In Depth Gobipteryx is a genus of enantiornithine that lived in Mongolia during the late Cretaceous. Studies of Gobipteryx show that Gobipteryx would have been capable of flight soon after hatching out from the egg. This would have given Gobipteryx a significant survival advantage in a world heavily populated by small theropod dinosaurs. Studies of … Read more
In Depth Argentinosaurus may well be the largest sauropod and by extension, dinosaur ever to live. Unfortunately only a few parts of the skeleton has been found so these have had to be compared with other more complete skeletons of different yet similar dinosaurs, with the closest match possibly being other titanosaurs such as Saltasaurus … Read more
In Depth Fossils of Vouivria were originally attributed to the dinosaur Bothriospondylus, however study of the fossils combined with the dubious status of Bothriospondylus meant that by the 1980s the fossils that these fossils were no longer thought to be Bothriospondylus. In 2017 the fossils were used to describe their own genus, Vouivria. Vouivria was … Read more
In Depth Xiongguanlong is what is considered to be an intermediate tyrannosaur, larger than the earlier species, smaller than the larger ones like Gorgosaurus and Alioramus. Xiongguanlong has a long snout on what is a quite narrow skull for a tyrannosaurid. Further Reading – A longirostrine tyrannosauroid from the Early Cretaceous of China. – Proceedings … Read more
In Depth The holotype bones of Haestasaurus were originally found in 1852 by a man named Samuel Husband Beckles who found them exposed by a low tide on a coast not far from Hastings. These remains were studied by Gideon Mantell (best remembered for naming Iguanodon) who considered them to represent a second species of … Read more
In Depth Fossils of Smitanosaurus have in the past been attributed to Morosaurus and subsequently Camarasaurus, but a study in 2020 found them to represent a distinct genus. Instead of being a macronarian sauropod dinosaur like Camarasaurus, Smitanosaurus is instead thought to have been a dicraeosaurid sauropod dinosaur. Smitanosaurus is named after J. August Smith, … Read more
In Depth Rugops, meaning ‘wrinkle face’, is an interesting name for a carnivorous dinosaur. This name comes from the numerous impressions in the skull bone from large blood vessels that once ran across the bone surface leaving a wrinkled appearance. It is thought that these extra vessels were here to provide additional oxygenated blood to … Read more
In Depth Xunmenglong is a genus of compsognathid dinosaur that lived in China during the early Cretaceous. Xunmenglong seems to have been a very small dinosaur, small even for a compsognathid. As such, Xunmenglong was probably a small predator, feeding upon insects and very small vertebrates. Further Reading - A new compsognathid theropod dinosaur from … Read more
In Depth An interesting little dinosaur, Dracoraptor was a small theropod dinosaur that roamed around what is now Wales during the early Jurassic. The holotype (first found) individual of Dracoraptor has been reconstructed at just over two meters in length, however, the holotype was a juvenile animal, and adults would have been larger. Dracoraptor was … Read more
In Depth Abydosaurus is the first early Cretaceous era sauropod from the USA to have an identifiable skull. This skull and other post cranial elements confirm its identity as a brachiosaurid sauropod, though one with unusually thin teeth for its kind. Remains of at least four individuals of Abydosaurus have been recovered and it seems … Read more