In Depth Dicraeosaurus was relatively small by sauropod standards, but was still a bit larger than Amargasaurus, so far the only other known member of its group. Dicraeosaurus sported a double row of spines down its back that are similar to those seen on the back of Amargasaurus. We cannot be certain what these spike … Read more
In Depth Plesiohadros is a genus of hadrosaur that lived in Asia during the late Cretaceous. Further Reading - A new hadrosaurid (Plesiohadros djadokhtaensis) from the Late Cretaceous Djadokhtan Fauna of southern Mongolia. - Hadrosaurs 108-135. - K. Tsogtbaatar, D. B. Weishampel, D. C. Evans & M. Watabe - 2014.
In Depth Palmulasaurus was initially named as Palmula when first described in 2007, but it was soon realised that Palmula was actually preoccupied by a genus of foraminifer (an amoeboid protist), hence the later addition of the Ancient Greek ‘saurus’ which means ‘lizard’. In 2007 Albright, Gillette and Titus also named of polycotylid plesiosaur from … Read more
In Depth Although a turtle, Archelon has become a staple species that appears in almost every book about dinosaurs and other prehistoric animals. This almost mandatory inclusion comes from the fact that Archelon is the largest turtle ever known to exist and it lived at the end of the Cretaceous. For the most part dinosaurs … Read more
In Depth Originally thought to be a juvenile of a species of Megalosaurus, Nuthetes was later established as a distinct genus. Today Nuthetes is thought to represent a possible dromaeosaurid dinosaur, but the key word here is ‘possible’. So far Nuthetes is only known from teeth and a fragment of jawbone, making such things as … Read more
In Depth Once again the term ‘wastebasket taxon’ looms like a spectre over another dinosaur. Many of the fossils that were once attributed to Camptosaurus have since been found to represent other dinosaurs, and this is especially true for the European species that were once assigned to Camptosaurus. Despite this reduction in species and geographic … Read more
In Depth There is not a lot of information about Sarcosaurus due to the relatively incomplete remains from only the pelvic region of the body. This makes it impossible to ascertain the form and structure of other body parts such as the head, hands and feet, something that makes exact classification of this dinosaur near … Read more
In Depth The genus Similicaudipteryx was so named because of its similarity to the genus Caudipteryx (tail feather). Like with Caudipteryx, Similicaudipteryx had a covering of downy feathers all over the body, with vaned feathers on the arms and tail. The end of the tail had a pygostyle-like arrangement which supported a feather growth like … Read more
In Depth Albertavenator is a genus of troodontid dinosaur that lived in Canada towards the end of the Cretaceous period. The genus name translates as ‘Alberta hunter’, a reference to where and how it lived. The type species name, P. curriei is in honour of paleontologist Philip J. Currie. Further Reading - A new species … Read more
In Depth Anningasaura was named in honour of Mary Anning. Mary Anning lived in the early nineteenth century, and spent a lifetime collecting fossils on the shorelines of Dorset, many of which were sold in her families shop in Lyme Regis. Anning’s discoveries and contributions to science would eventually lead to worldwide recognition of her … Read more