In Depth Anchisaurus was originally named Megadactylus polyzelus by Edward Hitchcock; however after his death it was realised that that Megadactylus had already been used to name another creature, and so it could not be used. Later in 1885, the famous American palaeontologists Othniel Charles Marsh renamed the fossils Anchisaurus, as well as identifying the … Read more
In Depth Because of the scant material available, Alectrosaurus is not very well known. The only thing that can be said about it with any confidence is that it was a tyrannosauroid, the superfamily that includes the famous Tyrannosaurus rex. Further elaboration on this is not currently possible and the exact position of Alectrosaurus within … Read more
In Depth It’s hard to imagine how a dinosaur can be named from just a single portion of a leg bone, but this is what happened with Ozraptor. Although incomplete, in 2005 the palaeontologist Oliver Rauhut noted that this tibia does have a vertical median ridge on the astragalar groove. Previously Ozraptor was labelled as … Read more
In Depth Daohugoupterus is a genus of small pterosaur that is so far known from Inner Mongolia. Daohugoupterus is thought to be related to genera such as Anurognathus, Dendrorhynchoides and Jeholopterus. Further Reading - Short note on a non-pterodactyloid pterosaur from the Upper Jurassic deposits of Inner Mongolia, China ‘Historical Biology. An International Journal of … Read more
In Depth One of many small ornithopod dinosaurs from the Jurassic of China, there has been some speculation that Hexinlusaurus may actually represent a juvenile form of another ornithopod. Similar small ornithopods from the same formation as Hexinlusaurus include Agilisaurus, Yandusaurus and Xiaosaurus. Other herbivorous dinosaurs may have come across include stegosaurs Tuojiangosaurus and Huayangosaurus … Read more
In Depth Paludidraco is a genus of nothosaur known to have lived in Western European waters of the late Triasssic period. Paludidraco is thought to have been similar to the Simosaurus genus, yet while Simosaurus is thought to have been an active predator, the markedly different dentition of Paludidraco suggest a different lifestyle. The jaws … Read more
In Depth Brontomerus has been given its name for good reason, it had possibly the largest thigh muscles of all the known sauropods. This has been established from the proportionately large ilium that also projects forward. The ilium is where the thigh muscles attach and this enlargement not only suggests enlarged muscles but a degree … Read more
In Depth Reconstruction of Variriaptor from available fossils is difficult as only partial remains exist. Discovered fossils do appear to be superficially similar to Deinonychus, although Variraptor appears to be of an overall smaller build. Some size estimates do have Variraptor reaching up to three meters in length, although the smaller estimate of two meters … Read more
In Depth Sisteronia is a genus of ophtahlmosaurid ichthyosaur that lived in European seas during the end of the early Cretaceous to perhaps into the early part of the late Cretaceous. Further Reading - High diversity in Cretaceous ichthyosaurs from Europe prior to their extinction. - PLoS ONE 9(1):e84709. - V. Fischer, N. Bardet, M. … Read more
In Depth Eopolycotylus is another example of one of the short necked/long jawed polycotylid plesiosaurs of the Cretaceous era. The genus name Eopolycotylus means ‘Dawn Polycotylus’ and is a reference to the earlier appearance of Eopolycotylus in the fossil record to Polycotylus, the type genus of the Polycotylidae. The type species name honours David O. … Read more