In Depth Ulemosaurus is very much like the therapsid Moschops, not only in the type of creature that it was, but also in the fact that its skull was also up to ten centimetres thick. Its possible that like in the related Moschops, this bone thickness allowed for head butting or head pushing contests. Although … Read more
In Depth Fossils of this titanosaur were found near lake Rukwa in the Rukwa Valley of Tanzania, so the eventual name of Rukwatitan was really just a foregone conclusion. At about nine meters long, the holotype appears to indicate that Rukwatitan was a fairly small genus of titanosaur. One area of note is that the … Read more
In Depth When first described the prehistoric whale Livyatan was actually named Leviathan after the biblical sea monster. Unfortunately however Leviathan had already been used to name a mastodon now known as Mammut (Leviathan is actually a synonym to this genus, but still cannot be used). As such the Hebrew word for Leviathan, Livyatan, is … Read more
In Depth Laosaurus is today considered to be a dubious genus of dinosaur. Though previously considered to be a hypsilophodont (relative of Hypsilophodon), most of the fossil remains once attributed to Laosaurus have ended up being considered to be other genera such as Orodromeus, Dryosaurus and Othnielosaurus. What few fossils that are still assigned to … Read more
In Depth Although only known from partial remains, Tataouinea has been identified as a rebbachisaurid sauropod, and one that is closely related to genera such as Nigersaurus, which are also known to have been present in North Africa during the early Cretaceous. The fossils of Tataouinea have revealed in life the bones of Tataouinea would … Read more
In Depth Paramachairodus is a genus of sabre-toothed cat that lived during the Miocene/Pliocene. The Paramachairodus genus represents one of the first true sabre-toothed cats to appear. Further Reading - Aspects of the functional morphology in the cranial and cervical skeleton of the sabre-toothed cat Paramachairodus ogygia (Kaup, 1832) (Felidae, Machairodontinae) from the Late Miocene … Read more
In Depth When first discovered only the top part of the skull of Majungasaurus was known. This fragment revealed a dome like structure which was taken to be indicative of a pachycephalosaur. Further fossil material would reveal the truth about Majungasaurus being a carnivorous theropod, although this was not the first time that a carnivorous … Read more
In Depth The tiny holotype fossil of Hadrocodium has been considered to represent a very primitive ancestor of modern mammals, though it is not a mammal in itself. This means that there are many unanswered questions about this little creature, specifically concerning the biology of the metabolism and exactly how much like a true mammal … Read more
In Depth Further Reading A giant crocodile from the Plio-Pleistocene of Kenya, the phylogenetic relationships of Neogene African crocodylines, and the antiquity of Crocodylus in Africa. – Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology. 32 (3): 587. – C. A. Brochu & G. W. Storrs – 2012.
In Depth Sungeodon is a late surviving genus of dicynodont that lived in China during the early Cretaceous. Most dicynodont genera are Permian in age, and most were wiped out during the Permian/Triassic extinction event. Sungeodon however is proof however that not all dicynodonts were killed off during this time, and that as a group … Read more