In Depth Ecteninion is a genus of cynodont that lived in South America during the late Triassic. Ecteninion is also the type genus of the Ecteniniidae group of cynodonts which includes genera such as Diegocanis and the huge Trucidocynodon. Further Reading - A new carnivorous cynodont from the Ischigualasto Formation (Late Triassic, Argentina), with comments … Read more
In Depth Orginally described as a species of Chanaresuchus, C. ischigualastensis was elevated to a genus level in 2014 and became Pseudochampsa. Pseudochampsa is a genus of proterochampsian archosauromorph, and would have been a relatively small predator mostly hunting smaller animals. Further Reading – A new proterochampsid Chanaresuchus ischigualastensis (Diapsida, Archosauriformes) in the early Late … Read more
In Depth Cladoselache is often hailed as the first true shark form to enter the fossil record, and although Cladoselache has a number of features that are different to the sharks that we know today, you can still see a basic fusiform body plan. One thing that makes Cladoselache stand out however is the lack … Read more
In Depth Rubeostratilia is a genus of temnoposondyl amphibian that lived in what is now Texas during the early Permian. Further Reading - A new amphibamid (Temnospondyli: Dissorophoidea) from the Early Permian of Texas. - Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology 31(1):32-49. - H. Bourget & J. S. Anderson - 2011.
In Depth Bogolubovia did not come into existence until seventy-five years after the holotype was discovered in 1914 by Nikolai Nikolaevich Bogolubov. Initially the remains were attributed to Ornithostoma as O. orientalis, and later reclassified as a species of Pteranodon. Now the original description can be compared with greater understanding of pterosaurs in general, Bogolubovia … Read more
In Depth Paleorhinus has been one of the key phytosaur genera for well over a hundred years now, however many of the species once assigned to the genus have now been re-assigned to other genera. At the time of writing the only recognised species of Paleorhinus are the type species P. bransoni from the USA, … Read more
In Depth On a Chinese construction site in 1973 a dinosaur skeleton was accidentally processed by a mechanical composter. Unfortunately by the time the workers had realised what had happened much of the dinosaur had already been damaged and in some places completely destroyed by the machinery, but palaeontologists were still able to reconstruct and … Read more
In Depth Originally named as a species of Iguanodon by Richard Lydekker in 1888, the holotype fossils of this genus were actually named as a new genus twice in 2010, in two separate papers published that year. The holotype specimen was first named by David Norman as Barilium, and then by Kenneth Carpenter and Yusuke … Read more
In Depth Ctenospondylus was one of the larger sail-backed synapsids. So far only known from the central united states it is probable though thatCtenospondylus had a wider distribution, at least in North America, though the lack of known fossil bearing rock formations from the Permian is limited to just a few areas. Ctenospondylus is classed … Read more
In Depth As an anteosaur, Stenocybus is a genus of dinocephalian therapsid that lived in China during the mid-Permian era. Further Reading - A new genus of primitive dinocephalian. - Vertebrate PalAsiatica. 35: 35-43 - Z. Cheng & J. Li - 1997.