In Depth When the skull of Torvoneustes was originally described it was thought to belong to a species of Metriorhynchus, M. superciliosus. However the later discovery of post cranial remains led to the conclusion that the skull remains did not belong to that species of Metriorhynchus, and they were re-described as a new species of … Read more
In Depth Superficially Qinglongopterus has been found to be very similar to Rhamphorhynchus, the pterosaur that is the type genus of the Rhamphorhynchidae and to which Qinglongopterus is thought to be the most closely related. This however hints that both Qinglongopterus and Rhamphorhynchus represented their evolutionary limit as they are separated by many millions of … Read more
In Depth Nurhachius is perhaps most closely related to Istiodactylus even though the two are geographically separated by several thousand miles. However Nurhachius has a different skull which is lower with a slightly curved lower jaw. Nurhachius is named after the first khan of the Qing dynasty, who once ruled from the area where Nurhachius … Read more
In Depth Just thirty years before its description, the concept of dinosaurs evolving into birds was still a very controversial theory that did not have universally wide acceptance in academic circles. However, since the opening of fossil beds in China, new discoveries have slowly but steadily been made, each one adding more and more weight … Read more
In Depth Calcarichelys was a relatively small late Cretaceous turtle but one with a highly specialised shell. Instead of the usual concave curve across the back, a series of enlarged spikes ran down the middle of the back. These are taken as being almost certainly a defensive adaptation to make it more difficult for predators … Read more
In Depth Xixiasaurus is a troodont genus thought to possibly be closely related to Byronosaurus and Urbacodon. Part of this reasoning is that the teeth of Xixiasaurus lacked serrations. Care should be taken not to confuse Xixiasaurus with the alvarezsaur genus Xixianykus that is also known from the same formation as Xixiasaurus. Further Reading - … Read more
In Depth Losillasaurus is a member of the Turiasauria, a group sauropods which is named after the genus Turiasaurus. However Turiasaurus was named in 2006 while Losillasaurus was named in 2001, and usually this would actually make Losillasaurus the type genus since it was named earlier. Other sauropod dinosaurs that are closely related to Losillasaurus … Read more
In Depth Saurosphargis is a little known placodont who’s only known collection of remains were destroyed in World War Two. Although this means that the original fossils are no longer available for study, the original description did mention that the rib structure of Saurosphargis was very similar to that of the Paraplacodus. This indicates that … Read more
In Depth The sauropod dinosaur Brachiosaurus earned its name from the fact that the arms, or rather the fore legs as it was quadrupedal, are actually longer than the hind legs. The fact that these are longer offers Brachiosaurus a passive advantage in reaching up into the tree canopy to feed as the neck is … Read more
In Depth There appears to be some confusion regarding the full size of Prestosuchus. Earlier fossil discoveries seemed to point at a total length of around five hundred centimetres for an adult Prestosuchus. However an almost complete specimen reported in 2010 was stated as being the equivalent of about six hundred and seventy centimetres long. … Read more