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
In Depth Komensaurus was a basal mosasaur that was similar to other primitive forms such as Dallasaurus and Vallecillosaurus which are currently known from North America. Together these mosasaurs show that while they were primitive in form, the first mosasaurs were still capable of crossing wide expanses of ocean to spread out into new locations. … Read more
In Depth Iuticosaurus is a genus of titanosaurian dinosaur, though one that is widely regarded as dubious. Why it is dubious stems all the way back to 1887 when Richard Lydekker named two caudal vertebrae (BMNH R146a and BMNH 151) as belonging to the genus Onithopsis. His reason for this was that fossils of … Read more
In Depth Alcione is a genus of small nyctosaurid pterosaur that lived in North Africa during the late Cretaceous. Alcione is noted for having very short wings, something that could aid either flapping flight, or perhaps streamlining for use after entering water. This feature combined with the knowledge of the Alcione fossils coming from a … Read more
In Depth Further Reading - Crocodylian diversity peak and extinction in the late Cenozoic of the northern Neotropics. - Nature Communications 4(1907):1-9. - T. M. Scheyer, O. A. Aguilera, M. Delfino, D. C. Fortier, A. A. Carlini, R. S�nchez, J. D. Carrillo-Brice�o, L. Quiroz & M. R. S�nchez-Villagra - 2013.
In Depth Nipponosaurus is classed as a lambeosaurine hadrosaurid because of the hollow head crest that rises up from the top of the snout, though the incomplete nature of the known remains makes it hard to establish fine details, and reconstructions are usually completed with comparisons to other better preserved genera. Also, because the fossils … Read more
In Depth A very small sauropod, Rayososaurus is considered to be very similar to another genus called Rebbachisaurus. Because Rayososaurus is from South America and Rebbachisaurus is from Africa, this has given rise to the notion that these two continents were joined for much longer than previously thought back in the Cretaceous. Further Reading – … Read more
In Depth Although not as famous as some sauropods like Apatosaurus and Diplodocus, Camarasaurus actually appears to have been the most common judging by the large numbers of remains. Some Camarasaurus specimens are actually almost complete and the genus also has one of the largest numbers of sauropod skulls attributed (for those who haven’t realised … Read more
In Depth An often included genus in dinosaur books, Arrhinoceratops is another example of a popular dinosaur known by very little fossil material. In this case Arrhinoceratops has been based upon the description of only a single partially preserved skull. Arrhinoceratops was named because William Parks thought that it lacked a nasal horn, and too … Read more