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
In Depth Arthurdactylus conandoylei was named after the author Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, and while he is most famous for writing the Sherlock Holmes stories, he also wrote The Lost World. For those not familiar with the story it is about a group of explorers who discover a plateau in South America where dinosaurs and … Read more
In Depth Lufengosaurus has the honour of being the first dinosaur to ever be assembled and mounted for display in China, and even today is one of the more popular exhibits in Chinese natural history displays concerning dinosaurs. The first species of Lufengosaurus, L. huenei, was named in 1940, and a second larger species, L. … Read more
In Depth Although named from only a maxilla and tooth, the remains of this dinosaur are still complete enough to confidently identify it as an iguanodont. In life Siamodon would have been a medium to large sized ornithopod dinosaur that would have been primarily quadrupedal, but also occasionally bipedal. Although identified as being separate, Siamodon … Read more
In Depth Avimimus acquired its name from its bird like characteristics that have led to some controversy as to how much like a bird it really was. Like in modern birds the hand bones were fused together, and the presence of pronounced quill knobs on the lower arm bones confirms that Avimimus did at least … Read more
In Depth A possible close relative of Gasparinisaura, Anabisetia was a fairly small ornithopod dinosaur that roamed around what would become South America during the early stages of the late Cretaceous. Anabisetia is known mostly from the partial post cranial remains of four specimens and a single partial brain case and lower jaw. The lack … Read more
In Depth Youngina is a genus of diapsid reptile that lived in what is now South Africa during the late Permian. The skull is roughly triangular with a snout that is about half the total length of the skull. The teeth are conical and well developed, and may have been used for killing larger invertebrates … Read more