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
In Depth Eohyosaurus is a little known genus of rhynchosaur that lived in South Africa during the Triassic. As a rhynchosaur, Eohyosaurus would have been a squat quadrupedal herbivore that ate low growing plants. Further Reading - A new species of basal rhynchosaur (Diapsida: Archosauromorpha) from the early Middle Triassic of South Africa, and the … Read more
In Depth Colosteus is a genus of colosteid amphibian that lived in the USA during the Carboniferous. Further Reading - An Overview of the Upper Carboniferous Fossil Deposit at Linton, Ohio -. The Ohio Journal of Science 88 (1): 55–60. – Colosteus scutellatus (Newberry), a Primitive Temnospondyl Amphibian from the Middle Pennsylvanian of Linton, Ohio. … Read more
In Depth Carolinacetus is a genus of protocetid whale known to have lived around what is now South Carolina during the later half of the Eocene. Carolinacetus appears to have been slightly larger than other protocetids such as Georgiacetus, while also being one of the more primitive protocetid genera known from North America. Further Reading … Read more
In Depth Compared to other giant ground sloths Mylodon is closely related to Glossotherium. While analysis of dung samples has confirmed it was a herbivore, Mylodon would have also been especially resilient to attack from predators due to the presence of thick bony plates called osteoderms. These osteoderms were just under the skin and in … Read more