In Depth Eodortoka is a genus of turtle that lived in Spain during the early Cretaceous. Further Reading - Eodortoka morellana gen. et sp. nov., the first pan-pleurodiran turtle (Dortokidae) defined in the Lower Cretaceous of Europe. - Cretaceous Research 48:130-138. - A. Perez-Garcia, J. M. Gasulla & F. Ortega - 2014.
In Depth Massospondylus was one amongst the first dinosaurs to be named with a taxonomic history going back as far as the mid nineteenth century. Yet when Richard Owen described the first fossils, he thought that he was dealing with an ancient ancestor to more familiar lizards such as iguanas chameleons. In actuality Massospondylus represents … Read more
In Depth Protoalligator is a genus of alligator that lived in China during the Paleocene. Further Reading - Taxonomic revision of Eoalligator (Crocodylia, Brevirostres) and the paleogeographic origins of the Chinese alligatoroids. - PeerJ 4:e2356:1-43/ - Y.-Y. Wang, C. Sullivan & J. Liu - 2016.
In Depth Augustasaurus was the second member of the Pistosauroidea group of Triassic marine reptiles discovered. Given that the first (and currently only other of known) member of the group, Pistosaurus, is known from Europe, this reveals that the pistosauroid sauropterygians had at least a reasonable geographic range. Like with Pistosaurus, Augustasaurus resembles early plesiosaur … Read more
In Depth Hypselospinus was a genus of ornithopod that was similar to Iguanodon, so similar in fact that the holotype remains of the genus were originally named as a species of Iguanodon, I. fittoni. These remains were re-described as a new genus by Norman in 2010, but not long after another name for the remains … Read more
In Depth Fossils of Dinheirosaurus were first treated as belonging to Lourinhasaurus until new study ascertained that they were of a different genus. For some time afterwards there was still speculation that this was a mistake and that Dinheirosaurus should be regarded as a synonym to Lourinhasaurus, but even further study has now established without … Read more
In Depth Known form a small partial skull that was initially thought to belong to the genus Bernissartia, Koumpiodontosuchus was established as a distinct genus in 2015. Koumpiodontosuchus means ‘button toothed crocodile’, a reference to the small teeth seen in the skull. These show that as well as being small itself, Koumpiodontosuchus was a predator … Read more
In Depth The teeth of Hongshanopterus extend past the first third of the skull. Not only does this give Hongshanopterus more teeth than other istiodactylids, it is taken as a marker for Hongshanopterus being a basal member of the group. Further Reading – A primitive istiodactylid pterosaur (Pterodactyloidea) from the Jiufotang Formation (Early Cretaceous), northeast … Read more
In Depth Fosterovenator was a ceratosaurid theropod dinosaur that lived in North America during the late Cretaceous. At the time of writing the only parts that are known for Fosterovenator are lower leg bones, but in the original description of this genus, the fossils were noted as being superficially similar to those of the genus … Read more
In Depth Nannopterygius was first described in 1871 by John Hulke, but as a species of Ichthyosaurus, I. enthekiodon. However, the Ichthyosaurus genus was once treated as a wastebasket taxon, and many former species of Ichthyosaurus have now been re-assigned as distinct genera. This is what happened later in the early twentieth century when another … Read more