In Depth Named in 1876 upon the description of some teeth, we know that Zapsalis was a dromaeosaurid dinosaur, but that’s about it. For this reason the genus is often listed as dubious, as like with most tooth taxons it would be very difficult to attribute actual fossils of bones. Zapsalis was initially described from … Read more
In Depth So far only known from the head shield, Dartmuthia was a bottom feeding jawless fish of the Silurian period. Further Reading - The ostracoderm genus Dartmuthia patten, George M. Robertson - 1935.
In Depth Baisesaurus is a genus of ichthyosauromorph reptile that lived in the early Triassic. Though the holotype is incomplete, Baisesaurus is thought to have had a strong resemblance to the better known Utatsusaurus. Like Utatsusaurus, Baisesaurus would have been a fully marine reptile that hunted for fish and other aquatic creatures. Further Reading - … Read more
In Depth Hovasaurus was a diapsid reptile that developed special adaptations for an aquatic lifestyle. The toes of the feet were long and had webbing between them to make them work as flippers. The caudal vertebrae are extended up and below to support a vertically flattened tail. This would have provided a strong method of … Read more
In Depth Microgomphodon is one of the more common genera of therocephalian therapsids, and is also one of the last known to have survived. Further Reading - New Material of Microgomphodon oligocynus (Eutherapsida, Therocephalia) and the Taxonomy of Southern African Bauriidae”. Early Evolutionary History of the Synapsida. - Vertebrate Paleobiology and Paleoanthropology. - F. Abdala, … Read more
In Depth Not only is Eocursor one of the earliest known ornithischian dinosaurs, it is also one of the most completely preserved, and for this reason the genus has become something of a benchmark when studying early ornithischian dinosaurs. The holotype specimen of Eocursor was of an individual approximately one meter long, though because of … Read more
In Depth Triadobatrachus is one of the earliest frogs to appear in the fossil record. So primitive is Triadobatrachus that this frog has substantially more vertebrae, fourteen in total when compared to a range of four to nine vertebrae in modern frogs. A short tail was also retained in adulthood. Triadobatrachus has been found in … Read more
In Depth Liaodactylus is a genus of pterosaur that lived in Asia during the late Jurassic. Liaodactylus is noted for having numerous small teeth in comb-like structures that meshed together when the jaws closed. This would have allowed Liaodactylus to feed by filtering out small invertebrates from water and soft sediment. Further Reading - Earliest … Read more
In Depth Also known as the ‘Ginsu shark’, Cretoxyrhina was one of the biggest sharks of its time, considerably bigger even than its contemporary Squalicorax. Cretoxyrhina was near the top of the food chain, and it had a diet that included almost anything that was in front of it, including mosasaurs. There is also strong … Read more
In Depth Vegasaurus is a genus of elasmosaurid plesiosaur that lived in the waters around what we now know as Antarctica during the late Cretaceous. It should be remembered at this stage that during the late Cretaceous Antarctica was closer to the equator than it is today, and the climate and water temperature would have … Read more