Many dinosaur fossils have been found in Mexico, including Albertosaurus, Apatosaurus, Gorgosaurus, Hypacrosaurus, Labocania, Lambeosaurus, and fossilized hadrosaur skin and bones. Pterosaur (flying reptile) fossils have also been found.

Mexico figures prominently in the study of the extinction of dinosaurs because it is where a giant asteroid hit the Earth 65 million years ago, probably triggering the K-T mass extinction. This asteroid, 4 to 9 miles (6 to 15 km) in diameter, slammed into the ocean near the Yucatan Peninsula, forming the Chicxulub crater. This crater is 120 miles wide and 1 mile deep.

During the K-T extinction, it has been estimated that 80-90% of marine species, about 50% of the marine genera, and about 15% of the marine families went extinct. For land animals, about 85% of the species, about 25% of the families, and about 56% of the genera died out. Larger animals (over about 55 pounds=25 kg) were all wiped out.

ALBERTOSAURUS (pronounced al-BUR-toh-SAWR-us) Albertosaurus was a large, meat-eating dinosaur from the late Cretaceous period. It was a theropod related to T. rex. Albertosaurus was about 8.6 m long and weighed about 2500 kg. The type species is A. sarcophagus.

APATOSAURUS (pronounced uh-PAT-uh-SAWR-us) Apatosaurus was a huge sauropod from the Jurassic period. It was about 70 to 90 ft (21-27 m) long and weighed roughly 42500 kg. This quadrupedal plant-eater used to be known as Brontosaurus

GORGOSAURUS (pronounced GORE-goh-SAWR-us) Gorgosaurus (meaning "Gorgon lizard") used to be thought to be an invalid name for Albertosaurus, but is now believed to be a separate genus of tyrannosaurids. Gorgosaurus was named by Paleontologist L. Lambe in 1914. It was a large, meat-eating dinosaur, a theropod about 26-30 feet (8-9 m) long. This fierce predator had a large head with many sharp teeth, tiny arms, large powerful legs, and a stiff tail. Over 20 incomplete fossilized skeletons have been found in Alberta, Canada, in Montana, USA, and in a few other locations. This relatively intelligent dinosaur dates from the late Cretaceous period, roughly 76 to 68 million years ago. The type species is G. libratus.

HYPACROSAURUS (pronounced hi-PACK-roh-SAWR-us) Hypacrosaurus (meaning "under the top lizard") was a large, plant-eating, hollow-crested duck-billed dinosaur (a hadrosaur) similar to Corythosaurus. It was about 30 feet (9 m) long, had almost 40 rows of cheek teeth, a short toothless beak, and a row of short spines coming out of its vertebrae, forming a small fin along its back. It lived in humid forests during the late Cretaceous period, about 72 to 70 million years ago. Fossils (mostly skulls) have been found in Alberta, Canada and Montana, USA. It was found and named by fossil hunter Barnum Brown.

LABOCANIA (pronounced lah-boh-KAH-nee-ah) Labocania was a theropod dinosaur from the late Cretaceous period, roughly 83 to 73 million years ago. This meat-eater was about 20 feet (6 m) long, weighing roughly 1.5 tonnes. It is known from an incomplete skeleton from Mexico. Labocania was named by Molnar in 1974, named for the La Bocana Roja Formation in Mexico. The type species is L. anomalis.

LAMBEOSAURUS (pronounced LAM-bee-oh-SAWR-us) Lambeosaurus (named to honor paleontologist L. Lambe) was a duck-billed dinosaur with a large crest from the late Cretaceous period. This plant-eater was about 30 feet (9 m) long.

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