New dinosaur taxa General non-avian dinosaur research • Brownstein & Griffin (2026) reconstruct early evolutionary history of dinosaurs, placing the emergence of the group between 251.2 and 230 million years ago, and reporting evidence of a burst of rapid morphological evolution in the Middle to early Late Triassic that coincided with emergence of major dinosaurian subgroups (Ornithischia, Sauropodomorpha and Theropoda). •
Aureliano et al. (2026) compare the microstructure of appendicular bones in non-avian dinosaurs and large-bodied mammals, and interpret it as indicating that gigantism was achieved through divergent evolutionary pathways in the two groups. • Review of factors influencing the formation of dinosaur tracks is published by Falkingham & Gatesy (2026). • Hartmann et al. (2026) provide a method for recognizing patterns of shape variation differentiating dinosaur tracks with the use of unsupervised machine learning, and use it to study affinities of controversial dinosaur tracks, reporting evidence of small, three-toed, bird-like footprints from the Triassic and Early Jurassic falling within the bird-dominated region of morphospace, and evidence of some Middle Jurassic tridactyl tracks from the Isle of Skye (Scotland, United Kingdom) grouping with ornithopods rather than with theropods. • Granata et al. (2026) report evidence of impact of erosion on preservation of dinosaur tracks from the Carnian strata of the Lerici ichnosite in Italy (the type locality of
Evazoum sirigui). • Ait Haddou et al. (2026) report the discovery of new tracksites preserving theropod and quadrupedal dinosaur (possibly stegosaur or sauropod) tracks from the strata of the Jurassic
Tilougguit and
Guettioua formations (Morocco). • Ornithischian and theropod (possibly including large dromaeosaurid) tracks are described from the Lower Cretaceous strata of the
Serra do Tucano Formation (Brazil) by Barros et al. (2026). • Evidence indicating that dinosaur eggs from the Upper Cretaceous strata of the Wido Volcanics (Wi Island, South Korea) assigned to the ootaxon
Propagoolithus widoensis were laid in nests established before the igneous intrusion rather than in a rock that was already metamorphosed as a result of volcanic activity is presented by Kim et al. (2026). • Pantelides et al. (2026) present a new mechanistic energetic model for the studies of the capability of terrestrial vertebrates for transoceanic dispersal, apply it to extant vertebrates,
Lambeosaurus and
Rapetosaurus, and interpret their findings as suggestive of feasibility of dispersal of hadrosaurs and titanosaurs between Africa and Europe through the oceanic corridor separating Iberia from Morocco during the Cretaceous. • Wyenberg-Henzler & Scannella (2026) study a skull of
Edmontosaurus from the
Hell Creek Formation (Montana, United States) with a tyrannosaurid tooth embedded in the nasal around the time of death of the hadrosaurid, interpreted as likely resulting from a bite to the snout of
Edmontosaurus during a predation attempt.
Saurischian research • Pawlak et al. (2026) identify
lungfish aestivation burrows in the Triassic strata of the
Ørsted Dal Formation (Greenland), interpreted as indicative of a seasonally dry climate in the studied area during the late
Norian, and indicating that aridity was not a barrier for dispersal of theropods and sauropodomorphs living in the studied area at the time. • A new assemblage of sauropod and theropod tracks is described from the Lower Cretaceous (Barremian–Aptian) strata of the
Shinekhudag Formation (Mongolia) by Mainbayar et al. (2026).
Theropod research • Boisvert et al. (2026) compare the median size classes of ceratosaurians, megalosauroids, allosauroids, megaraptorans and tyrannosauroids throughout the Jurassic and Cretaceous periods, and report evidence of higher median number of missing size classes in tyrannosauroid-dominated ecosystems compared to allosauroid/megalosauroid-dominated ones. • A study on the skull biomechanics and likely feeding behaviors of members of diverse theropod subgroups, with a focus on
tyrannosauroids, is published by Johnson-Ransom et al. (2026). • Hendrickx (2026) explores the evolution of the dentition in non-
coelurosaur theropods (e.g.,
Ceratosauria,
Megalosauroidea, and
Allosauroidea). • Evidence from the study of teeth of
Allosaurus fragilis,
Ceratosaurus dentisulcatus,
Irritator challengeri and
Tyrannosaurus rex, indicating that tooth position is one of the factors affecting microwear texture in theropod teeth, is presented by Morrison et al. (2026). • Pereyra (2026) compares the evolution of maxillary shape and size in medium-sized and large abelisaurids, carcharodontosaurs and coelurosaurs, reporting evidence of different adaptive responses to ecological and environmental pressures in the studied groups. • Evidence from elliptic
Fourier analysis of
pedal phalanx bones of North American tyrannosaurids, ornithomimids, caenagnathids and troodontids, indicating that theropod pedal phalanges can be identified down to the family level on the basis of the study of their morphology, is presented by Warnock-Juteau, Smith & Cullen (2026). • Drzewiecki et al. (2026) interpret theropod tracks from the Lower Jurassic
East Berlin Formation (Connecticut, United States) as produced in an area with an ephemeral lake system rather than at the margin of a perennial lake. • Lallensack et al. (2026) reevaluate factors influencing shapes of theropod tracks from the
Middle Jurassic of
El Mers Group (
Morocco) and from the
Lower Cretaceous Cameros Basin (
Spain), and interpret the type ichnospecies of the ichnogenera
Saurexallopus,
Magnoavipes,
Theroplantigrada,
Ordexallopus and
Archaeornithipus as
nomina dubia. • Dridi (2026) reports the discovery of new theropod tracks from the Callovian strata of the El Miit Member of the
Foum Tataouine Formation (Tunisia), providing evidence of more persistent presence of theropods in the studied area throughout the Jurassic than indicated by earlier discoveries. • Evidence from the study of theropod footprints from the Lower Cretaceous
Enciso Group (Spain), indicating that differences in morphology of the studied footprints reflect distinct phases of running involving different foot postures and load distributions, is presented by Díaz-Martínez et al. (2026). • Charles, Polet & Hutchinson (2026) reconstruct the optimal jumping performance of
Coelophysis bauri as overall similar to that of extant
elegant crested tinamou, but achieved through different joint kinematics and muscle work throughout the hindlimbs, and report evidence of potential impact of the long, mobile tail on jumping performance. • Oswald & Curtice (2026) report evidence of similarities between the morphometrics of teeth of
Ceratosaurus and upper canines of
machairodontines, and argue that the dentition of the former might have been a adaptation to quick-killing middle-sized prey. • Rowe, Cerroni &
Rayfield (2026) study mechanical performance of skulls of
Ceratosaurus,
Masiakasaurus,
Carnotaurus and
Majungasaurus, and report evidence of adaptations of skulls of large abelisaurs to resist feeding-induced loads, suggestive of similarity of ecological roles of abelisaurs and tyrannosaurs, as well as possible evidence of adaptation of
Masiakasaurus to capture of small prey. • Seculi Pereyra et al. (2026) review the history of studies on abelisaurid phylogeny, and provide recommendations for future studies. • Seculi Pereyra (2026) studies the evolution of abelisaurid orbit shape, interpreted as more likely influenced by selective pressures such as those related to specialized predation than by phylogenetic constraints. • Boschetto et al. (2026) describe an abelisaurid tooth from the Upper Cretaceous (Campanian-Maastrichtian)
Argiles et Grès à Reptiles Formation (France), preserved with a bite mark interpreted as most likely self-inflicted during carcass consumption. • Pradelli et al. (2026) describe the anatomy of the axial skeleton of
Piatnitzkysaurus floresi. • Li et al. (2026) report the discovery of an isolated theropod tooth from the Lower Cretaceous
Lianmuqin Formation (China), interpreted as evidence indicating that, in addition to
Kelmayisaurus petrolicus and small coelurosaurs, the theropod assemblage from the studied formation also included a medium-sized
tetanuran. • An isolated theropod tooth with possible
metriacanthosaurid affinities is reported from the Upper Jurassic–Lower Cretaceous strata of the
Phu Kradung Formation (
Thailand) by Samathi, Suteethorn & Suteethorn (2026). • Two partial braincases of
Siamraptor suwati, providing new information on the cranial anatomy of the species, are described from the Lower Cretaceous
Khok Kruat Formation (Thailand) by Hattori et al. (2026). • Nielsen et al. (2026) identify tooth marks on a tyrannosaurid metatarsal BDM 124 from the Judith River Formation (Montana, United States) as produced by a small-bodied, likely juvenile tyrannosaurid scavenging on a larger individual. • Evidence of preservation of micro- and nanoscale histological features (including Haversian canal and lacunocanalicular network permineralization) in bones of
Albertosaurus sarcophagus from the
Horseshoe Canyon Formation (Alberta, Canada) is presented by Williams et al. (2026). • Longrich et al. (2026) report the discovery of a tibia of a large-bodied tyrannosaurid from the Campanian strata of the
Kirtland Formation (New Mexico, United States), interpreted as likely to be a bone of an early representative of
Tyrannosaurini. • Raun et al. (2026) revise proposed diagnostic characters of
Asiatyrannus xui and
Raptorex kriegsteini, and interpret the type material of both taxa as likely to be juvenile specimens of
Tarbosaurus bataar. •
Woodward,
Myhrvold &
Horner (2026) reconstruct the life history of
Tyrannosaurus on the basis of bone histology, reporting evidence of a more gradual annual growth rate slope than indicated by earlier studies and evidence of a protracted subadult stage, and find that growth trajectories of the tyrannosaur specimens BMRP 2002.4.1 (the holotype of
Nanotyrannus lethaeus) and BMRP 2006.4.4 did not fit the
T. rex growth curve model. • A study on the locomotion of
Tyrannosaurus, indicative of similarity of foot-strike patterns to those of the ostrich, is published by Boeye et al. (2026). •
Arbour, Bullard &
Evans (2026) report the discovery of an ornithomimosaur caudal vertebra from the Campanian
Cedar District Formation, representing the first confirmed dinosaur record from outcrops of the
Nanaimo Group in Canada and the second confirmed record of dinosaur fossil material from the Nanaimo Group overall. • Makovicky et al. (2026) report the discovery of a new specimen of
Alnashetri cerropoliciensis from the
Candeleros Formation (Argentina), providing new information on the anatomy of members of this species; the authors also interpret the Late Jurassic theropod vertebra described by Makovicky (1997), the theropod astragalus YPM 9163 from
Como Bluff (
Morrison Formation, Wyoming, United States; formerly referred to
Coelurus fragilis) and
Calamosaurus foxi as
alvarezsauroids, and study the phylogenetic relationships and evolutionary history of members of this group, interpreting it as having
Pangaean ancestral distribution. • Meso et al. (2026) redescribe the anatomy of the
holotype specimen of
Bonapartenykus ultimus. • Wang et al. (2026) report the first discovery of a
maniraptoran egg from the Cenomanian
Quantou Formation (Jilin, China), and name a new ootaxon
Jilinoolithus lamellotestus. • The first clutch of non-avian dinosaur eggs from the Cretaceous Dengta Basin (Guangdong, China), assigned to the ootaxon
Elongatoolithus elongatus, is described by Wang et al. (2026). • Su et al. (2026) determine heat transfer during the incubation of a clutch of oviraptorid eggs on the basis of incubation experiments, and find that oviraptorid parents transferred heat to their eggs less efficiently than extant birds and depended in part on environmental heat sources for incubation. • Hao &
Xu (2026) report the discovery of a new nest-associated oviraptorid specimen from the Upper Cretaceous strata from Jiangxi (China), and interpret
Huanansaurus ganzhouensis,
Corythoraptor jacobsi and the new specimen as likely representing a single species. • Hefler et al. (2026) study the aerodynamics of
Microraptor during flight, reporting evidence of beneficial impact of forewing–hindwing interactions on flow dynamics. • The first deinonychosaurian (probably troodontid) track from
Japan is described from the Lower Cretaceous
Kitadani Formation by Tsukiji, Hattori & Azuma (2026). • Review of evidence of troodontid dietary habits is published by Fan, Miller & Pittman (2026). • García-Gil et al. (2026) identify isolated theropod teeth from the Upper Cretaceous
El Gallo Formation (
Mexico) as belonging to dromaeosaurids, troodontids, maniraptorans of uncertain affinities and indeterminate theropods.
Sauropodomorph research • A study on the evolution of the humeral morphology of sauropodomorphs, providing evidence of different pattern of evolution of sauropod-like traits in the proximal and distal half of the humerus, is published by Lefebvre et al. (2026). • A footprint and an associated tail trace that were probably produced by a bipedal sauropodomorph, representing the oldest dinosaur trace fossil from Australia reported to date, are described from the Carnian strata of the
Aspley Formation in Queensland by Romilio & Runnegar (2026). • D'Orazi Porchetti et al. (2026) assign tetradactyl footprints from the Carnian strata of the
Hassberge Formation (Germany) to the ichnogenus
Evazoum, and interpret the studied footprints as likely produced by bipedal sauropodomorphs. • Campos et al. (2026) describe the fossil material and study the bone histology of a small-bodied, juvenile
sauropodomorph from the Upper Triassic strata from the Cerro da Alemoa site (
Santa Maria Formation,
Brazil), representing the smallest well-preserved skeletal remains of a sauropodomorph from Brazil reported to date. • Description of the anatomy of the axial skeleton and a study on the affinities of
Macrocollum itaquii is published by Fonseca et al. (2026). • Xing et al. (2026) report the discovery of probable sauropodomorph tracks from a new tracksite from the
Upper Triassic Xujiahe Formation (
Sichuan,
China). • Chen et al. (2026) determine the oldest sauropodomorph fossils from the
Kunming Basin (Yunnan, China) to be 200.17-million-years-old, and interpret this result as evidence of colonization of low palaeolatitude area of southwest China by medium- to large-bodied dinosaurs in the aftermath of the
Triassic–Jurassic extinction. • Evidence from the study of tooth morphology and replacement patterns, indicative of diverse feeding ecologies of Early Jurassic sauropods from the Cañadón Asfalto Basin (Argentina), is presented by Gomez, Carballido & Pol (2026). • Saleiro et al. (2026) present the workflow behind the creation of a large dataset of surface texture measurements of teeth of Late Jurassic sauropods. • The largest sauropod tracksite from the Lower Cretaceous
Madongshan Formation (Ningxia, China), preserving tracks with a morphology intermediate between those typical of
Brontopodus and
Parabrontopodus tracks, is described by Yang et al. (2026). • Sauropod tracks produced in wet aeolian environmental, possibly while the trackmakers travelled towards a habitat with greater resource availability, are described from the Lower Cretaceous
Três Barras Formation (Brazil) by Nascimento et al. (2026). • Kubo et al. (2026) study tooth wear of a specimen of
Omeisaurus maoianus, finding no evidence of significant differences of microwear texture in the same individual based on tooth position, and report evidence of tooth wear differences between
Yunnanosaurus and derived sauropods that were likely related to dietary differences. • Shui, Shao & Yin (2026) present the first three-dimensional reconstruction of a mamenchisaurid tooth based on data from a new specimen from the Upper Jurassic
Qigu Formation (China), interpreted as likely representing a taxon distinct from the specimen reported by Maisch & Matzke (2019). • Ghosh et al. (2026) describe a probable turiasaur tooth from the Bathonian strata of the Jaisalmer Basin (
India), interpreted as the oldest record of group from the Indian Subcontinent reported to date. • Casts of sauropod teeth from a private quarry near Skull Creek in northwestern Colorado (United States) interpreted as the first record of a member of
Turiasauria from the Upper Jurassic
Morrison Formation are described by
Foster, Woodruff & Royo-Torres (2026). • Foster et al. (2026) review the history of excavation and study of the fossil material of
Dystrophaeus viaemalae, review the geological setting of the fossil material, and interpret the morphology of the fossil material of
D. viaemalae (including additional material collected since 2014) as unlikely to be a member of Diplodocoidea. • Lerzo (2026) reevaluates
Nopcsaspondylus alarconensis and considers it to be a
nomen dubium. • The sauropod specimen MMCh-PV 47 from the
Candeleros Formation (Argentina), originally described as a titanosaur by Otero et al. (2011), is interpreted as a
rebbachisaurid by Lerzo (2026), providing new information on the tail musculature of members of this group. • Garderes, Lerzo & Knoll (2026) study the endocranial morphology of
Sidersaura marae, and report evidence indicating that rebbachisaurids might have differed from other sauropods in the variation in hearing capabilities relative to body size. • Pal & Deshmukh (2026) described an ulna and radius of two titanosaur specimens discovered from
Lameta Formation (
India), with the first osteohistological description of a juvenile specimen from the country. • Garderes et al. (2026) present a reconstruction of the cranial musculature of
Bajadasaurus pronuspinax. • Hullinger et al. (2026) describe
apatosaurine remains from
Arches National Park (
Utah, United States), representing a medium-sized yet geologically young member of the group. • A vertebra interpreted as the northernmost record of
Barosaurus lentus from the Morrison Formation reported to date is described from the Pryor Mountains (Montana, United States) by Woodruff et al. (2026). • van der Linden et al. (2026) report on a specimen of
Barosaurus with a pathology in the "whip" part of the tail. •
Carpenter, Ikejiri & Wilson (2026) study the anatomy of postcranial skeleton of two immature specimens of
Camarasaurus lentus from the strata of the Morrison Formation from
Dinosaur National Monument (Utah, United States), interpreted as representing sequential stages in the ontogeny of the species and providing new information on its morphological variability. • Yoshida,
Carpenter & Kobayashi (2026) report the discovery of fossil material of members of
Somphospondyli from the
Cedar Mountain Formation (Utah, United States), providing evidence of coexistence of members of this group and brachiosaurids in North America during the
Aptian. • Averianov et al. (2026) describe a partial fibula of a probable member of
Euhelopodidae from the Lower Cretaceous
Ilek Formation (Kemerovo Oblast, Russia), interpreted as evidence of presence of two sauropod taxa at the Shestakovo 3 locality. • Averianov et al. (2026) describe the first cervical vertebra referable to
Tengrisaurus starkovi, and recover it as a
basal member of
Colossosauria in an updated phylogenetic study including this new material. • Fossil material of a non-saltasaurine titanosaur (possibly a member of Colossosauria), representing the first dinosaur record from the Oriente Basin at the Upper Cretaceous (Maastrichtian)
Tena Formation (Ecuador), is described by Balcázar-Loaiza et al. (2026). • Pérez Moreno et al. (2026) revise the fossil material attributed to
Muyelensaurus pecheni, interpret it as belonging to sauropods from more than one taxon, and restrict
M. pecheni to the
holotype specimen only. • Navarro et al. (2026) describe a titanosaur
axis with possible
lognkosaurian affinities from the Upper Cretaceous
São José do Rio Preto Formation (Brazil), providing evidence of presence of a sauropod with body dimensions comparable to those of
Futalognkosaurus in the
Bauru Group prior to the Campanian, and report evidence of presence of phylogenetically informative character in the sauropod axis vertebrae. • Alessandretti et al. (2026) describe sauropod undertracks from the Upper Cretaceous
Capacete Formation (Brazil), determine the environmental conditions that resulted in their formation and preservation, and interpret the sedimentological and paleontological data from the Sanfranciscana Basin coupled with reconstructions of Late Cretaceous climate as suggestive of sauropod migrations from the Bauru Basin to the Sanfranciscana Basin.
Ornithischian research Thyreophoran research • Sánchez-Fenollosa, Cobos & Suñer (2026) describe new stegosaurian fossil material from the
Villar del Arzobispo Formation (Spain), and revise the fossil record of Stegosauria from the eastern part of the Iberian Peninsula. •
Hunt-Foster et al. (2026) describe portions of forelimbs of an indeterminate stegosaurid from the Brushy Basin Member of the Morrison Formation (Utah, United States), estimated to be the largest stegosaurid specimen from the Morrison Formation reported to date. • Costa (2026) identifies five additional occurrences of dacentrurine stegosaur fossils (besides the holotype of
Alcovasaurus/
Miragaia longispinus) in the Upper Jurassic strata of the Morrison Formation (United States). • A juvenile specimen representing the smallest individual of
Stegosaurus stenops reported to date is described from the strata of the Morrison Formation in Wyoming (United States) by Carpenter (2026). • New thyreophoran fossil material with probable stegosaurian affinities is described from the Lower Cretaceous (Berriasian–Valanginian)
Bajada Colorada Formation (Argentina) by Riguetti et al. (2026). • Agnolín et al. (2026) report the discovery of new fossil material of
Patagopelta cristata, providing new information on the anatomy of members of this species and supporting its placement within Parankylosauria. • Cross et al. (2026) modify and develop new tooth characters for ankylosaur systematics, and study the phylogenetic relationships of members of this group. • New information on the internal anatomy of the skull of
Panoplosaurus mirus is provided by Livius et al. (2026). • Yoon et al. (2026) identify probable ankylosaurid tracks, referred to as cf.
Ruopodosaurus, from the Cenomanian
Jindong Formation (
South Korea).
Cerapod research • Rotatori et al. (2026) study the phylogenetic relationships of
iguanodontian ornithopods and reconstruct the evolutionary history of the group, name a new clade
Ouranosauria, and trace the major radiation of Iguanodontia to the Early Jurassic (Pliensbachian–Toarcian). • Description of new fossil material of
Muttaburrasaurus langdoni and a study on its craniodental anatomy, palaeoneurology and sensory palaeobiology is published by Herne et al. (2026). • Three
iguanodontian specimens with a morphology distinct from those of members of the genera
Dryosaurus and
Camptosaurus are described from the strata of the Morrison Formation from the Simon Quarry (Wyoming, United States) by Krumenacker et al. (2026). •
Galton & Carpenter (2026) redescribe the anatomy of the holotype and paratypes of
Camptosaurus dispar and the holotype of
C. medius, and support the interpretation of
C. medius,
C. nanus and
C. browni as
junior synonyms of
C. dispar. • Gônet, Allain & Houssaye (2026) determine probable locomotor preferences of
Iguanodon bernissartensis,
Ouranosaurus nigeriensis and
Lurdusaurus arenatus, interpreting the studied taxa as likely obligate quadrupeds, and interpreting
Lurdusaurus as the first known graviportal ornithopod. • Ma et al. (2026) report the discovery of a new skull of
Qianjiangsaurus changshengi from the Upper Cretaceous
Zhengyang Formation (China), preserving evidence of presence of a hollow crest on the skull of the studied dinosaur that was structurally non-
homologous with crests of lambeosaurine hadrosaurids. • Ma et al. (2026) study the taphonomy and age profile of the assemblage dominated by specimens of
Bactrosaurus johnsoni from the Upper Cretaceous
Iren Dabasu Formation (China) collected during fieldwork conducted in 2014 and 2015, report that the assemblage is dominated by nestling and juvenile individuals (interpreted as consistent with population segregation between juveniles and adults and with herding behavior of
B. johnsoni), and interpret the studied fossil assemblage as likely affected by an attritional mortality pattern. • Yu et al. (2026) report the first discovery of
lambeosaurine hadrosaurid fossil material from the Campanian
Nenjiang Formation (China), interpreted by the authors as supporting Asian origin of the group. • Dudgeon, Brown &
Evans (2026) describe the internal crest anatomy of mature individuals of
Corythosaurus casuarius,
C. intermedius and
Lambeosaurus lambei. • Hunter &
Janis (2026) compare tooth wear in juvenile and adult individuals of
Maiasaura peeblesorum, and report evidence of differences interpreted as consistent with a shift from feeding on nutritious, low-fiber plants to feeding on nutritionally poor, high-fiber plants during the life of the studied dinosaur. • Bateman & Larsson (2026) compare the cranial musculature and likely feeding performance of
Stegoceras validum and other ornithischians, providing evidence of greater similarity of the feeding performance of
S. validum to those of basal ornithischians and ornithopods than to that of
Psittacosaurus lujiatunensis, and interpret their findings as indicating that evolution of cranial domes of pachycephalosaurs constrained the evolution of their jaw musculature and their feeding performance. • Moore et al. (2026) describe postcranial remains of an indeterminate, early juvenile pachycephalosaur specimen from the Maastrichtian
Frenchman Formation (Saskatchewan, Canada), representing the ontogenetically youngest pachycephalosaur postcranium reported to date. • Maidment et al. (2026) use new remains of
Ajkaceratops kozmai from the Late Cretaceous
Csehbánya Formation (
Hungary) to conclude that this species is confidently a
ceratopsian, "
Mochlodon"
vorosi is a
junior synonym of this species, and
Late Cretaceous Europe preserves a previously unrecognized diversity of horned dinosaurs represented by taxa otherwise accepted as , despite previous records having suggested the contrary. == Birds ==