In Depth Originally discovered in 1951, the holotype fossil of Wahlisaurus was not officially described until sixty-five years later in 2016. Wahlisaurus is a leptonectid ichthyosaur noted for having a very long snout. Other ichthyosaurs similar to Wahlisaurus include Leptonectes, Eurhinosaurus and Excalibosaurus. Further Reading - A new leptonectid ichthyosaur from the Lower Jurassic (Hettangian) … Read more
In Depth Ferrodraco is a genus of pterosaur known to have lived in Australia during the late Cretaceous. Ferrodraco is an ornithocheird pterosaur, a type often associated with the sea, snatching fish from the water. Like many of its relatives, Ferrodraco had a crest rising up on the end of the snout, which in Ferrodraco … Read more
In Depth Malawisaurus began its classification history as a species of Gigantosaurus, however this genus has had a long problematic history regarding its validity and further study towards the end of the twentieth century confirmed that material attributed to Gigantosaurus dixeyi actually belonged to a separate genus, and so Malawisaurus was created. Malawisaurus was a … Read more
In Depth A medium sized iguanodontid, dinosaur from the early Cretaceous of the USA, Planicoxa is established upon the partial remains of several individuals. As an iguanodontid, Planicoxa would have been a primarily quadrupedal dinosaur, though one with the capability to rear up and walk on just its hind legs when it needed to. Planicoxa … Read more
In Depth There is some confusion about Turanoceratops, given that we know that it was a ceratopsian dinosaur, but not all palaeontologists agree upon exactly what kind. Papers published by Sues and Averianov in 2009 support the idea that Turanoceratops was a transitional form that linked primitive ceratopsians of the Ceratopsoidea, with the more advanced … Read more
In Depth Russellosaurus represents a primitive mosasaur, marine reptiles that would go on to achieve a variety of sizes and specialisations that would see them becoming the dominant predators of the late Cretaceous seas. Russelosaurus itself displays a number of features which are diagnostic of more than one mosasaur group, something that suggests that these … Read more
In Depth At the time of its description, Angolachelys represents the oldest known genus of eucryptodire from Africa. Angolachelys means ‘Angola turtle’ after the country where it was discovered. The type species name A. mbaxi is derived from the word Mbaxi which means turtle in the Angolan Nyaneka−Nkumbi and Kimbundo languages Angolachelys was found in … Read more
In Depth The first remains of Albertosaurus were recovered from the Horseshoe Canyon Formation in 1884, and these were the type specimen along with a smaller skull and some of the post crania. However Albertosaurus was not yet identified and when these parts were studied in 1892 by Edward Drinker Cope, he assigned them to … Read more
In Depth Wargosuchus is a genus of baurusucid crocodile that lived in South America during the Late Cretaceous. At the time of description (and writing), Wargosuchus is only known from a single incomplete skull, mostly of the tooth bearing bones of the right hand side. Despite this lack of fossil remains, Wargosuchus is still notable … Read more
In Depth The holotype specimen of Pannoniasaurus was first discovered in 1999, and finally described to science as a new genus of mosasaur in 2012. This description made history in the field of mosasaur research as it marked the first time that a mosasaur had been found in a freshwater deposit. Before this discovery, mosasaurs … Read more