In Depth Scalenodon is a genus of cynodont that lived during the mid Triassic. Further Reading - On some Triassic cynodonts from Tanganyika. Proceedings of the Zoological Society of London 125:617-669. - A. W. Crompton - 1955. - Cynodonts of Gondwanan habit in the Middle Triassic of the USSR. - Paleontological Journal. 2: 200–205. - … Read more
In Depth Way back during the 1890s, a fossil collector named Phillip James Rufford discovered a partial dorsal vertebrae near Hastings in East Sussex, England. Eventually catalogued as BMNH R2095, the vertebrae was first thought to belong the genus Cetiosaurus by Richard Lydekker, before eventually becoming Pelorosaurus conybeari. That was about it for well over … Read more
In Depth Proplanicoxa is a genus of ornithopod dinosaur that lived in what is now England during the early Cretaceous. So far this dinosaur is only known from partial skeletal remains, and there is even speculation that Proplanicoxa may actually be synonymous with Mantellisaurus. Proplanicoxa was named for its similarity to the genus Planicoxa while … Read more
In Depth When fossils of Horshamosaurus were first discovered they were originally interpreted as coming from Iguanodon, but in 1996 they were re-described as a species of Polacanthus by William Blows. However in 2015 Blows re-described this species as a whole new genus named Horshamosaurus, citing clear differences in the vertebrae and armour. At the … Read more
In Depth It took a long time for the fossils of Neovenator to be studied and named, although such an occurrence is not unknown in the fields of Palaeontology. First discovered in 1978 from the chalk cliffs of the south-western Isle of Wight, a subsequent later visit led to the other remains of Neovenator being … Read more
In Depth In 2004 the discovery of three fossils would help bridge one of the most important evolutionary gaps in the fossil record. These fossils were the first known representations of Tiktaalik, a creature that was not only a fish but also possessed the rudimentary features of the later tetrapods. Unlike other creatures which are … Read more
In Depth Wamweracaudia is a genus of mamenchisaurid sauropod dinosaur that lived in Africa during the late Jurassic. Further Reading - Taxonomic affinities of the putative titanosaurs from the Late Jurassic Tendaguru Formation of Tanzania: phylogenetic and biogeographic implications for eusauropod dinosaur evolution. - Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society. - Philip D Mannion, Paul … Read more
In Depth In the simplest terms, Ianthasaurus was a smaller and earlier relative to the famous Edaphosaurus, However with this said there were many differences. First and perhaps most obviously is that generally Ianthasaurus were not as advanced in their physical developments, not surprising given that Ianthasaurus appeared in the Carboniferous whereas Edaphosaurus appears in … Read more
In Depth Vintana is a genus of gondwanatherian mamaml that lived in Madagascar during the Late Cretaceous, and was the first genus where skull fossils were discovered. Further Reading - First cranial remains of a gondwanatherian mammal reveal remarkable mosaicism. - Nature 515:512-517. - D. W. Krause, S. Hoffmann, J. R. Wible, E. C. Kirk, … Read more
In Depth Further Reading - On a titanosaurid (Dinosauria, Sauropoda) vertebral column from the Bauru Group, Late Cretaceous of Brazil - D. A. Campos, A. W. A. Kellner, R. J. Bertini, & R. M. Santucci - 2005.