In Depth History and classification of Gastornis Gastornis was first named as a genus in 1855 by E. H�bert. Gastornis means ‘Gaston’s bird’, and H�bert chose this name to honour Gaston Plant�, the man who discovered the first ever (and hence holotype) fossils of Gastornis in the French Argile Plastique Formation that is not far … Read more
In Depth Luanchuanraptor can go down in palaeontological history as the first Asian dromaeosaurid found outside of the Gobi Desert. Beyond this however the partial remains of the holotype make it hard to establish details about this genus. Luanchuanraptor was a dromaeosaurid meaning that it was a relatively small theropod dinosaur similar to others such … Read more
In Depth Chiniquodon is a genus of cynodont that lived in South America during the Early Triassic. Most Chiniquodon fossils are Anisian to Ladinian in age, with a few associated with Carnian deposits. This has fuelled speculation that the disappearance of cynodonts like Chiniquodon coincides with the rise of early dinosaurs, and hence the cynodonts … Read more
In Depth Alanqa was a significant find as pterosaurs are not especially well known from Africa. This is not to say that Africa did not have many pterosaurs living there, just that the conditions were not conducive for mass preservation given the fragile nature of pterosaur bones (even when well preserved they often get crushed … Read more
In Depth Ninjatitan is a genus of titanosaurid dinosaur that lived in South America during the Early Cretaceous. A very interesting thing about the Ninjatitan genus is that the holotype fossil remains were recovered from a Berriasian/Valanginian aged fossil deposit, which indicates that Ninjatitan may have been amongst the first definitive titanosaurs to walk the … Read more
In Depth Tokarahia is a genus of whale that lived in the waters around New Zealand during the Oligocene. Further Reading - A new genus and species of eomysticetid (Cetacea: Mysticeti) and a reinterpretation of ‘Mauicetus’ lophocephalus Marples, 1956: Transitional baleen whales from the upper Oligocene of New Zealand. - Zoological Journal of the Linnean … Read more
In Depth Despite its diminutive size Compsognathus is one of the dinosaurs that are best known to science. Not only was the skeleton well persevered but the remains of its last meal, a small lizard named Bavarisaurus were also found inside the specimen proving without doubt that Compsognathus was a carnivore. At the time of … Read more
In Depth When fossils where first reported in 2008, it was clear that that these were the bones of what would become one of the more noteworthy dicynodonts. Formally named over ten years later, Lisowicia is by far one of the largest, if not the largest dicynodonts that ever lived. A second feature of note … Read more
In Depth Stromerius is a genus of basilosaurid whale that has been discovered in the world famous fossil deposits of Egypt, some of which are well known for turning up the fossils of whales. Unfortunately the harsh environmental conditions there can quickly erode exposed fossils, and as for the case of Stromerius, only some of … Read more
In Depth Georgiacetus is one of the most primitive whale genera to be discovered in the United States, with the holotype fossils discovered in the state of Georgia during the construction of a nuclear power station. New fossil material discovered in 2008 resulted in confirmation that Georgiacetus did not have a fluked tail like modern … Read more