In Depth Superficially, Utahraptor appears to be an earlier, scaled up version of Deinonychus. Specimens of Utahraptor are fragmentary but suggest a potential size of up to seven meters long, with some more conservative estimates falling nearer six meters long. These estimates make Utahraptor a contender for one of the largest known dromaeosaurid dinosaurs, but … Read more
In Depth Gongbusaurus is a genus of small ornithischian dinosaur that lived in China during the Jurassic. Further Reading – [Dinosaurs from the Jurassic of Sichuan]. - Palaeontologica Sinica, New Series C, Whole Number 162(23):1-136. - Z. Dong, S. Zhou & H. Zhang - 1983.
In Depth Corythosaurus acquired its name from the shape of the head crest on the back of its skull which resembles a Corinthian helmet from ancient Greece. Because this head crest was hollow, Corythosaurus is today classed as a lambeosaurine hadrosaurid. The lambeosaurine hadrosaurs which also include other famous genera such as Parasaurolophus as well … Read more
In Depth Zuolong was a relatively small Jurassic aged theropod that has been classed within the Coelurosauria. Due to its small size it was probably a predator of small vertebrates such as lizard, primitive mammals to even smaller dinosaurs. Zuolong however may have been potential prey for even larger theropods that are also known from … Read more
In Depth In modern times Szechuanosaurus is widely regarded as a dubious genus because it has only been described from a collection of isolated teeth. Also, because these teeth do not really have any specifically characteristic features, it is highly unlikely that skeletal remains could be later attributed to these teeth (like what happened with … Read more
In Depth When Willinakaqe was first described it was from a collection of fossils from various different individual dinosaurs. With the holotype bones of Willinakaqe weathered, the other fossil bones were used as stand in to get a more complete picture of this dinosaur. This involved establishing what is known as a paratype, a more … Read more
In Depth Elaphrosaurus has been something of an enigma for palaeontologists as while it is generally regarded as a ceratosaur, its proportions are similar to some other kinds of theropods. The overall appearance of Elaphrosaurus is that of a lightweight hunter that relied more upon speed rather than strength to take down prey. The tibia … Read more
In Depth Although often labelled as a duck billed dinosaur, Saurolophus is more technically defined as a hadrosaurid due to its placement within the Hadrosauroidea. Even more specifically, Saurolophus is defined as the type genus of the Saurolophinae, the group of solid crested to crestless hadrosaurids that were previously known as hadrosaurines before the then … Read more
In Depth Talenkauen is a genus of small to medium sized ornithopod dinosaur that lived in South America during the late Cretaceous. Noted for being similar in overall build to the much older Dryosaurus from North America, some of the most notable features of Talenkauen include an arrangement of oval plates that run alongside the … Read more
In Depth Hualianceratops is a genus of small ceratopsian dinosaur that lived in China during the Late Jurassic. Identified as a member of the Chaoyangsauridae group of ceratopsians, Hualianceratops would have been a small and bipedal herbivore. Further Reading - A new taxon of basal ceratopsian from China and the early evolution of Ceratopsia. – … Read more