In Depth Goyocephale was a mid-sized genus of pachycephalosaurid dinosaur that is known to have lived in what is now Mongolia during the Cretaceous. Goyocephale is noted for having a flat skull as opposed to a more ornate dome which is characteristic of other genera such as Pachycephalosaurus and Prenocephale. This could indicate that the … Read more
In Depth Magyarosaurus is considered the smallest titanosaur, and is regarded as a fine example of insular dwarfism. This is where animals that live in an area of limited size, such as an island, grow smaller so as not to use up the available food supply. Although some have made the suggestion that Magyarosaurus specimens … Read more
In Depth Unfortunately because a portion of the neck vertebra is the only known fossil of Aralazhdarcho, not a lot can be said about the living creature. As you may have figured out for yourselves the name Aralazhdarcho is in reference to the Aral Sea, combined with the genus Azhdarcho, the genus that led to … Read more
In Depth Oksoko is a genus of oviraptorid dinosaur that lived in Asia during the late Cretaceous. Further reading - A new two-fingered dinosaur sheds light on the radiation of Oviraptorosauria. - Royal Society Open Science. 7 (10): 201184. - G. F. Funston, C. Tsogtbaatar, K. Tsogtbaatar, Y. Kobayashi, C. Sullivan & P. J. Currie … Read more
In Depth Often misidentified as an early dinosaur, Euparkeria is still sometimes hailed as the ancestor to dinosaurs. However this is a slight misnomer because while Euparkeria represents the form that the dinosaurs probably evolved from, there is no evidence to suggest that Euparkeria itself was ‘the’ ancestor. Euparkeria itself is placed within the Archosauromorpha, … Read more
In Depth Ahshislepelta is a genus of ankylosaurid dinosaur that lived in North America during the late Cretaceous. Unfortunately the partial remains of Ahshislepelta which include a shoulder girdle, partial left forelimb, vertebrae and osteoderms (the bony armour) are not enough to identify the genus as either a general ankylosaurid or a more derived ankylosaurine. … Read more
In Depth The Valdosaurus holotype fossils of two thigh bones (femurs) were first recovered in 1848 but thought to represent Iguanodon, and eventually being thought to be fossils of Hypsilophodon. Skip forward over a hundred years later and palaeontologist Peter M. Galton used the two thigh bones to establish a new species of Dryosaurus, D. … Read more
In Depth Not much is known about the dinosaur Abdarainurus as the genus is based upon the description of several tail vertebrae. So far these vertebrae seem to be different to what are known in other late Cretaceous titanosaurs from Asia. Further Reading - An unusual new sauropod dinosaur from the Late Cretaceous of Mongolia. … Read more
In Depth As a late Triassic ichthyosaur, Toretocnemus displays some features that show a trend similar to that seen in other transitory ichthyosaurs like Mixosaurus, developing the advanced features that are more commonly associated with later forms like Ichthyosaurus. For a long time Toretocnemus was the only member of its group of ichthyosaurs until the … Read more
In Depth Although based only upon the description of the braincase, it has been enough to not only identify Nebulasaurus as a new eusauropod dinosaur, but also further hints that during the middle Jurassic Asia had a very diverse range of sauropod dinosaurs. By the late Jurassic this diverse range seems to have thinned out … Read more