In Depth Leaellynasaura has been named after the daughter of its discoverers (the amicagraphica part recognises the Friends of the Museum of Victoria and the National Geographic Society which supplied funding for the research), and represents a dinosaur that was adapted to life in the Antarctic conditions of the early Cretaceous. Although back then the … Read more
In Depth The discovery of three Oryctodromeus individuals at the bottom of a two meter long burrow that was filled with sediment was proof that some dinosaurs had adapted to burrowing. There are several advantages to burrowing, including safer rearing of young, having a retreat to escape to from predators, to being more able to … Read more
In Depth Eolambia was established after the remains of several individuals were found in the Carol Quarry of the Mussentuchit Member of the Cedar Mountain formation, so named after Carol Jones who first discovered the remains with her husband Ramal in 1992. The name Eolambia means ‘dawn Lambe’, a reference to the last name of … Read more
In Depth Named in 2014, Laquintasaura is officially the first ever dinosaur genus to be named as coming from Venezeula. Laquintasaura was a small plant eating dinosaur, roughly estimated to have been about one meter long. When the first fossils of Laquintasaura were recovered, small theropod dinosaur teeth were discovered near them, hinting at a … Read more
In Depth Platyceratops is a genus of ceratopsian dinosaur that has a noted similarity to the genus Bagaceratops, with some researchers even considering that the two genera may actually be synonymous with one another. However, the skull of Platyceratops is noted as being quite a bit larger than what is known for Bagaceratops, so it … Read more
In Depth Convolosaurus is a genus of ornithopod dinosaur that lived in North America during the early Cretaceous. At the time of writing Convolosaurus is known mostly from subadult and juvenile individuals. Further Reading - A new basal ornithopod (Dinosauria: Ornithischia) from the Early Cretaceous of Texas. - PLoS One 14(3):e0207935:1-44. - K. A. Andrzejewski, … Read more
In Depth When first discovered, Protoceratops was heralded as the ancestor to the massive North American ceratopsian dinosaurs such as Triceratops. However with the advent of new and continuing studies of the group, Protoceratops is now considered to be more representative of the type of dinosaur that led to the larger North American species as … Read more
In Depth Bienosaurus is a genus of armoured dinosaur that lived in China during the early Jurassic. Although only known from fragmentary skull and jaw fossils, Bienosaurus is thought to have been similar to Scelidosaurus. Further Reading - Primitive armored dinosaur from the Lufeng Basin, China, by Z. Dong. In Mesozoic Vertebrate Life, D. H. … Read more
In Depth Scutellosaurus was a relatively small ornithischian dinosaur that may have been primarily bipedal, though still having fore limbs developed enough for providing quadrupedal support for activities such as feeding. Scutellosaurus also had a covering of armoured scutes along its back that provided flexible yet tough armour to give some defence against the teeth … Read more
In Depth Tianchisaurus was originally dubbed (but never officially named) Jurassosaurus because in the same year that it was named, the very first Jurassic park film was released. Incidentally, the name Jurassosaurus was suggested by Steven Spielberg who produced and directed the film. Dong rejected the name Jurassosaurus in favour of Tianchisaurus, but kept the … Read more