In Depth The discoverer had a bit of fun with this as Eucritta melanolimnetes translates to ‘creature from the black lagoon’. Unlike its more famous Hollywood name sake who was depicted as a humanoid, Eucritta was a tiny predator that hunted insects. Eucritta superficially seems to be like other primitive amphibians but has also developed … Read more
In Depth Keilhauia is a genus of opthalmosaurid ichthyosaur that lived during the early Cretaceous. Though only known from partial remains, Keilhauia shares many similarities to the genera Cryopterygius and Caypullisaurus. Further Reading - A new ophthalmosaurid (Ichthyosauria) from Svalbard, Norway, and evolution of the ichthyopterygian pelvic girdle. - PLoS ONE 12(1):e0169971. - L. L. … Read more
In Depth Though known only from very few fossils, Adratiklit is the first known example of dacentrurine stegosaur from North Africa. At the time of naming however, we do not know other details such as the type and extent of plates and spikes that would have run down its back as the genus was named … Read more
In Depth Ictidostoma is a genus of therapsid that is known to have lived in South Africa during the Permian. Further Reading - Description of a New Specimen of Ictidostoma hemburyi (Therapsida; Therocephalia) and the Phylogenetic Relations of Therocephalians to the Mammalian Lineage. - Dallas Frentzel, Christian F. Kammerer & John J. Flynn.
In Depth Sefapanosaurus is a genus of sauropodomorph dinosaur that lived in South Africa during the late Triassic. Further Reading - A new basal sauropodiform from South Africa and the phylogenetic relationships of basal sauropodomorphs. Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society 174:589-634. - A. Otero, E. Krupandan, D. Pol, A. Chinsamy & J. Choiniere - … Read more
In Depth Axelrodichthys is a genus of coelacanth that lived during the Cretaceous. As a member of the Mawsoniidae, Axelrodichthys would have had a body form similar to Chinlea and Mawsonia. Further Reading - Coelacanths from the Lower Cretaceous of Brazil. American Museum Novitates 2866:1-30. - J. G. Maisley - 1986. - A new mawsoniid … Read more
In Depth Agujaceratops originally started out as being assigned as a species to the genus Chasmosaurus, another and more common Campanian era ceratospian dinosaur. However closer analysis by Lucas, Sullivan and Hunt in 2006 of a partial skull revealed key differences between it and other Chasmosaurus fossils. This led to the material being removed from … Read more
In Depth As far as cynodonts go Tritylodon was fairly unremarkable and very similar to the generic form of other cynodonts. Tritylodon had a round body and short limbs, adaptations for a burrowing lifestyle. Furthermore Tritylodon is noted for having enlarged incisor teeth which still would have been partly visible when the mouth was closed, … Read more
In Depth Lonchidion is a genus of very successful hybodontid shark that lived for most of the Mesozoic. Most fossils attributed to Lonchidion are Cretaceous in age, though Jurassic and even Late Triassic fossils are also known. Also, while Lonchidion has been mostly associated with North America and Europe, fossils from Africa and Asia are … Read more
In Depth Another small amphibian from the Carboniferous period of Scotland, Adelospondylus is only known by a skull and jaws. The lower jaw is noted as being quite deep, but is otherwise not greatly special. Adelospondylus may have been similar to Adelogyrinus. Further Reading - An Adelogyrinid Lepospondyl Amphibian from the Upper Carboniferous, R. L. … Read more