In Depth One of the most striking characteristics of Leptictidium are the well-developed hind legs that are considered to have made this creature one of the rare few bipedal mammals (the others being humans and the macropods such as kangaroos and wallabies). The biggest problem with Leptictidium however is that we can’t be certain as … Read more
In Depth Yehuecauhceratops is a genus of ceratopsian dinosaur that lived in North America during the late Cretaceous. The holotype individual of Yehuecauhceratops was discovered in the Aguja Formation of Mexico, and in life is thought to have been similar to nasutoceratopsine ceratopsian dinosaur genera such as Nasutoceratops and Avaceratops. Unfortunately because of the lack … Read more
In Depth Fulgurotherium is a little known genus of Australian dinosaur that is also known from very little fossil material; at the time of writing, only a fragment of a femur. This femur seems to match up small ornithopod dinosaurs that range about one to one and a half meters long in size, but this … Read more
In Depth Tambachia is a genus of temnospondyl amphibian that live in what is now Germany during the Permian period. Specifically, Tambachia is a trematopod temnospondyl, and is also recorded as the first of its kind to be found outside of the USA. Further Reading - A New Trematopid Amphibian from the Lower Permian of … Read more
In Depth Docofossor is a genus of mammaliform that lived in China during the late Jurassic. Docofossor is noted as having similar features as modern day members of Chrysochloridae, better known as golden moles, leading researchers to suggest that Docofossor may have lived a similar life, using powerful fore arms to dig into the ground … Read more
In Depth An exciting find, the genus name of this whale is a reference to the golden colouration of the bones of the type specimen. It is important to note that should further fossilised bones of this genus be discovered they might not have the same colouration since the colour of holotype bones was due … Read more
In Depth Miacis is often heralded as being the progenitor of the Carnivora, one of the main groups of carnivorous mammals that today include predators such as big cats, wolves and mustelids among others. However most of the known species of Miacis are considered to actually be members of the Carnivoramorpha, a group of predator … Read more
In Depth Eoherpeton is a genus of reptilomorph that is known to have lived in what is now Scotland during the Carboniferous. Further Reading - A new genus and species of anthracosaur amphibian from the Lower Carboniferous of Scotland and the status of Pholidogaster pisciformis Huxley. - Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society of London, … Read more
In Depth Brachyprosopus is a genus of anomodont therapsid that lived in South Africa during the Permian. Further Reading -The skull structure of a new anomodont. - Journal of Geology 45(8):851-858. - E. C. Olson - 1937. – A reevaluation of Brachyprosopus broomiand Chelydontops altidentalis, dicynodonts (Therapsida, Anomodontia) from the middle Permian Tapinocephalus Assemblage Zone … Read more
In Depth The one thing about Basilosaurus that instantly causes confusion is its name. When first studied and named by Richard Harlan, he came to the conclusion that it was most likely a marine reptile, and so named it Basilosaurus, or ‘King lizard’. It was not until the remains were studied by Richard Owen that … Read more