In Depth Nodocephalosaurus was described in 1999 from a partial skull but still managed to make news amongst palaeontologists because it was unlike other North American ankylosaurs. In fact the shape of the skull of Nodocephalosaurus is actually more like the skulls of the ankylosaurs Saichania and Tarchia, both currently only known from central Asia. … Read more
In Depth Not only is Eocursor one of the earliest known ornithischian dinosaurs, it is also one of the most completely preserved, and for this reason the genus has become something of a benchmark when studying early ornithischian dinosaurs. The holotype specimen of Eocursor was of an individual approximately one meter long, though because of … Read more
In Depth Hippodraco is a genus of medium sized ornithopod dinosaur that lived in North America during the early Cretaceous. Though still a fairly large dinosaur when compared to a person, Hippodraco paled in comparison to the impressively large Iguanacolossus, which is known from the same member of the Cedar Mountain Formation that Hippodraco was … Read more
In Depth Shanxia is a genus of ankylosaur that lived in China during the Late Cretaceous. However not much fossil material is available and there is speculation that Shanxia may actually just be further remains of the genus Tianzhenosaurus. Further Reading - A new ankylosaurian dinosaur (Ornithischia: Ankylosauria) from the Upper Cretaceous of Shanxi Province, … Read more
In Depth Named in 2010, Kosmoceratops has quickly become a dinosaur fan favourite, thanks largely to the highly ornate form of the skull, which was also the inspiration for the genus name. To start, the frill section of the skull is twice as wide as it is long, which by physical proportions, means that it … Read more
In Depth Rhabdodon is for lack of a better term a puzzle. Although usually described as an iguanodont, Rhabdodon has also been considered as a hypsilophodont, and on top of this it has also been described as a ‘missing link’ between these two groups of dinosaurs. To further the confusion however, Rhabdodon lived in the … Read more
In Depth Manidens is a genus of heterodontosaurid dinosaur that lived in Argentina during the Late Cretaceous. As a heterodontosaurid dinosaur, Manidens had a combination of differently formed teeth within the mouth, and for this reason Manidens is often considered to have been omnivorous, however, so far no stomach contents have been identified to confirm … Read more
In Depth Galleonosaurus is a genus of ornithopod dinosaur that lived in Australia during the early Cretaceous. The holotype for the genus is a hollow jaw bone, and at the time of writing no other fossil remains are known for this dinosaur. The name Galleoosaurus was chosen because when the fossil bone was held upside … Read more
In Depth Xuwulong is a genus of hadrosauroid dinosaur that lived in China during the early Cretaceous. Further Reading – A New Hadrosauriform Dinosaur from the Early Cretaceous of Gansu Province, China. – Acta Geologica Sinica. 85 (1): 51–57. – You Hailu, Li Daqing & Liu Weichang – 2011.
In Depth When fossils of Horshamosaurus were first discovered they were originally interpreted as coming from Iguanodon, but in 1996 they were re-described as a species of Polacanthus by William Blows. However in 2015 Blows re-described this species as a whole new genus named Horshamosaurus, citing clear differences in the vertebrae and armour. At the … Read more