List of Paleobiota of the Morrison Formation
Name Species State
Chelonipus Colorado Utah
Compsemys C. plicatulus Colorado
Dinochelys D. whitei Colorado Utah Wyoming
Dorsetochelys D. buzzops
Glyptops G. plicatulus Colorado Wyoming
Glyptops G. ornatus Wyoming
Glyptops G. utahensis Utah
Uluops U. uluops Wyoming
Turtles
Turtles ( Testudines ) are very common fossils in the Morrison , due to their bony shells . The most common were Glyptops plicatus ( very common ) and Dinochelys whitei ( also common , but not as common as Glyptops ) . Also present were Dorsetochelys buzzops and Uluops uluops .
The Morrison Formation is a distinctive sequence of Late Jurassic sedimentary rock that is found in the western United States, which has a wide assortment of taxa represented in its fossil record, including dinosaur fossils in North America. It is composed of mudstone, sandstone, siltstone and limestone and is light grey, greenish gray, or red. Most of the fossils occur in the green siltstone beds and lower sandstones, relics of the rivers and floodplains of the Jurassic period. (mostly from Foster ; the higher-level classifications will vary as new finds are made.