In Depth With an average size of up to four meters long Clidastes was tiny when compared to the larger mosasaurs such as Mosasaurus and Tylosaurus (the latter of which is actually considered to have been a potential predator of Clidastes). The small size of Clidastes suggests that it specialised in hunting smaller and swifter … Read more
In Depth Eodromaeus is a very exciting find as it may well represent one of the earliest theropods. First thought to have been more fossils of Eoraptor, study by Paul Sereno revealed features not present in Eoraptor. With the fossils realised as a new dinosaur, the fossil description was published with the name Eodromaeus, a … Read more
In Depth A small alvarezsaur, one of the notable things about Albinykus is that even though it is only known by its hind quarters, these were found in a crouching position. Oviraptosaurs and troodonts are also known to have crouched, so the discovery that alvarezsaurs like Albinykus could also enter this position indicates that crouching … Read more
In Depth Liodon was amongst the earliest named genera of mosasaur, with a taxonomic history going all the way back to 1841 when the naturalist Richard Owen first named the genus. However, back then Richard Owen spelt the name as Leiodon, but a few years later it was realised that the name Leiodon had already … Read more
In Depth Powellvenator is a genus of coelophysoid dinosaur that lived in South America during the late Triassic. Further Reading - A New Early Coelophysoid Neotheropod from the Late Triassic of Northwestern Argentina. - Gondwanan Perspectives 54(5):506-538. - M. D. Ezcurra - 2017.
In Depth It is becoming increasingly clear that the dinosaurs were not the only large reptiles that were around in the Mesozoic, and the discovery of the partial skull of Aegisuchus is a further example of this. Although incomplete, the partial remains are from a huge skull, but at the time of writing it is … Read more
In Depth The Cedar Mountain Formation of Utah is well known for the large number of armoured dinosaur genera known to have lived in what would become Utah back in the early Cretaceous. Peloroplites however stands out from other genera however because the ulna (one of lower fore leg bones) was quite long and straight … Read more
In Depth Although currently known from only a lower jaw Aetodactylus is believed to represent an ornithocheirid pterosaur, and as such it is only the second of its type to have been discovered in North America. The pointed teeth of Aetodactylus are pointed and evenly arranged into pairs, the first of which project forwards. This … Read more
In Depth Mahuidacursor is a genus of ornithopod dinosaur that lived in South America during the late Cretaceous. Further Reading - A new ornithopod dinosaur from the Santonian of Northern Patagonia (Rinc�n de los Sauces, Argentina). - Cretaceous Research. - P. Cruzado Caballero, J. M. Gasca, L. S. Filippi, I. Cerda & A. C. Garrido … Read more
In Depth Originally named as Sauropleura longipes by Edward Drinker Cope in 1875, S. longipes became a new genus in 1972. Anthracodromeus means ‘coal runner’, a reference to the fact that it was discovered in a coal mine, while the species name means ‘long foot’. Anthracodromeus was probably a small predator of invertebrates. Further Reading … Read more