In Depth Asteriornis was a very interesting discovery for followers of bird palaeontology. Living approximately a million years before the end of the Cretaceous, Asteriornis shows skull features that are similar to chickens (galliformes) and ducks (anseriformes). This combination of features shows that in form Asteriornis was very close to the common ancestor of the … Read more
In Depth The name Koparion is based upon the comparison of the serrated teeth (currently the only known parts of this dinosaur) to ancient versions of scalpels. Despite the lack of overall remains, Koparion is widely regarded as being a troodontid and if this is correct, it would be one of the if not the … Read more
In Depth Although Sinotyrannus has been described from very incomplete material, the palaeontologists who described this dinosaur have managed to conclude that it is a close relative of the primitive tyrannosaurs. Additionally they have also compared the remains to similar dinosaurs and come up with a rough length estimate of up to ten meters long … Read more
In Depth Anhuilong is a genus of mamenchisaurid sauropod dinosaur that lived in China during the mid Jurassic. Further Reading - The second mamenchisaurid dinosaur from the Middle Jurassic of Eastern China. - Historical Biology: An International Journal of Paleobiology - Xin-Xin Ren, Jian-Dong Huang & Hai-Lu You - 2018.
In Depth Just like the later crocodiles, the phytosaurs evolved a variety of different head shapes that saw some of them becoming specialised hunters. In this respect Mystriosuchus developed a very thin snout that saw it take on a resemblance to a modern day gavial, but did so long before the crocodiles. This is a … Read more
In Depth Willungacetus is both the oldest whale known from Australia, and the only member of the Aetiocetidae whale group. Willungacetus may have had teeth like other early whales, but other members of the group like Chonecetus had begun to develop baleen at roughly the same time that Willungacetus was swimming the oceans. Further fossil … Read more
In Depth Cerrejonemys is a genus of side-necked turtle that lived in South America during the Paleocene. Cerrejonemys is noted for growing fairly large, probably as a defence against predators. This was for good reason, as not only did Cerrejonemys share the same ecosystems as crocodiles such as Cerrejonisuchus, but the giant snake Titanoboa was … Read more
In Depth Diluvicursor is a genus of small ornithopod dinosaur that lived in what is now Australia during the early Cretaceous. Description of the genus was based upon a mostly complete tail and lower leg bones that were preserved flat on a slab of rock. These have been identified to have come from a juvenile … Read more
In Depth At the time of the genus description Coronodon caused a lot of excitement, as this genus represent one of the oldest baleen whales in the fossil record. Baleen whales, also known as mystecetids, certainly had ancestors that were active predators of other sea creatures. The teeth of Coronodon are shaped in such a … Read more
In Depth The first genus of theropod dinosaur to ever be named from India’s Lameta Formation, Orthogoniosaurus has often been considered to be a senior synonym for other theropod genera that were later discovered. However the holotype of Orthogoniosaurus is only a tooth, and because of this no other fossil remains have been attributed to … Read more