In Depth Though the name means ‘Lewis’s crocodile’, Lewisuchus is actually a genus of silesaurid dinosauriforme. In simpler terms, Lewisuchus was closely related to the ancestors of the dinosaurs, though probably not an ancestor itself. Lewisuchus was a fairly small and lightly built predator that probably hunted for small animals such as lizards and primitive … Read more
In Depth Nyasasaurus made headlines all around the world when it was discovered, because this genus might just represent the oldest dinosaur so far discovered. Nyasasaurus has the right number of sacral vertebrae expected, and the humerus does display rapid growth patterns just like those known from other dinosaur genera. Unfortunately, the overall incompleteness of … Read more
In Depth Saltopus has had a murky taxonomic history with some researchers crediting it with being an early theropod dinosaur, while others insist that it was an advanced archosaur similar to Marasuchus. Currently most palaeontologists agree that Saltopus is most probably a dinosauriform, more advanced than an archosaur, but not quite a dinosaur. One argument … Read more
In Depth Originally described as a species of Lagosuchus (L. lilloensis), when clear differences were noted in the limb proportions were noted the genus Marasuchus was created. Marasuchus was a dinosauriform, a kind of reptile that was on the evolutionary route to dinosaurs, but not a dinosaur yet. Further Reading - Dinosaurian precursors from the … Read more