In Depth Named in 1890 from a partial hand and foot, Ornithomimus became the first known ornithomimid, which is why it is considered the type genus of the Ornithomimidae. The ornithomimds (also sometimes called ‘ostrich dinosaurs’) were small dinosaurs that usually ranged between three and four meters long, although some were slightly larger. During the … Read more
In Depth Named in 2015, Zoneait was an important discovery for those interested in marine crocodiles. Zoneait represents a transitional genus and possible sister taxon of the Metriorhynchidae, the group that features many famous genera of marine crocodiles such as Metriorhynchus and Geosaurus. In addition to this the Zoneait holotype fossils were found in fossil … Read more
In Depth The name Koparion is based upon the comparison of the serrated teeth (currently the only known parts of this dinosaur) to ancient versions of scalpels. Despite the lack of overall remains, Koparion is widely regarded as being a troodontid and if this is correct, it would be one of the if not the … Read more
In Depth Although Sinotyrannus has been described from very incomplete material, the palaeontologists who described this dinosaur have managed to conclude that it is a close relative of the primitive tyrannosaurs. Additionally they have also compared the remains to similar dinosaurs and come up with a rough length estimate of up to ten meters long … Read more
In Depth Anhuilong is a genus of mamenchisaurid sauropod dinosaur that lived in China during the mid Jurassic. Further Reading - The second mamenchisaurid dinosaur from the Middle Jurassic of Eastern China. - Historical Biology: An International Journal of Paleobiology - Xin-Xin Ren, Jian-Dong Huang & Hai-Lu You - 2018.
In Depth Just like the later crocodiles, the phytosaurs evolved a variety of different head shapes that saw some of them becoming specialised hunters. In this respect Mystriosuchus developed a very thin snout that saw it take on a resemblance to a modern day gavial, but did so long before the crocodiles. This is a … Read more
In Depth Cerrejonemys is a genus of side-necked turtle that lived in South America during the Paleocene. Cerrejonemys is noted for growing fairly large, probably as a defence against predators. This was for good reason, as not only did Cerrejonemys share the same ecosystems as crocodiles such as Cerrejonisuchus, but the giant snake Titanoboa was … Read more
In Depth Diluvicursor is a genus of small ornithopod dinosaur that lived in what is now Australia during the early Cretaceous. Description of the genus was based upon a mostly complete tail and lower leg bones that were preserved flat on a slab of rock. These have been identified to have come from a juvenile … Read more
In Depth The first genus of theropod dinosaur to ever be named from India’s Lameta Formation, Orthogoniosaurus has often been considered to be a senior synonym for other theropod genera that were later discovered. However the holotype of Orthogoniosaurus is only a tooth, and because of this no other fossil remains have been attributed to … Read more
In Depth At up to nine meters long Maiasaura was not amongst the largest known hadrosaurid dinosaurs, though it still tipped the scale to be considered big for its kind. Like with its hadrosaurid relatives, Maiasaura is thought to have been a primarily bipedal dinosaur, though one that was at least capable of balancing if … Read more