In Depth Darwinopterus was a truly ground breaking discovery as it displays features of both the basal rhamphorhynchoid pterosaurs, and the later more advanced pterodactyloid pterosaurs. Before the discovery of Darwinopterus, there was a marked gap between these two groups, but now that the transitional form of Darwinopterus has been found it is considered to … Read more
In Depth When Alexander Kellner found what was thought to be a Pteranodon, he realised that morphological differences in the specimen meant that it was not a match. Kellner then compared it to the next closest pterosaur and in the process made the exciting discovery that it was not an individual of this genus either … Read more
In Depth The Euryapteryx genus of moa can be a bit confusing since it is actually known by three more common names, all of which reveal a little about this genus. The first name is the Coastal Moa, so named because of the abundant remains of this genus in coastal locations, though this is not to say that Euryapteryx never … Read more
In Depth Eothyris is currently only known from a skull, but from this a little can be inferred about the lifestyle of this genus. The mouth was filled with sharp and pointed teeth, with a pair of enlarged fangs that were near the front of the upper jaw. These were likely used to snare and … Read more
In Depth Kelyophis is a genus of snake that lived in Madagascar during the Late Cretaceous. Further Reading - A Late Cretaceous (Maastrichtian) snake assemblage from the Maevarano Formation, Mahajanga Basin, Madagascar. - Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology 30 (1): 109–138. - T. C. Laduke, D. W. Krause, J. D. Scanlon & N. J. Kley - … Read more
In Depth Since the genus was named in 2003, there has been some speculation that Lamaceratops may in fact be based upon fossils referable to Bagaceratops. This is because there is very little difference between known fossils of Bagaceratops and the holotype fossils for Lamaceratops, though Lamaceratops may also represent a species of Bagaceratops not … Read more
In Depth The future for Puntanipterus is uncertain and the reason for this goes back to its early discovery. When described, Puntanipterus was noted as being similar to the filter feeding pterosaur Pterodaustro save for differences in the ankles and tibia. What must be remembered however is that pterosaur fossils, including those of Pterodaustro are … Read more
In Depth The larger an animal becomes in life, the more likely it is that it will only be represented by a few bones, and this is because the body is usually scattered by the actions of scavengers as well as environmental factors such as floods and wind storms long before the body can be … Read more
In Depth A smaller relative of the fearsome Xiphactinus, Thrissops would have still been a fearsome predator of smaller fish. The tail is deeply forked with the upper and lower lobes roughly equal in proportion to one another, a clear sign that the tail was capable of tremendous bursts of speed. It’s possible that Thrissops … Read more
In Depth Towards the end of the Triassic a group of reptiles evolved wings so that they could fly after insects in the air, becoming the reptiles now known to us as pterosaurs. Over one hundred and sixty million years later and only around thirteen million years after the pterosaurs became extinct at the end … Read more