In Depth The few scant fragmentary remains of Labocania make it very difficult to classify, but analysis of the post cranial elements suggest that it was a tyrannosaurid. What parts of the skull which are known are more robust however suggesting that Labocania had a differently shaped skull. It is easy to see why Labocania … Read more
In Depth Dating from the Bathonian period, Kileskus is even older than Guanlong making it a contender for one of the earliest tyrannosaurs. The partial skull remains have revealed the presence of a crest that rose up from the snout. Beyond this the only thing that can be said about Kileskus is that it appears … Read more
In Depth Pyroraptor acquired its name from the circumstances of its discovery. In 1992 the partially preserved remains of this dinosaur where discovered after a forest fire had swept through the area. Despite the very incomplete remains it has been possible to identify Pyroraptor as a distinct genus from the unique form of the sickle-shaped … Read more
In Depth It took a long time for the fossils of Neovenator to be studied and named, although such an occurrence is not unknown in the fields of Palaeontology. First discovered in 1978 from the chalk cliffs of the south-western Isle of Wight, a subsequent later visit led to the other remains of Neovenator being … Read more
In Depth As a creature that displays both dinosaurian and avian features, it is not known for certain how Rahonavis fits in with the evolution of birds from dinosaurs. This is problem shared with other discoveries such as Xiaotingia and even Archaeopteryx as the difining line of when a bird becomes a bird and not … Read more
In Depth Although based upon the description of fragmentary fossil remains, the actual discovery of Camarillasaurus is a significant revelation in itself since it is one of the few ceratosaurs known from the early Cretaceous period. This is directly in between the heyday of the ceratosaurs in the late Jurassic, and their second revival in … Read more
In Depth Megaraptor made headlines at the time of its discovery because of the large thirty centimetre long claw that at the time was thought to be the sickle shaped claw that belonged on the second toe of a dromaeosaurid dinosaur like Velociraptor, but much bigger. However the discovery of a complete forelimb revealed this … Read more
Tyrannosaurus rex has been known to science since the end of the nineteenth century, and to this day remains arguably the most popular dinosaur the world over. This is evidenced by its almost mandatory inclusion in books, TV shows, games and websites that are about dinosaurs in general. Tyrannosaurus also probably has more toys and … Read more
In Depth Concavenator is certainly different from the other known theropod dinosaurs that came before it. Its most striking feature is the protrusion above its hips that is caused by the extension of two presacral vertebrae. Its speculated that these vertebrae would have supported either a sail or hump structure. Theories as to its purpose … Read more
In Depth Linhenykus has the distinctive feature of incredibly reduced arms that are typical of the alvarezsauroids. What makes Lynhenykus stand out from the group though is the fact that it had only one finger. A bone for a second finger was discovered but the nub is not thought to have been functional. Although at … Read more