp. Leidy 1856
Larson and Currie 2013
TMP 1995.002.0023, 1998.063.0043, 1999.050.0114-115
Reptilia - Dromaeosauridae
Dromaeosauridae indet. Colbert and Russell 1969
Longrich and Currie 2009 6 specimens
TMP 1999.050.0117, 2003.45.52, 2000.45.35, 2000.45.203, 2003.45.49
    = Atrociraptor marshalli Currie and Varricchio 2004
Larson et al. 2010
Dromaeosaurinae indet. Matthew and Brown 1922
Larson et al. 2010 14 specimens
TMP 1999.050.0116, 1998.063.0032, 1998.63.071, 1998.64.017, 2000.45.040, 2000.45.082, 2000.45.102, 2001.45.083, 2002.45.050, 2003.45.82, 2003.45.102, 2003.45.83, 2003.45.50, 2003.45.60
Richardoestesia sp. Currie et al. 1990
Larson et al. 2010 5 specimens
TMP 2000.45.80, 2001.45.82, 2002.45.49, 2002.45.53
    = Richardoestesia cf. gilmorei Currie et al. 1990
Larson and Currie 2013
Reptilia
Avialae indet. Gauthier 1986
Larson et al. 2010 2 specimens
TMP 2000.45.52, 2000.45.57
Reptilia - Tyrannosauridae
Tyrannosauridae indet. Osborn 1906
Currie 2000 232 specimens
Albertosaurus sarcophagus Osborn 1905
Currie 2000 26 individuals
AMNH 5218, 5226-5229, 5231-5234; many TMP specimens
Reptilia - Alvarezsauridae
Albertonykus borealis n. gen., n. sp. Longrich and Currie 2009
Longrich and Currie 2009 11 specimens
TMP 2001.45.8, 12, 31, 51-52, 61, 85-86, 91, 97-98 (2 measurements)
Reptilia
Champsosaurus sp. Cope 1876
Larson et al. 2010 5 specimens
TMP 1999.50.138
Squamata indet. Oppel 1811
Longrich and Currie 2009 1 specimen
TMP 2003.45.72
    = Borioteiioidea indet. Nydam et al. 2007
Larson et al. 2010
Mammalia
Metatheria indet. (Huxley 1880)
Larson et al. 2010 1 specimen
Acipenseriformes - Acipenseridae
Acipenser sp. Linnaeus 1758
Longrich and Currie 2009 1 specimen
TMP 2005.45.64
    = Acipenseridae indet. Bonaparte 1831
Larson et al. 2010
Actinopteri - Ellimmichthyiformes
Horseshoeichthys armaserratus n. gen., n. sp. Newbrey et al. 2010
Newbrey et al. 2010
TMP 2001.045.0093
Actinopteri - Ellimmichthyiformes - Sorbinichthyidae
Sorbinichthyidae indet. Bannikov and Bacchia 2000
Larson et al. 2010 55 specimens
gen. et sp. nov.
Actinopteri
Holostei informal indet. A (Müller 1846)
Larson et al. 2010 1 specimen
TMP 2005.50.64
Actinopteri - Amiiformes - Amiidae
Amiidae indet. Huxley 1861
Larson et al. 2010 1 specimen
TMP 2003.45.62
Cyclurus sp. Agassiz 1839
Larson et al. 2010 3 specimens
TMP 1999.50.144, 1999.50.146, 1999.50.148
Gastropoda - Viviparidae
Viviparus prudentius
Larson et al. 2010 4 specimens
TMP 1999.50.121, 153, 165, 2004.56.69
see common names

Geography
Country:Canada State/province:Alberta
Coordinates: 52.0° North, 112.9° West (view map)
Paleocoordinates:59.7° North, 84.4° West
Basis of coordinate:based on nearby landmark
Geographic resolution:small collection
Time
Period:Cretaceous Epoch:Late/Upper Cretaceous
Stage:Maastrichtian 10 m.y. bin:Cretaceous 8
Key time interval:Early/Lower Maastrichtian
Age range of interval:72.10000 - 66.00000 m.y. ago
Stratigraphy
Geological group:Edmonton Formation:Horseshoe Canyon Member:Tolman
Stratigraphic resolution:bed
Stratigraphy comments: from transition between Units 4 and 5, HCF "B", should be top of Tolman Mb.
Lithology and environment
Primary lithology:massive,lenticular,fine,ferruginous,intraclastic silty sandstone
Includes fossils?Y
Lithology description: "a lenticular, mixed sandstone-siltstone body…no meso- or large-scale cross-bedding or measurable ripple lamination was observed…one or more centimetre-scale beds of massive, poorly sorted, silty, fine-grained sandstone, with intraformational mudstone-to-ironstone clasts, mollusc stein kerns, and millimetre- to centimetre-scale layers of coalified logs, branches, leaves, and seeds. In some areas, the fossiliferous horizon is heavily cemented with a yellow-brown iron carbonate."
Environment:coarse channel fill
Geology comments: "a small alluvial channel, 2 m deep and 15 m wide"; "a small fluvial channel oriented approximately NNE-SSW that experienced one or more high-energy flooding events.
Taphonomy
Modes of preservation:body,soft parts
Lagerst�tten type:concentrate
Degree of concentration:-bonebed
Size of fossils:macrofossils,mesofossils
Spatial orientation:preferred
Preservation of anatomical detail:good
Abundance in sediment:abundant
Associated major elements:many
Size sorting:poor
Fragmentation:occasional
Temporal resolution:time-averaged
Spatial resolution:parautochthonous
Collection methods and comments
Collection methods:bulk,selective quarrying,surface (float),surface (in situ),mechanical,sieve,field collection
Reason for describing collection:taxonomic analysis
Museum repositories:AMNH,TMP
Collectors:B. Brown & Kaisen, P. Currie Collection dates:1910, 1997-2005
Metadata
Also known as:Albertosaurus Quarry, Big Valley Creek, ABB, RTMP L2204
Database number:55363
Authorizer:M. Carrano, P. Holroyd Enterer:K. Maguire, P. Holroyd, M. Carrano
Modifier:M. Carrano Research group:vertebrate
Created:2005-10-12 13:46:52 Last modified:2021-09-22 15:55:18
Access level:the public Released:2005-10-12 13:46:52
Creative Commons license:CC BY
Reference information

Primary reference:
63399. B. Brown. 1914. Cretaceous Eocene correlation in New Mexico, Wyoming, Montana, Alberta. Bulletin of the Geological Society of America 25:355-380 [M. Carrano/M. Carrano]

Secondary references:

43942 P. R. Bell. 2010. Palaeopathological changes in a population of Albertosaurus sarcophagus from the Upper Cretaceous Horseshoe Canyon Formation of Alberta, Canada. Canadian Journal of Earth Sciences 47:1263-1268 [M. Carrano/M. Carrano]
63397 B. Brown. 1919. Hunting big game of other days. National Geographic Magazine 35(4):407-429 [M. Carrano/M. Carrano]
64427 L. G. Buckley, H.-D. Sues, D. W. Larson, M. Reichel, and T. Samman. 2018. Quantifying tooth variation within a single population of Albertosaurus sarcophagus (Theropoda: Tyrannosauridae) and implications for identifying isolated teeth of tyrannosaurids. Canadian Journal of Earth Sciences 47(9):1227-1251 [E. Vlachos/E. Vlachos/M. Carrano]
77927 T. D. Carr. 2010. A taxonomic assessment of the type series of Albertosaurus sarcophagus and the identity of Tyrannosauridae (Dinosauria, Coelurosauria) in the Albertosaurus bonebed from the Horseshoe Canyon Formation (Campanian–Maastrichtian, Late Cretaceous). Canadian Journal of Earth Sciences 47:1213-1226 [M. Carrano/M. Carrano]
14866ETE P. J. Currie. 2000. Possible evidence of gregarious behavior in tyrannosaurids. Gaia 15:271-277 [M. Carrano/K. Maguire/M. Carrano]
77772 P. J. Currie and D. A. Eberth. 2010. On gregarious behavior in Albertosaurus. Canadian Journal of Earth Sciences 47(9):1277-1289 [M. Carrano/M. Carrano]
77956 P. J. Currie and E. B. Koppelhus. 2015. The significance of the theropod collections of the Royal Tyrrell Museum of Palaeontology to our understanding of Late Cretaceous theropod diversity. Canadian Journal of Earth Sciences 52(8):620-629 [M. Carrano/M. Carrano/M. Carrano]
78157 D. A. Eberth. 2015. Origins of dinosaur bonebeds in the Cretaceous of Alberta, Canada. Canadian Journal of Earth Sciences 52(8):655-681 [M. Carrano/M. Carrano]
51089 D. A. Eberth and P. J. Currie. 2010. Stratigraphy, sedimentology, and taphonomy of the Albertosaurus bonebed (upper Horseshoe Canyon Formation; Maastrichtian), southern Alberta, Canada. Canadian Journal of Earth Sciences 47:1119-1143 [M. Carrano/M. Carrano]
78037 G. M. Erickson, P. J. Currie, B. D. Inouye and A. A. Winn. 2010. A revised life table and survivorship curve for Albertosaurus sarcophagus based on the Dry Island mass death assemblage. Canadian Journal of Earth Sciences 47:1269-1275 [M. Carrano/M. Carrano]
43426 D. W. Larson, D. B. Brinkman, and P. R. Bell. 2010. Faunal assemblages from the upper Horseshoe Canyon Formation, an early Maastrichtian cool-climate assemblage from Alberta, with special reference to the Albertosaurus sarcophagus bonebed. Canadian Journal of Earth Sciences 47:1159-1181 [M. Carrano/M. Carrano]
48570 D. W. Larson and P. J. Currie. 2013. Multivariate analyses of small theropod dinosaur teeth and implications for paleoecological turnover through time. PLoS ONE 8(1):e54329:1-14 [M. Carrano/M. Carrano/M. Carrano]
29124ETE N. R. Longrich and P. J. Currie. 2009. Albertonykus borealis, a new alvarezsaur (Dinosauria: Theropoda) from the Early Maastrichtian of Alberta, Canada: implications for the systematics and ecology of the Alvarezsauridae. Cretaceous Research 30(1):239-252 [M. Carrano/M. Carrano]
64995 M. G. Newbrey, A. M. Murray, D. B. Brinkman, M. V. H. Wilson, and A. G. Neuman. 2010. A new articulated freshwater fish (Clupeomorpha, Ellimmichthyiformes) from the Horseshoe Canyon Formation, Maastrichtian, of Alberta, Canada. Canadian Journal of Earth Sciences 47:1183-1196 [P. Holroyd/P. Holroyd]
25845ETE B. T. Roach and D. L. Brinkman. 2007. A reevaluation of cooperative pack hunting and gregariousness in Deinonychus antirrhopus and other nonavian theropod dinosaurs. Bulletin of the Peabody Museum of Natural History 48(1):103-138 [M. Carrano/M. Carrano]
62727 L. S. Russell. 1966. Dinosaur hunting in western Canada. Royal Ontario Museum, Life Sciences Contribution 70:1-37 [M. Carrano/M. Carrano]
70928 D. H. Tanke and P. J. Currie. 2010. A history of Albertosaurus discoveries in Alberta, Canada. Canadian Journal of Earth Sciences 47(9):1197-1211 [M. Carrano/M. Carrano]
76532 A. L. Titus, K. Knoll, J. J. W. Sertich, D. Yamamura, C. A. Suarez, I. J. Glasspool, J. E. Ginouves, A. K. Lukacic, and E. M. Roberts. 2021. Geology and taphonomy of a unique tyrannosaurid bonebed from the upper Campanian Kaiparowits Formation of southern Utah: implications for tyrannosaurid gregariousness. PeerJ 9:e11013:1-50 [P. Mannion/P. Mannion/M. Carrano]