In Depth Originally described as a species of Thoracosaurus, T. cherifiensis was established as a distinct genus in 2002, creating Elosuchus. Elosuchus was a marine crocodile that that possibly spent most of its life in the water. The gharial -like snout is suggestive that Elosuchus was more of a fish hunter. Further Reading - Elosuchus, … Read more
In Depth Supersaurus is a relative of the ever famous Diplodocus and Apatosaurus (formerly known as Brontosaurus), as these three genera are all described as diplodocid sauropods. Diplodocids are members of the Diplodocidae and are noted for their long necks and tails, the latter of which are very thin and whip-like. Diplodocids can be further … Read more
In Depth Megantereon has a popular standing within the realm of big cat palaeontology as it is thought by many to be the ancestor to the considerably more famous Smilodon (often incorrectly dubbed the Sabre-toothed tiger). Megantereon itself is often referred to as a dirk toothed cat because while the upper canines are enlarged, they … Read more
In Depth Eoconstrictor is a genus of snake that lived in Europe during the Eocene. As a constrictor, Eoconstrictor would have squeezed its prey to death before swallowing them whole. Further reading - Exquisitely Preserved Fossil Snakes of Messel: Insight into the Evolution, Biogeography, Habitat Preferences and Sensory Ecology of Early Boas. - Diversity. 12 … Read more
In Depth Although only known from partial remains, Patagonykus is confirmed to have been an alvarezsaur, small bipedal dinosaurs that are thought to have specialised in hunting insects. Dinosaurs like Patagonykus were once thought to have been restricted to the lower stages of the upper Cretaceous, however the discovery of Bonapartenykus in 2012 has revealed … Read more
In Depth Acanthodes was what is called a spiny shark, a type of fish that are related to true sharks. The spiny sharks had spines that supported their fins as well as providing some defence against predators. Acanthodes however actually has relatively few spines for a spiny shark with a total of six spines being … Read more
In Depth Pukyongosaurus is a genus of titanosaur that lived in Korea during the early Cretaceous. Further Reading - A preliminary report on a sauropod from the Hasandong Formation (Lower Cretaceous), Korea. - Proceedings of the Eighth Annual Meeting of the Chinese Society of Vertebrate Paleontology 41-53. - Z. Dong, I. S. Paik, & H. … Read more
In Depth Colombophis is a genus of snake that lived in South America during the Miocene. Further Reading – Le gisement de vert�br�s mioc�nes de La Venta (Colombie) et sa faune de serpents. – Annales de Pal�ontologie (Vert�br�s) 63: 161–190. – R. Hoffstetter & J. C. Rage – 1977. - Reappraisal of the South American … Read more
In Depth In 2005 a fragment of pterosaur jaw bone was acquired by Andr� Jacques Veldmeijer, and then later described as a species of Thalassodromeus, T. oberlii in Veldmeijers’ 2006 dissertation. However, the species was never actually official. Then in 2014 the fragment was described by Headden and Campos not as a species of Thalassodromeus, … Read more
In Depth Fossils of Lourinhasaurus were first described in 1957, but were initially thought to be a species of Apatosaurus. A second individual described in 1983 led to the notion that the fossils were not of a new species but an entirely new genus. Fossils of Lourinhasaurus have also previously been labelled as species of … Read more