Dakhla Formation
Stratigraphic range: Maastrichtian-Danian
~71–63 Ma

PreЄ

Type| Geological formation
Sub-units|

* Ammonite Hill Member[1]
* Baris Oyster Mudstone Member[2]
* Beida Shale Member[3]
* Kharga Shale Member[2]

Underlies| Tarawan Formation[4]
Overlies| Duwi Formation[4]
Thickness| 230 meters[4]
Lithology
Primary| Shale[4]
Other| Marl, Phosphorite
Location
Country| Egypt

The Dakhla Formation, also called the Dakhla Shale,[5] is a Maastrichtian-Danian geologic formation in the Western Desert, Egypt.[4][6] Dinosaur remains are among the fossils that have been recovered from the formation, although none have yet been referred to a specific genus.[7]

## Contents

* 1 Fossil content
* 1.1 Reptiles
* 1.1.1 Dinosaurs
* 1.1.2 Turtles
* 1.1.3 Mosasaurs
* 1.2 Fish
* 1.3 Invertebrates
* 1.3.1 Bivalves
* 1.4 Plants
* 2 See also
* 3 References
* 3.1 Bibliography

## Fossil content

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Color key
| Taxon | Reclassified taxon | Taxon falsely reported as present | Dubious taxon or junior synonym | Ichnotaxon | Ootaxon | Morphotaxon

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| Notes
Uncertain or tentative taxa are in small text; ~~crossed out~~ taxa are discredited.

### Reptiles

#### Dinosaurs

Dinosaurs reported from the Dakhla Formation

Genus | Species | Presence  | Material | Notes | Images
Sauropoda |  | Ammonite Hill Member[8] | A left femur (Vb-646).[8] | Most similar to femurs of Brachiosaurus or Saltasaurus.[8] |

#### Turtles

Turtles reported from the Dakhla Formation

Genus | Species | Presence  | Material | Notes | Images
Arenila | A. krebsi | Ammonite Hill Member[9] | Partial skull.[9] | A bothremydid turtle.  |
?Cf. A. krebsi | Ammonite Hill Member[9] | Partial dorsal shell & right pelvis.[9] | A bothremydid turtle.  |
Bothremydidae | Undetermined large forms  | Ammonite Hill Member[9] | Nuchal bone, left pleuron & partial plastron of one individual.[9] | A large bothremydid turtle, with a shell length of 70 to 80 centimeters.[9] |
Gigantochelys | G. aegyptiacus[10] | Beris Member[10] | Pelvic girdle[10] | A large dermochelyid turtle  |
Panchelonioidea | Gen. et. sp. indet.  | Ammonite Hill Member[11] | Humerus (NVP010).[11] | A giant marine turtle.  |
Taphrosphys | T. cf. sulcatus | Ammonite Hill Member[9] | Anterior part of dorsal shell & partial dorsal shell with partial anterior plastral lobe.[9] | A bothremydid turtle.  |
Cf. T. sp.  | Ammonite Hill Member[9] | Left first pleural.[9] | A bothremydid turtle.  |
?Aff. Tasbacka | ?Aff. T. sp.  | Ammonite Hill Member[9] | Left humerus.[9] | A chelonioid sea turtle.  |
Zolhafah | Z. bella | Ammonite Hill Member[9] | Skull.[9] | A bothremydid turtle.  |

#### Mosasaurs

Mosasaurs reported from the Dakhla Formation

Genus | Species | Presence  | Material | Notes | Images
Globidens | G. phosphaticus | Beris Oyster Mudstone Member[2] | A single tooth crown (CUNV0011).[2] | A mosasaurine.  |
Halisaurus | H. hebae | Beris Oyster Mudstone Member[12] |  | A halisaurine |
Mosasaurinae | Indeterminate  | Beris Oyster Mudstone Member[2] | A fragmentary small dentary with a single tooth (CUNV0012).[2] | A mosasaurine.  |
Prognathodon | P. sp.  | "Lower part"  | Two tooth crowns, three cervical, nine dorsal, three caudal vertebrae, and ribs, found in association (NVP025).[5] | Most similar to P. overtoni, possibly a member of that species  |

### Fish

Fish reported from the Dakhla Formation

Genus | Species | Presence  | Material | Notes | Images
Anomoeodus | A. aegypticus | Lower Beris Member[13] | A single specimen (NVP023).[13] | A pycnodont.  |
Diastemapycnodus | D. tavernensis | Beris Member[14] | "A single vomer with partial dentition".[14] | A pycnodont.  |
Sclerorhynchus | S. cf. leptodon[15] | Beris Member  | Four fragmentary rostral denticles originally attributed to Onchopristis sp.[16] | A sawskate.
cf. Otodus | cf. O. obliquus[citation needed] |  | Fragmentary teeth and possible vertebra founds.  | A otodontid.  |
Sclerorhynchoidei | Indeterminate[15] | Beris Member  | An exceptionally large, 1.46 metres (4.8 ft) long rostrum originally attributed to Onchopristis sp.[16] | A sawskate.  |
Wadiichthys | W. anbaawyi | Beris Member[17] |  | A saurodontid Ichthyodectiform |

### Invertebrates

#### Bivalves

Bivalves reported from the Dakhla Formation

Genus | Species | Presence  | Material | Notes | Images
Apectoichnus | A. longissimus | Ammonite Hill Member[1] | Borings in Nypa fruits.[1] | Bivalve borings.  |
Teredolites | T. clavatus | Ammonite Hill Member[1] | 32 moderately preserved borings (TBT02-33) & two badly preserved specimens (TBT44-45) in Nypa fruits.[1] | Bivalve borings.  |

### Plants

Plants reported from the Dakhla Formation

Genus | Species | Presence  | Material | Notes | Images
Nypa | N. burtinii |  | Fruits & seed casts.[18] | A mangrove palm  |
N. sp.  | Ammonite Hill Member[1] | Fruits with bivalve borings.[1] | A mangrove palm.  |

## See also

* List of dinosaur-bearing rock formations
* List of stratigraphic units with indeterminate dinosaur fossils

## References

1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 1.6 El Hedeny, M.; Kassab, W.; Rashwan, M.; Abu El-Kheir, G.; AbdelGawad, M. (2020-07-01). "Bivalve borings in Maastrichtian fossilNypafruits: Dakhla Formation, Bir Abu Minqar, South Western Desert, Egypt". Ichnos 28 (1): 24–33. doi:10.1080/10420940.2020.1784158. ISSN 1042-0940. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/339002137.
2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 2.5 AbdelGawad, Mohamed K.; Abu El-Kheir, Gebely A.; Kassab, Walid G. (September 2021). "The youngest records of mosasaurid reptiles from the Upper Cretaceous of the South-Western Desert in Egypt". Proceedings of the Geologists' Association 132 (5): 556–562. doi:10.1016/j.pgeola.2021.07.004. ISSN 0016-7878. Bibcode: 2021PrGA..132..556A. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/354793174.
3. ↑ "UPPER DAKHLA FORMATION ( BEIDA SHALE MEMBER) AT G. DUWI, RED SEA, EGYPT: MINERALOGICAL AND GEOCHEMICAL ASPECTS | Faculty of Science". https://www.aun.edu.eg/science/upper-dakhla-formation-beida-shale-member-g-duwi-red-sea-egypt-mineralogical-and-geochemical.
4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 4.4 Anan, Tarek I.; Abd El-Wahed, Ahmed G. (2017-12-15). "The Maastrichtian-Danian Dakhla Formation, Eastern Desert, Egypt: Utilization in manufacturing lightweight aggregates" (in en). Applied Clay Science 150: 10–15. doi:10.1016/j.clay.2017.08.027. ISSN 0169-1317. Bibcode: 2017ApCS..150...10A. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0169131717303782.
5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 El-Kheir, Gebely A. Abu; Shaker, Ahmed A.; Street, Hallie P.; Longrich, Nicholas R.; Strougo, Amin; Asan, Anhar; AbdelGawad, Mohamed (9 November 2023). "A Prognathodontin Mosasaur from the Maastrichtian of the Dakhla Oasis, Western Desert, Egypt" (in en). Fossil Studies 1 (1): 60–75. doi:10.3390/fossils1010007. ISSN 2813-6284.
6. ↑ Tantawy, A. A.; Keller, G.; Adatte, T.; Stinnesbeck, W.; Kassab, A.; Schulte, P. (2001-12-01). "Maastrichtian to Paleocene depositional environment of the Dakhla Formation, Western Desert, Egypt: sedimentology, mineralogy, and integrated micro- and macrofossil biostratigraphies". Cretaceous Research 22 (6): 795–827. doi:10.1006/cres.2001.0291. ISSN 0195-6671. Bibcode: 2001CrRes..22..795T. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0195667101902915.
7. ↑ Weishampel, et al. (2004). "Dinosaur distribution." Pp. 517–607.
8. ↑ 8.0 8.1 8.2 Rauhut, Oliver W M; Werner, Christa (January 1997). "First record of a Maastrichtian sauropod dinosaur from Egypt". Palaeontolgia Africana 34: 63–67. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/235907515.
9. ↑ 9.00 9.01 9.02 9.03 9.04 9.05 9.06 9.07 9.08 9.09 9.10 9.11 9.12 9.13 9.14 de Lapparent, France; Werner, Christa (April 1998). "New Late Cretaceous turtles from the Western Desert, Egypt". Annales de Paléontologie 84 (2): 131–214. doi:10.1016/S0753-3969(98)80005-0. Bibcode: 1998AnPal..84..131D. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/240435581.
10. ↑ 10.0 10.1 10.2 Mousa, Mohamed K.; Tantawy, Abdel Aziz A.; Abu El-Kheir, Gebely A. (February 2026). "First known gigantic dermochelyid turtle (Pan-Chelonioidea) from the Upper Cretaceous deposits of Dakhla Oasis, Western Desert, Egypt." (in en). Cretaceous Research (in press). doi:10.1016/j.cretres.2026.106357.
11. ↑ 11.0 11.1 Abu El-Kheir, G. A.-M.; AbdelGawad, M. K.; Kassab, W. G. (2021). "First known gigantic sea turtle from the Maastrichtian deposits in Egypt". Acta Palaeontologica Polonica 66 (2): 349–355. https://www.app.pan.pl/article/item/app008492020.html.
12. ↑ Shaker, A. A.; Longrich, N. R.; Strougo, A.; Asan, A.; Bardet, N.; Mousa, M. K.; Tantawy, A. A.; Abu El-Kheir, G. A. (2023). "A new species of Halisaurus (Mosasauridae: Halisaurinae) from the lower Maastrichtian (Upper Cretaceous) of the Western Desert, Egypt". Cretaceous Research 154: 105719. doi:10.1016/j.cretres.2023.105719.
13. ↑ 13.0 13.1 Capasso, Luigi; Abu El-kheir, Gebely Abdelmaksoud; Mousa, Mohamed Kamel; Tantawy, Abdel Aziz (December 2021). "ANOMOEODUS AEGYPTICUS N. SP. (PISCES, †PYCNODONTIFORMES) FROM THE LATE CRETACEOUS OF THE DAKHLA FORMATION, WESTERN DESERT, EGYPT". Thalassia Salentina (43): 89–104. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/357930651.
14. ↑ 14.0 14.1 Abu El-Kheir; Tantawy; Mousa; Wahba; Capasso (2022-12-02). "Diastemapycnodus tavernensis gen. et sp. nov. (Actinopterygii, †Pycnodontiformes) from the marine Maastrichtian (Late Cretaceous) of the Dakhla Formation, Western Desert, Egypt". Historical Biology: A Journal of Paleobiology 34 (12): 2324–2331. doi:10.1080/08912963.2021.2014482. Bibcode: 2022HBio...34.2324A. https://www.ingentaconnect.com/content/tandf/ghbi/2022/00000034/00000012/art00007.
15. ↑ 15.0 15.1 Greenfield, T. (2025). "No evidence for a giant, late-surviving Onchopristis: Comment on Capasso et al. (2024)". Journal of African Earth Sciences 223: 105541. doi:10.1016/j.jafrearsci.2025.105541.
16. ↑ 16.0 16.1 Capasso, L.; Abdel Aziz, S.; Tantawy, A. A.; Mousa, M. K.; Wahba, D. G. A.; Abu El-Kheir, G. A. (2024). "The first described Onchopristis Stromer, 1917, (Elasmobranchii: †Onchopristidae) from the Marine Maastrichtian of Dakhla Formation, Western Desert, Egypt". Journal of African Earth Sciences: 105415. doi:10.1016/j.jafrearsci.2024.105415.
17. ↑ Abu El-Kheir, G. A.; Marzouk, A.; Capasso, L.; Zahran, E.; Kasem, A. M.; Kamel, A.; Mousa, M. K.; Elbsebeshi, A. (2026). "A new saurodontid fish from the Late Cretaceous of the Western Desert, Egypt". Acta Palaeontologica Polonica 71 (1): 85–94. doi:10.4202/app.01277.2025.
18. ↑ El-Soughier, Maher I.; Mehrotra, R.C.; Zhou, Zhi-Yan; Shi, Gong-Le (January 2011). "Nypa fruits and seeds from the Maastrichtian–Danian sediments of Bir Abu Minqar, South Western Desert, Egypt". Palaeoworld 20 (1): 75–83. doi:10.1016/j.palwor.2010.09.016. ISSN 1871-174X. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/251707921.

### Bibliography

* Weishampel, David B.; Dodson, Peter; and Osmólska, Halszka (eds.): The Dinosauria, 2nd, Berkeley: University of California Press. 861 pp. ISBN 0-520-24209-2.

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