Diversity and biogeography of Late Cretaceous vertebrate faunas of northern Sudan

• Applicant: Professor Dr. Johannes Müller
• Subject Area: Palaeontology
• Term: from 2011 to 2013
• Project identifier: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 187466369

Most knowledge of Late Mesozoic terrestrial vertebrate faunas comes from fossil deposits in the New World, Europe, and Asia, whereas from Africa there is little information based on only a few isolated localities. In particular the northeastern part of the continent has so far remained dramatically understudied. We propose to explore the poorly known fauna of Late Mesozoic terrestrial vertebrates of east Saharan Africa by performing palaeontological fieldwork in Upper Cretaceous sediments of central northern Sudan, which promise to provide invaluable insights into the patterns of vertebrate diversity in northeastern Gondwana shortly before the K/T extinction event. Fieldwork comprises the relocation and excavation of previously known localities but also the prospecting for new finds, as well as the digital and detailed record of stratigraphic position and palaeoenvironmental context of localities.

• DFG Programme: Research Grants
• International Connection: Canada, Sudan
• Participating Persons: Dr. Robert Bussert; Professor David C. Evans, Ph.D.; Dr. Abd Elrazig Obied Mohammed