In Depth Pantydraco was formerly known as Thecodontosaurus caducus, however re-examination of the many Thecodontosaurus species has resulted in many being regarded as synonyms or actually recognised as new animals, as is the case for Pantydraco. Named after the Pantyffynnon quarry where it was discovered, Pantydraco is thought to represent a basal sauropodomorph. For this … Read more
In Depth Koilamasuchus is a genus of archosauriform that lived in Argentina during the Triassic. Further Reading - A new basal archosauriform diapsid from the Lower Triassic of Argentina. - Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology 30(5):1433-1450. - M. D. Ezcurra, A. Lecuona & A. Martinelli - 2010.
In Depth With up to forty cervical vertebrae, Microcleidus had a proportionately longer neck than other plesiosaurs. This longer neck has in the past seen Microcleidus treated as an elasmosaurid (the group of long necked plesiosaurs like Elasmosaurus), although Microcleidus has also been considered to be a cryptoclidid (the group established around Cryptoclidus). On top … Read more
In Depth Scalopodontes is a genus of therapsid that lived in Russia during the Permian. Further Reading - New material on Scaloposaurians (Reptilia, Theriodontia) from the Upper Permian of the Kotelnich Locality, Kirov Region. - Paleontological Journal 34 (supplement 2). - L. P. Tatarinov - 2000.
In Depth Cryptocynodon is a genus of dicynodont that lived in the Late Permian. Further Reading - New specimens of the tanzanian dicynodont ‘Cryptocynodon’ parringtoni Von Huene, 1942 (Therapsida, Anomodontia), with an expanded analysis of Permian dicynodont phylogeny. - Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology vol 27, issue 1 - Kenneth D. Angielczyk - 2007.
In Depth The name Dinocrocuta translates to English as ‘terrible hyena’, with ‘dino meaning terrible and the ‘crocuta’ part being a reference to the Crocuta genus which is home to modern hyenas that we can see alive today. This is born out of a superficial similarity in physical form between modern hyenas and Dinocrocuta, however … Read more
In Depth Falcatus was a tiny shark that has managed to stand out from others because of the presence of a dorsal spine that rises up from where you might expect the first dorsal fin to have been. However instead if rising backwards like in other primitive sharks such as Orthacanthus and Xenacanthus, the dorsal … Read more
In Depth One of the daphoenine bear dogs that are so far exclusive to North America, Daphoenictis was similar to the type genus of this group Daphoenus. Although definitely a bear dog, Daphoenictis fossils bear a resemblance to cats, something leading to the name Daphoenictis which translates as ‘Daphoenus cat’. Daphoenictis seems to have shared … Read more
In Depth First collected in 1933, and tentatively described in 1956, the fossils of Aenigmastropheus were not granted their own genus until 2014. Aenigmastropheus is a genus of archosauromorph saurian that lived in Tanzania during the Late Permain, something that makes Aenigmastropheus the first and at the time of writing only known late Permian protosaur … Read more
In Depth A very obscure genus, Adelogyrinus was a small amphibean that hunted in and around the waterways and forests of what would become Scotland back in the Carboniferous period. Adelogyrinus may have been similar to Adelospondylus. Further Reading - The Carboniferous Amphibia of Scotland, D. M. S. Watson - 1929.