In Depth Like with its probable relative Hupehsuchus, Nanchangosaurus looked like an ichthyosaur crossed with an archosaur. For this reason Nanchangosaurus is regarded as being analogous to an ichthyosaur though at best only distantly related to them, even though it is sometimes listed as one. Unfortunately we can only guess to this exact relationship since … Read more
In Depth Fasolasuchus was not only one of the last but it was possibly the largest of the rauisuchians. Unfortunately however incomplete remains mean that only a range estimate of between eight and ten meters is possible. The next largest rauisuchian is Saurosuchus which is also from Argentina and is estimated at seven meters long, … Read more
In Depth Petrolacosaurus is the first diapsid known in the fossil record. The teeth are small and sharp suggesting insectivorous feeding, like the vast majority of the other small reptiles of the time. Also like many of the early diapsids, it was superficially similar to today’s small lizards. Petrolacosaurus is very similar to another reptile … Read more
In Depth Youngina is a genus of diapsid reptile that lived in what is now South Africa during the late Permian. The skull is roughly triangular with a snout that is about half the total length of the skull. The teeth are conical and well developed, and may have been used for killing larger invertebrates … Read more
In Depth A very large prehistoric crocodile Sarcosuchus was initially only known from teeth and osteoderms. In 1964 the first skull was discovered and the type species could then be established. However it was not until the closing years of the twentieth century that more complete material including vertebra, ribs and other parts of the … Read more
In Depth Not only was Cymbospondylus one of earliest ichthyosaurs named, it was also one of the first to swim in the Triassic oceans. Cymbospondylus is an example of the primitive ichthyosaurs that were yet to evolve dorsal fins and developed tail flukes which left it with a long body, half of which was tail. … Read more
In Depth Araeoscelis is another representative of the early diapsids. The teeth of Araeoscelis were quite large and blunter than its contemporary Petrolacosaurus, suggesting that it specialised in insects with tougher bodies. Although officially considered a diapsid with two fenestrae behind the eye socket, the lower fensetra was closed with bone, meaning that Araeoscelis could … Read more
In Depth While superficially similar to Tanystropheus, Dinocephalosaurus appears to be more suited to aquatic hunting. Key evidence for this is the fact that the legs were not as well developed as the other protorosaurs that were land dwelling creatures. The eyes on the skull point upward suggesting that Dinocephalosaurus approached its prey from below … Read more