In Depth Sclerorhynchus was in essence an ancient sawfish. The snout was long and specialised teeth projected out from the sides. This snout was probably the primary feeding aid in uncovering buried invertebrates like shell fish which could then be eaten by the mouth which was on the underside of the head. There has been … Read more
In Depth In 2006 the palaeontologists M. Sadiq Malkani described five new genera of titanosaur, Marisaurus, Balochisaurus, Sulaimanisaurus, Khetranisaurus and Pakisaurus, all from caudal vertebrae. From these only Marisaurus and Balochisaurus have had skull remains attributed to them, and only Marisaurus has (partial) rear limb bones attributed to the genus. Marisaurus and Balochisaurus were also … Read more
In Depth Ningchengopterus was a very special find as it appears to be a very young juvenile specimen. The structure of the wings suggest that Ningchengopterus was flight capable even at this young age, which in turn helps to reinforce the theory that pterosaurs could fly not long after hatching, and were possibly independent from … Read more
In Depth Uberabatitan is a genus of titanosaurid sauropod dinosaur that is known from the Marilla Formation of the bauru group of Brazil. Being Maastrichtian in age, Uberabatitan would have been one of the last titanosaurs to live before the KT extinction ended the reign of the dinosaurs. Further Reading - Uberabatitan ribeiroi, a new … Read more
In Depth Riebeeckosaurus would have been just another run of the mill tapinocephalid dinocephalian therapsid were it not for the extreme elongation of the skull. Though possibly for display, the elongation of the skull may denote a feeding adaptation and dietary specialisation. Further Reading - Nuwe tapinocephalidae, Riebeeckosaurus longisrostris gen. et sp. nov. Tydskr. Wet. … Read more
In Depth Reiszia is a genus of synapsid that lived in Russia during the Permian. Further Reading Further reading- The Nikkasauridae-Problematic Primitive Therapsids from the Late Permian of the Mezen Localities. – Paleontol. J. 34(Suppl. 2), 179–186. – M. F. Ivakhnenko – 2000.- Podklass Theromorpha. In M. F. Ivakhnenko and E. N. Kurochkin (eds.), Iskopaemye … Read more
In Depth Rhiodenticulatus is a genus of captorhinid reptile that lived in the USA during the early Permian. Further Reading - Captorhinid reptiles from the Early Permian of New Mexico, with description of a new genus and species. - Annals of Carnegie Museum 55:1-28. - D. S. Berman & R. R. Reisz - 1986.
In Depth Chriacus has a curious mix of features since it was a plantigrade quadruped that had hind legs suitable to climbing and fore legs suitable for digging. This has led to Chriacus being described as a raccoon-like animal, a generalist that could adapt its foraging behaviour to search for whatever food was available. This … Read more
In Depth Although not known from very complete fossil material, one thing that can be established about this mosasaur is that the rear limbs are not as well developed to aquatic life as they are in later forms. This reveals that Vallecillosaurus was a basal (sometimes referred to as primitive) mosasaur form, although it was … Read more
In Depth Not to be confused with the ceratopsian dinosaur Styracosaurus, Styracocephalus was a theraspid herbivore from what is now South Africa. At four and a half meters long, it was only slightly smaller than the more famous Moschops, but still appears to have had a similar lifestyle browsing upon vegetation. The most recognisable feature … Read more