In Depth In 1983 a fossil hunter named William Walker discovered a large fossilised claw in a clay pit. Retrieval of this claw also resulted in the recovery of associated bones that revealed a new and previously unknown type of theropod dinosaur. Alan Charig and Angela Milner described and formerly named the new dinosaur Baryonyx … Read more
In Depth Adriosaurus was an aquatic lizard that is often described as being snake-like. This is because Adriosaurus had a thin elongated body similar to a snakes proportions, yet still retained small limbs. These limbs are widely thought to have been vestigial, which means that they were present yet no longer fulfilled a practical purpose … Read more
In Depth Not a lot of information is available about this snake, but aside from dinosaurs, it would have shared its habitat with other reptiles such as lizards like Obamadon, Leptochamops and Palaeosaniwa. Further Reading - Mass extinction of lizards and snakes at the Cretaceous–Paleogene boundary, Nicholas R. Longrich, Bhart-Anjan S. Bhullar & Jacques A. … Read more
In Depth Ambopteryx is a genus of scansoriopterygid dinosaur that lived in Asia during the late Jurassic. The name Ambopteryx means ‘both wing’ and this is a reference to the observations that fossil impressions with the holotype skeleton show that Ambopteryx was feathered, but then had bat-like membranous wings which were not feathered as well. … Read more
In Depth Dacentrurus was originally named Omosaurus armatus in 1875 by the famous British palaeontologist Richard Owen, however the genus name of Omosaurus was already used to name another animal. This led to the 1902 renaming by Frederic Lucas, although the species name was still retained in creating the type species of the new genus, … Read more
In Depth Chubutisaurus seems to have been a large but primitive titanosaur that lived in Chubut Province towards the end of the early Cretaceous, hence the name which means ‘Chubut lizard’. Although known from different members of the Cerro barcino Formation, possible predatory threats to Chubutisaurus might have included large theropod dinosaurs such as Genyodectes … Read more
In Depth When first described in 1833, Gnathosaurus was actually thought to have been the remains of small prehistoric crocodile. This persisted until the discovery of the skull in 1951, which revealed Gnathosaurus to actually be a filter feeding pterosaur similar to Ctenochasma. The teeth of Gnathosaurus were very fine and projected outwards from the … Read more
In Depth Although very small by ichthyosaur standards, Mixosaurus is one of the most important entries in the fossil record regarding the evolution of the ichthyosaur group of marine reptiles. This is because it is seen as a transitory form between what are termed the eel-like primitive forms like Cymbospondylus and dolphin-like advanced ichthyosaurs like … Read more
In Depth Once again one of the most famous dinosaurs of all time is actually represented by some of the most incomplete fossil material. To date Pachycephalosaurus is only represented by skull material; the actual appearance of the body so often seen in restorations is actually based upon the common form seen in more complete … Read more
In Depth Parrassaurus is a genus of ichthyosaur that lived in waters around Mexico during the late Jurassic. Further reading - A new Tithonian ophthalmosaurid ichthyosaur from Coahuila in northeastern Mexico. - Alcheringa: An Australasian Journal of Palaeontology.. - Jair Israel Barrientos & Jes�s Alvarado-Ortega - 2021.