In Depth Aeolosaurus is one of the better known South American titanosaurs of the late Cretaceous period. The name is derived from the mythical figure of Aeolus who was dubbed the ‘keeper of the winds’ in Homer’s Odyssey. It might seem rather obscure to name a dinosaur after this figure, but it is actually in … Read more
In Depth Archaeoceratops is yet another of the increasingly large number of basal ceratopsian dinosaur remains that are coming from Asia. These remains point to an Asian ancestral origin for all ceratopsians from Protoceratops of Mongolia, to huge and horned Triceratops and Styracosaurus of North America. Archaeoceratops however was very different to these larger later … Read more
In Depth Aegyptosaurus was a mid-sized sauropod dinosaur that is known to have lived in what is now Egypt from both sides of the early/late Cretaceous boundary. Unfortunately we only have the original descriptions of this dinosaur for study as the original fossils were destroyed along with the Munich museum during an allied bombing raid … Read more
In Depth Unfortunately still only known from very incomplete remains, Ashorocetus was an early baleen whale. Relatives of Ashorocetus include Aetiocetus and Willungacetus. Further Reading - Classification and distribution of Oligocene Aetiocetidae (Mammalia; Cetacea; Mysticeti) from western North America and Japan - L. G. Barnes, M. Kimura, H. Furusawa & H. Sawamura - 1995.
In Depth Aquilarhinus named for the perceived appearance of the snout which in life is thought to resemble the hooked bend of an eagles beak, suggesting Aquilarhinus may have had a specialised feeding method. Study of the lower jaw has led to a postulated reconstruction of front of the jaws having a rounded shovel-like structure. … Read more
In Depth Apatoraptor is a genus of caenagnathid oviraptosaur that lived in Canada during the late Cretaceous. Further Reading - A new caenagnathid (Dinosauria: Oviraptorosauria) from the Horseshoe Canyon Formation of Alberta, Canada, and a reevaluation of the relationships of Caenagnathidae. - Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology 36(4):e1160910:1-18. - G. F. Funston & P. J. Currie … Read more
In Depth Ammosaurus has a long taxonomic relationship with Anchisaurus. The holotype fossils of Ammosaurus were originally described as a large species of Anchisaurus by Othniel Charles Marsh before they were erected as a distinct genus. Marsh then named a new species of Anchisaurus, A. solus, but then attributed that to Ammosaurus. Later palaeontologists found … Read more
In Depth Acinacodus was a genus of triconodont mammal from the early Cretaceous of Russia. The triconodonts were small mammals lived in a world dominated by the dinosaurs, and were likely hunted by some of them. Further Reading - A new genus of triconodont mammals from the Early Cretaceous of Western Siberia - A. V. … Read more
Mammuthus trogontherii, better known as the steppe mammoth, holds an important place for those who study mammoths as it is often treated as a link between the early M. meridionalis known as the southern mammoth and the later M. primigenius, more famously known as the woolly mammoth. M. trogontherii however was larger than both its ancestor and descendent which … Read more
In Depth About Mammut Prehistoric elephants of the genus Mammut are actually more popularly known as ‘mastodons’. The name mastodon means ‘nipple tooth’ and is a reference to the lumpy projections on top of the tooth crown. The name mastodon is today considered an obsolete term for the mammoth genus, yet it is still has a more … Read more