In Depth The name Eomanis is a reference to how this ancient pangolin appeared long before the genus Manis, the only known genus of pangolin that is alive today. Unless future discoveries prove otherwise, Eomanis is the first known scaled pangolin, though the scales seem to have covered only the body and not the legs … Read more
In Depth Santacruzodon is a genus of cynodont that lived in what is now Brazil during the Triassic. Further Reading - A new traversodontid cynodont from the Santa Maria Formation (Ladinian-Carnian) of southern Brazil, with a phylogenetic analysis of Gondwanan traversodontids. - Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society 139:529-545. - F. Abdala & A. M. … Read more
In Depth Saurosphargis is a little known placodont who’s only known collection of remains were destroyed in World War Two. Although this means that the original fossils are no longer available for study, the original description did mention that the rib structure of Saurosphargis was very similar to that of the Paraplacodus. This indicates that … Read more
In Depth A close relative to the fearsome Anteosaurus from South Africa, Doliosauriscus would have been a key predator in Russia during the Permian. Further Reading - Les Dinocephales rapaces de la faune d’Ischeevo. - Trudy Paleontologischeskoso Instituta, Akademyia Nauk SSSR, v. 71, p. 1-114. - J. A. Orlov - 1958.
In Depth The sauropod dinosaur Brachiosaurus earned its name from the fact that the arms, or rather the fore legs as it was quadrupedal, are actually longer than the hind legs. The fact that these are longer offers Brachiosaurus a passive advantage in reaching up into the tree canopy to feed as the neck is … Read more
In Depth There appears to be some confusion regarding the full size of Prestosuchus. Earlier fossil discoveries seemed to point at a total length of around five hundred centimetres for an adult Prestosuchus. However an almost complete specimen reported in 2010 was stated as being the equivalent of about six hundred and seventy centimetres long. … Read more
In Depth Pteroplax was an eogyrinid reptiliomorph that lived in England during the Carboniferous period. Like relative genera, Pteroplax had an elongated narrow body with reduced limbs. This kind of body enabled Pteroplax to squeeze in between tight spaces and obstacles to hunt down prey such as fish and small amphibians. Further Reading - Notes … Read more
In Depth When initially described, the dinosaur Yaverlandia was thought to be a pachycephalosaur, but a later study in 2008 (Naish & Martill) clarified the genus as representing a theropod dinosaur. Further Reading - A primitive dome-headed dinosaur (Ornithischia: Pachycephalosauridae) from the Lower Cretaceous of England and the function of the dome of pachycephalosaurids. - … Read more
In Depth Yulong was a Late Cretaceous oviraptosaur, and one that was positively tiny, especially when compared to the very large oviraptosaur genera like Gigantoraptor. Unfortunately, the exact age of the Qiupa Formation is currently unknown at the time of writing, but we can say that Yulong probably lived in the same ecosystems as other … Read more
In Depth At the time of writing Pluridens is only known from lower jaws, but these show that this mosasaur was a highly specialised hunter. The lower jaw of Pluridens had at least twenty-eight tightly packed teeth, more than in other known mosasaurs, and hence the inspiration for the name Pluridens which means ‘many teeth’. … Read more