In Depth The hyenas had their origin in ancient genera such as Ictitherium, but by the Miocene exceptionally large forms such as Percrocuta had already evolved into a more recognisably hyena form. Percrocuta possessed robust skull and jaws with attachment points that would have allowed for a powerful bite. The rear teeth of Percrocuta however … Read more
In Depth Isasicursor is a genus of ornithischian dinosaur that lived in South America during the late Cretaceous. Further reading - Paleontological discoveries in the Chorrillo Formation (upper Campanian-lower Maastrichtian, Upper Cretaceous), Santa Cruz Province, Patagonia, Argentina. - Revista del Museo Argentino de Ciencias Naturales, Nueva Serie 21(2):217-293. - Fernando Novas, Federico Agnolin, Sebasti�n Rozadilla, … Read more
In Depth Aorun was a genus of coelurosaurian theropod that lived in China during the late Jurassic period. The holotype remains of are those of an individual which means that adults would have been a bit bigger and a little different, though the holotype remains of this genus are still enough to identify a new … Read more
In Depth The name Maiacetus means ‘good mother whale’ and this is a reference to the fact that the holotype of Maiacetus was composed of a skull with post cranial skeletal remains, and inside of the post cranial skeleton there appears to be the remains of a fossilised foetus. If this interpretation is correct then … Read more
In Depth Classed as a silesaurid (relative of Silesaurus), Kwanasaurus is a herbivorous dinosauromorph that lived in North America during the late Triassic. Dinosauromorphs include the ancestors of the dinosaurs, but the appearance of Kwanasaurus in the late Triassic when true dinosaurs were already roaming around suggests that Kwanasaurus, and other silesaurids were evolutionary off … Read more
In Depth Palaeopropithecus is one of the large sloth lemurs of ancient Madagascar, so noted because while it was without doubt a lemur, it had considerably longer limbs and physical adaptations more suited to climbing and living like a sloth. With this in mind, Palaeopropithecus probably spent its time climbing branches to reach leaves, fruit … Read more
In Depth Although somewhat lacking in fossil material, Harpactognathus has still been found to have a crest that runs down the entire skull, all the way to the tip of the jaws. Further Reading – A new scaphognathine pterosaur from the Upper Jurassic Formation of Wyoming, USA. In: Buffetaut, E., and Mazin, J.- M. (eds.). … Read more
In Depth Venaticosuchus is a genus of pseudosuchian archosaur that lived in Argentina during the Triassic. Venaticosuchus is related to Riojasuchus and Ornithosuchus. Further Reading - Annotated list of the South American Triassic tetrapods, by J. F. Bonaparte. In Second Gondwana Symposium, Proceedings and Papers, S. H. Haughton (ed) – 1971. – Anatomy and phylogenetic … Read more
In Depth A little known nimravid, Pogonodon seems to have had a wide distribution from the USA to the Ukraine as well as existing for around twenty-three and half million years. This suggests that Pogonodon would have been one of the most successful genera of nimravid so far known. Further Reading Further reading- Scientific news. … Read more
In Depth Baguatherium was has been classed as a member of the Pyrotheriidae, meaning that the genus was related to mammals like Pyrotherium. Baguatherium would have been a heavy set quadrupedal herbivore that would feed upon low growing vegetation. The incisors in the mouth were enlarged and projected forwards out of the mouth, probably as … Read more