In Depth Further Reading – Nuralagus rex, gen. et sp. nov., an endemic insular giant rabbit from the Neogene of Minorca. – Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology 31 (2): 231–240 – Josep Quintana, Mike Kohler, Salvador Moya-Sola – 2011. – Palaeontology: The giant rabbits of Minorca. – Nature 472: 9 – Meike Kohler – 2011. – … Read more
In Depth Mitredon is a genus of cynodont that lived in what is now Greenland during the late Triassic. Further Reading - A cynodont from the Upper Triassic of East Greenland: tooth replacement and double-rootedness. - Bulletin of the Museum of Comparative Zoology 156:49-58. - M. D. Shapiro & F. A. Jenkins - 2001.
In Depth Fossils of Indarctos were first discovered in India, hence the genus name, but as time went on it was discovered that this prolific genus of bear was actually living across most of the old world continents of Africa, Asia and Europe, and even the new world continent of north America, especially the western … Read more
In Depth Although Hyracodon looks a lot like a primitive horse, this genus actually represents a form of prehistoric rhino. Hyracodon is the type genus of the Hyracodontidae, a group of so called ‘running rhinoceroses that fulfilled a similar ecological niche as primitive horses such as Mesohippus. Hyracodon seem to have inhabited a variety of … Read more
In Depth Palaeomastodon is widely regarded as being one of the ancestors to modern day elephants. Remains of Palaeomastodon are usually just of skull and mandible fossils, but already the presence of two tusks in the upper jaw and attachment for a trunk can be clearly seen. Unfortunately no one knows exactly how long the … Read more
In Depth With its oversized front teeth Thylacosmilus appears to be very similar to sabre toothed cats like Smilodon. The key difference between these two types of animal is that the sabre toothed cats were placental mammals, which means that young developed while connected to a placenta via an umbilical cord while remaining inside the … Read more
In Depth With three pairs of short blunt horns on top its skull and two tusks that pointed down from the upper jaw, Eobasileus looked remarkably similar to its close relative Uintatherium (which is why unsurprisingly it is a member of the Uintatheriidae). With an upper size comparable to that of a large black rhinoceros … Read more
In Depth For most of its history Hyracotherium has been associated with the genus Eohippus (dawn horse) that was based upon fossils described by Othniel Charles Marsh in 1876. This is mostly due to the commonplace presentation of the name Eohippus towards the public and subsequent mention in fiction, the pinnacle of which was the … Read more
In Depth Edworthia is a very primitive genus of primate that lived in Canada during the Palaeocene, the geological time period that occurred just after the dinosaurs went extinct. Further Reading - Edworthia lerbekmoi, a new primitive paromomyid primate from the Torrejonian (early Paleocene) of Alberta, Canada. - Journal of Paleontology 84(5):868-878. - R. C. … Read more
In Depth As a barbourofelid Ginsburgsmilus is more popularly known as a ‘false sabre-toothed cat’ since the Barbourofelidae are not thought to related to modern cats of today beyond the fact that they are all members of the Carnivora. As such Ginsburgsmilus is related to other members of the Barbourofelidae such as Sansanosmilus, Prosansanosmilus, Afrosmilus … Read more