In Depth Koilamasuchus is a genus of archosauriform that lived in Argentina during the Triassic. Further Reading - A new basal archosauriform diapsid from the Lower Triassic of Argentina. - Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology 30(5):1433-1450. - M. D. Ezcurra, A. Lecuona & A. Martinelli - 2010.
In Depth With up to forty cervical vertebrae, Microcleidus had a proportionately longer neck than other plesiosaurs. This longer neck has in the past seen Microcleidus treated as an elasmosaurid (the group of long necked plesiosaurs like Elasmosaurus), although Microcleidus has also been considered to be a cryptoclidid (the group established around Cryptoclidus). On top … Read more
In Depth First collected in 1933, and tentatively described in 1956, the fossils of Aenigmastropheus were not granted their own genus until 2014. Aenigmastropheus is a genus of archosauromorph saurian that lived in Tanzania during the Late Permain, something that makes Aenigmastropheus the first and at the time of writing only known late Permian protosaur … Read more
In Depth Miadanasuchus was originally described as a species of Trematochampsa back in 1979, but re-identified as its own genus in 2009. Miadanasuchus may have been one of the key predators of the Maevarano Formation. Other predatory crocodiles from the same formation include Mahajangasuchus and Araripesuchus. Further Reading - New Material of “Trematochampsa” Oblita (Crocodyliformes,Trematochampsidae) … Read more
In Depth Tototlmimus is a genus of ornithomimosaur that lived in Mexico during the late Cretaceous. So far Tototlmimus is only known from fossils of some foot bones and fingers, and so it is hard to infer much about this dinosaur other than that it has been estimated to have been a medium sized ornithomimid. … Read more
In Depth Although only known from the incomplete remains of a juvenile, the dinosaur Siats seems to have been one of the larger theropod dinosaurs from North America. The partial remains of the holotype individual which mostly include elements of the hind quarters are estimated to have come from an individual dinosaur that was about … Read more
In Depth Machairoceratops is a genus of centrosaurine ceratopsian dinosaur that lived in North America during the late Cretaceous. At the time of the genus description in 2016, Machairoceratops is only known from partial skull and horn remains. We can however ascertain a few facts about this dinosaur. One is that Machairoceratops was a centrosaurine … Read more
In Depth Jiutaisaurus is a genus of sauropod dinosaur that lived in China during the Cretaceous. Further Reading - A New Sauropod Dinosaur from the Cretaceous of Jiutai, Jilin, China. - Global Geology 25(1): 6-9. - W. -H. Wu, Z. -M. Dong, Y. -W. Sun, C. -T. Li & T. Li - 2006.
In Depth Determining the phylogenetic position of Chaoyangopterus was problematic to the extent that the Chaoyangopteridae has now been created within the Azhdarchoidea to accommodate it and other similar pterosaurs. Chaoyangopterus is toothless and is thought to have been a piscivore. Further Reading – Two new pterodactyloid pterosaurs from the Early Cretaceous Jiufotang Formation of … Read more
In Depth Gigantosaurus is a little known and currently dubious genus of sauropod dinosaur. The fossils that are assigned to the genus could come from a sauropod, but they were all found disarticulated and separately, raising the notion that they could be from more than one individual. The state of preservation also means that it … Read more