Open Paleo

Canardia

Prieto-Márquez et al., 2013 can-AHR-dee-uh

From French 'canard' meaning 'duck', referring to the duck-billed (hadrosaur) nature of this dinosaur found in France.

72.2–66.0 million years ago Maastrichtian, Late Cretaceous
Late Cretaceous stages

Canardia is an extinct genus of lambeosaurine dinosaur known from the Late Cretaceous Marnes d'Auzas Formation (late Maastrichtian stage) of Haute-Garonne department, in Occitanie region, southwestern France. The type species Canardia garonnensis was first described and named by Albert Prieto-Márquez, Fabio M. Dalla Vecchia, Rodrigo Gaete and Àngel Galobart in 2013. It is only known from juvenile specimens.

Diagnosis

  1. Maxilla with prominent subrectangular rostrodorsal flange that rises vertically above rostroventral process, shared only with Aralosaurus tuberiferus
  2. Ectopterygoid shelf subhorizontal (parallel to caudal segment of tooth row), distinguishing it from Aralosaurus tuberiferus
  3. Prefrontal with dorsomedial flange, absent in Aralosaurus tuberiferus
  4. Prefrontal with narrow rostroventral process, in contrast to broad process of Aralosaurus tuberiferus

Species

Canardia garonnensis Prieto-Márquez et al., 2013

Type species

Named for the Haute-Garonne department of southwestern France, where the holotype was discovered.

Holotype
MDE-Ma3-16 , Le Musée des Dinosaures Espéraza-Aude (Dinosaur Museum Espéraza), Espéraza, Department Aude, Region Languedoc-Roussillon-Midi-Pyrénées
Material
Nearly complete right maxilla
Horizon
lower Marnes d'Auzas Formation, Maastrichtian, Late Cretaceous , 72.2–66.0 million years ago
Locality
Tricouté 3, Haute-Garonne, France

References

  1. Prieto-Márquez, A.; Dalla Vecchia, F. M.; Gaete, R.; Galobart, À. (2013). Diversity, Relationships, and Biogeography of the Lambeosaurine Dinosaurs from the European Archipelago, with Description of the New Aralosaurin Canardia garonnensis. PLoS ONE 8(7): e69835. Public Library of Science (PLoS). doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0069835 prieto-márquez2013a
  2. Jones, B. (2026). The Princeton Encyclopedia of Dinosaurs: Ornithischians. Princeton University Press.

    Source of the body length estimate.

    jones2026a