Pawpawsaurus — artistic reconstruction

Cretaceous

Pawpawsaurus

Pawpawsaurus campbelli

The catalogue presents Pawpawsaurus as a herbivore member of Nodosauridae that lived during the Cretaceous, between 100.0–96.0 Ma. Its estimated range is 4.5 m in length and 700 kg in mass, giving a practical sense of scale. Reference material comes from Paw Paw Formation, Texas, USA. Size and mass are approximations and may change with new fossils or methods.

Herbivore100.0–96.0 MaNodosauridae

Evidence-backed summary

For Pawpawsaurus, the PBDB records the taxonomic attribution as Lee (1996).

The PBDB places it in Nodosauridae, and the catalogue record assigns it to the family Nodosauridae.

In the PBDB record, the reported stratigraphic range is the Albian.

The PBDB catalogues 1 occurrence, with material from the Paw Paw Formation (1). Provenance: United States.

The catalogue records the holotype as SMU 73203 and the type locality as “Paw Paw Formation, Texas, USA”.

  • SMU 73203
  • Paw Paw Formation, Texas, USA

The catalogue's reference measurements are 4.5 m in length and 700 kg in mass — estimates, which vary with specimen and method.

  • 4.5 m
  • 700 kg

The record gathers 24 bibliographic references registered in the PBDB, listed below.

Records compiled on 2026-08-08

Where it lived

Fossil occurrences on today’s map and in the tectonic reconstruction.

Present-day map1 PBDB
Paw Paw
PBDB occurrences
Map at the time · ~105 Ma1 PBDB
Paw Paw
PBDB occurrences
Present mean latitude32.9° N
Reconstructed mean latitude38.4° N

Positions reconstructed by PBDB/GPlates, not observed; this is not an exact habitat map.

Paleobiology Database · GPlates · CC BY 4.0

Artistic 3D reconstruction

There is no approved species-specific 3D model yet. Generic anatomy will not be presented as if it were evidence.

Physical Specifications

Length
4.5 m
Weight
700 kg
Period
Cretaceous
Time range
100.0–96.0 Ma

Discovery Information

First Discovery
1994
Described by
Lee Yuong-Nam

Taxonomic Classification

Kingdom
Animalia
Phylum
Chordata
Class
Reptilia
Order
Ornithischia
Family
Nodosauridae
Genus
Pawpawsaurus
Species
P. campbelli

Paleobiology Database · txn:55998

Data status

Taxonomic name matched to PBDB and checked on 2026-08-08.

Taxonomic linkage does not automatically validate size, mass, behaviour or appearance.

Type specimen
SMU 73203
Type locality
Paw Paw Formation, Texas, USA