Talk:List of Indian and Madagascan dinosaurs

Pakistan's dinosaurs?

About one month ago, I ask about whether Pakistan's dinosaurs were from Indian-Madagascar or Asia. Dinoguy2 answered that west Pakistan is on the Iranian plate, not Indian plate.

However, I remember that Vitakridrinda is also from Pakistan, fossils found in Vitakri Member of the Pab Formation. That's interesting because Abelisaurs were distributed on southern continents in Late Cretaceous, no one found in Asia. Besides, fossils of Balochisaurus, Brohisaurus, Khetranisaurus, Marisaurus, Pakisaurus, Sulaimanisaurus, Baurusuchus, Pabwehshi were also from Pab Formation, the last two were Notosuchia, Notosuchia were also distributed on southern continents. Does it show that Pab Formation's fauna were part of Gondwana fauna, and the above dinosaurs should move to Category:Dinosaurs of India and Madagascar?

hoseumou 12:08, 24 January 2010 (UTC)

Madagascar is in Africa

I agree that Indian dinosaurs need to be kept in a separate list because India was a separate landmass for much of the Mesozoic Era. But how come Madagascan dinosaurs are kept separate? Madagascar is part of Africa. Shouldn't Madagascan dinosaurs be included in the List of African Dinosaurs? Troodon58 12:02, 26 September 2010 (UTC)

• Madagascar isn't part of Africa at all. Geologically speaking it's entirely separate (on a different craton). In fact, during most of the Mesozoic Madagascar was part of India. It broke off about 90 Mya and began to drift towards Africa, so for the last 25 million years of the Mesozoic Madagascar was a separate island but presumably with Indian fauna.—S Marshall T/C 17:46, 26 September 2010 (UTC)
• Then how come every single website and atlas I've seen says it's part of Africa? Troodon58 20:19, 27 September 2010 (UTC)

It's part of Africa politically, not geologically. I don't think species and ecosystems are much concerned with political boundaries. For example, Hawaii is part of the USA as far as every map I've seen since the 1950s. However, adding a Hawaiian dinosaur to the category "Dinosaurs of North America" would be absurd. In the geological sense, Madagacar is an independent continent, just as Australia is (and New Zealand, for that matter). The geological sense is the only objective one. In school, I learned about 7 continents. But many of my European friends learned about 5 or 6, since they limp North America and South America as just "America". Best to avoid these purely cultural differences and stick with the geology. The animation in this article makes it abundantly clear: [1] MMartyniuk (talk) 01:45, 28 September 2010 (UTC)

It doesn't really matter what Madagascar is *now* when we're talking about the time period between 250 and 65 million years ago. During the breakup of Gondwana, India and Madagascar were a single unit that broke from the main mass. They'd look closer if things hadn't gotten complicated during the Late Cretaceous. India and Madagascar separated about 90 million years ago, and then around 65 million years ago India had another rifting event associated with the Deccan Traps, and another chunk split off to become the Seychelles, with the Carlsberg Ridge between them. Eventually whatever rifting had split Madagascar-India from Africa petered out, and Madagascar and the Seychelles now tag along with Africa. (Also, secretly, this Indo-Madagascan landmass would have included chunks of Pakistan. I'd assume that somewhere there is a name for this entire landmass, which may or may not help, but I'm not particularly versed in eastern Gondwanan tectonics). J. Spencer (talk) 03:00, 28 September 2010 (UTC)

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