Gueragama

In Depth        Gueragama is a‭ ‬genus of iguanian lizard that lived in South America during the late Cretaceous. Further Reading -‭ ‬A stem acrodontan lizard in the Cretaceous of Brazil revises early lizard evolution in Gondwana.‭ ‬-‭ ‬Nature Communications‭ ‬6:8149:1-8.‭ ‬-‭ ‬T.‭ ‬R.‭ ‬Sim�es,‭ ‬E.‭ ‬Wilner,‭ ‬M.‭ ‬W.‭ ‬Caldwell,‭ ‬L.‭ ‬C.‭ ‬Weinsch�tz‭ & ‬A.‭ ‬W.‭ … Read more

Clevosaurus

In Depth        Clevosaurus is a genus of small lepidosaurian lizard that as a genus had a near global dsitribution during the Triassic and early Jurassic. Further Reading – A new Triassic rhynchocephalian from Gloucestershire. Annals and Magazine of Natural History: Zoology, Botany, and Geology 4:591-594. – W. E. Swinton – 1939. – The Osteology and … Read more

Postosuchus

postosuchus

In Depth        With a tough hide and powerful jaws,‭ the rauisuchian genus ‬Postosuchus was one of the apex predators of its time.‭ ‬First discovered in the US state of Texas,‭ ‬Postsuchus had a wide distribution that stretched all the way to the Eastern seaboard.        The head was deep with many fenestrae,‭ ‬adaptations that point towards … Read more

Tanystropheus

tanystropheus

In Depth        Taking up half of its total body length,‭ ‬Tanystropheus’s neck is almost inconceivable.‭ ‬Indeed,‭ ‬when Francesco Bassani discovered Tanystropheus remains in‭ ‬1886‭ (‬although he named it Tribelesodon‭)‬,‭ ‬he conceived the extra long neck vertebrae as the wing bones of a pterosaur.‭ ‬It was not until later that the mistake was realised and Tribelesodon … Read more

Collilongus

In Depth        Collilongus is a genus of archosauriform that lived in Poland during the Triassic.‭ ‬Little is known about Collilongus because so far the genus is only known from teeth. Further Reading -‭ ‬Archosauriform postcranial remains from the Early Triassic karst deposits of southern Poland.‭ ‬Palaeontologia Polonica‭ ‬65:283-328.‭ ‬-‭ ‬M.‭ ‬Borsuk−Białynicka‭ & ‬A.‭ ‬G.‭ ‬Sennikov‭ … Read more

Stomatosuchus

In Depth        Even though it was ten meters long, it is not its size that makes Stomatosuchus stand out but its presumed feeding strategy. The upper jaw only had small conical teeth, while the lower jaw has been suggested at being toothless, with the inclusion of a pelican like pouch underneath. This is unprecedented amongst … Read more

Temnodontosaurus

temnodontosaurus

In Depth        Temnodontosaurus is one of the oldest and largest ichthyosaurs known to science,‭ ‬and while there are a few species associated with the genus,‭ ‬the most obvious differences between these are the size and proportions of the jaws.‭ ‬Temnodontosaurus fossils have been so well preserved that they reveal stomach contents of ammonites and cephalopods … Read more

Lazarussuchus

In Depth        Lazarussuchus was named after the figure of Lazarus of Bethany in the Bible,‭ ‬a person in the Gospel of John who was resurrected four days after his death by Jesus Christ.‭ ‬The relevance here is that the holotype remains of Lazarussuchus were found from a late Oligocene deposit,‭ ‬a period many millions of … Read more

Garjainia

In Depth        Garjainia is a close relative of the more famous Erythrosuchus,‭ ‬and like that genus,‭ ‬Garjainia also had what appeared to be an oversized head.‭ ‬This head,‭ ‬filled with numerous sharp teeth would have been the primary killing weapon against the herbivorous animals of the time. Further Reading -‭ ‬A New Species of Garjainia … Read more

Yonghesuchus

In Depth        Yonghesuchus is a genus of small arhcosaur that lived in China during the Triassic.‭ ‬Although a total body length is unknown at the time of writing,‭ ‬the small skull size alone indicates that Yonghesuchus would have been a‭ ‬small animal,‭ ‬and a predator of animals even smaller than itself. Further Reading -‭ ‬The … Read more