In Depth Sahitisuchus is a genus of sebesuchid crocodile that lived in South America during the Paleocene/Eocene. Sahitisuchus is thought to have been semi aquatic and as a sebesuchis would have been related to genera such as Sebecus, Langstonia and Zulmasuchus. Further Reading - A new sebecid from the Paleogene of Brazil and the crocodyliform … Read more
In Depth It could be said that Jobaria is a sauropod that doesn’t know what it is due to a mix of different traits. The vertebrae of Jobaria are very simple in form which has led to some suggestion that Jobaria is a primitive sauropod. Study of other areas however has led to speculation that … Read more
In Depth Broomisaurus was originally named as Scymnorhinus planiceps by Robert Broom in 1913, however the genus name Scymnorhinus had already been established, so the name Broomisaurus was given to this gorgonopsid by Joleaud in 1920. Because Broomisaurus is only known from fragmentary remains the genus has often been listed as a Nomen dubium because … Read more
In Depth Palaeomolgophis is a genus of amphibian that lived in Scotland during the Carboniferous. Palaeomolgophis displays a severe reduction in the size of its limbs which has led to speculation that Palaeomolgophis might have been fully aquatic. Further Reading - Studies on Early Tetrapods I. The Lower Carboniferous Microsaurs. - Philosophical Transactions of the … Read more
In Depth The type genus of the Gomphotheriidae, Gomphotherium is quite a bizarre prehistoric elephant that is quite different from the ones that we know today. Gomphotherium still had two tusks protruding down from the upper jaw, but they were recurved, which means that they gently curved towards the body rather than away like in … Read more
In Depth Iberospondylus is a genus of temnospondyl amphibian that lived in the Iberian Peninsula of Spain during the late Carboniferous. Two interesting points about Iberospondylus are that the genus is one of the oldest known, and extends the range of such creatures living in Spain by forty-five million years. Additionally, fossils of Iberospondylus have … Read more
In Depth Rhamphorhynchus is one of the classic pterosaurs that have been known to science since the early days of palaeontology. It had what appears to have been a sizeable distribution and aside from the above locations, Rhamphorhynchus specimens have also been attributed to other European countries like the United Kingdom. Unfortunately however, these specimens … Read more
In Depth Mixocetus was a genus of baleen whale known to have swum in the oceanic waters off California during the late Miocene epoch. Further Reading - A new cetothere from the Modelo Formation at Los Angeles, California. - Carnegie Institution of Washington 447:83-104. - R. Kellogg - 1934.
In Depth A relative of amphibians such as Platyhystrix and Cacops, Zygosaurus was a cacopine temnospondyl that lived in Russia during the Permian. Further Reading – Uber die Saurier des kupferfhrenden Zechsteins Russlands. – Bulletin de la Societe National Moscou (in Russian). 21: 136–204. – Eduard Eichwals – 1848.
In Depth Superficially, Utahraptor appears to be an earlier, scaled up version of Deinonychus. Specimens of Utahraptor are fragmentary but suggest a potential size of up to seven meters long, with some more conservative estimates falling nearer six meters long. These estimates make Utahraptor a contender for one of the largest known dromaeosaurid dinosaurs, but … Read more