In Depth In 2006 the palaeontologists M. Sadiq Malkani described five new genera of titanosaur, Marisaurus, Balochisaurus, Sulaimanisaurus, Khetranisaurus and Pakisaurus, all from caudal vertebrae. From these only Marisaurus and Balochisaurus have had skull remains attributed to them, and only Marisaurus has (partial) rear limb bones attributed to the genus. Marisaurus and Balochisaurus were also … Read more
In Depth Ningchengopterus was a very special find as it appears to be a very young juvenile specimen. The structure of the wings suggest that Ningchengopterus was flight capable even at this young age, which in turn helps to reinforce the theory that pterosaurs could fly not long after hatching, and were possibly independent from … Read more
In Depth Uberabatitan is a genus of titanosaurid sauropod dinosaur that is known from the Marilla Formation of the bauru group of Brazil. Being Maastrichtian in age, Uberabatitan would have been one of the last titanosaurs to live before the KT extinction ended the reign of the dinosaurs. Further Reading - Uberabatitan ribeiroi, a new … Read more
In Depth Rhiodenticulatus is a genus of captorhinid reptile that lived in the USA during the early Permian. Further Reading - Captorhinid reptiles from the Early Permian of New Mexico, with description of a new genus and species. - Annals of Carnegie Museum 55:1-28. - D. S. Berman & R. R. Reisz - 1986.
In Depth Although not known from very complete fossil material, one thing that can be established about this mosasaur is that the rear limbs are not as well developed to aquatic life as they are in later forms. This reveals that Vallecillosaurus was a basal (sometimes referred to as primitive) mosasaur form, although it was … Read more
In Depth Taking up half of its total body length, Tanystropheus’s neck is almost inconceivable. Indeed, when Francesco Bassani discovered Tanystropheus remains in 1886 (although he named it Tribelesodon), he conceived the extra long neck vertebrae as the wing bones of a pterosaur. It was not until later that the mistake was realised and Tribelesodon … Read more
In Depth Tawa is yet another dinosaur genus from the late Triassic of the Ghost Ranch North America, and as you might expect, one quite primitive in form. Tawa were bipedal dinosaurs of the theropod line, noted for having femurs that were proportionately quite long when compared to the lower leg bones. Tawa also had … Read more
In Depth Comahuesaurus was is genus of rebbachisaurid sauropod that lived in South America during the early Cretaceous. As a rebacchiosauird, Comahuesaurus would be related to genera such as Zapalasaurus, Rebbachisaurus and Rayososaurus. Further Reading - A new basal rebbachisaurid (Sauropoda, Diplodocoidea) from the Early Cretaceous of the Neuqu�n Basin; evolution and biogeography of the … Read more
In Depth The partially preserved skull of Cuspicephalus was first recovered in 2009 by Steve Etches, and is preserved on a slab of stone. Although incomplete the feature that stands out most at first glance is the enlarged nasoantorbital fenestra (the opening that would be in front of the eye socket) that is greater than … Read more
In Depth If the name Targaryendraco sounds like something out of the television series Game of Thrones (or the A Song of Ice and Fire novel series), then you are actually right. The name of this pterosaur actually means ‘Targaryen dragon’, a reference to the house of Targaryen from A Song of Ice and Fire/Game … Read more