In Depth In 1937 a fossil collector named Allan Bennison discovered mosasaur fossils in California’s Mount Diablo Range. These fossils were first described by Charles Camp in 1942 and published as Kolposaurus; however this name is actually preoccupied as a synonym for Nothosaurus, hence the naming revision to Plotosaurus in 1951. The original fossils were … Read more
In Depth With fossils going back to the mid Jurassic, it comes as no surprise that Huayangosaurus is a more primitive stegosaur than better known genera from the late Jurassic. The skull of Huayangosaurus is broader than later forms which reveals it was not as well adapted to selective browsing. The premaxilla also still has … Read more
In Depth Panguraptor is the first genus of coelophysid dinosaur discovered on the Asian continent. Panguraptor was a small predator that would have hunted small animals. Panguraptor was also the second definitive dinosaur genus named from the Lufeng Formation, the first being Sinosaurus. Further Reading - The first well-preserved coelophysoid theropod dinosaur from Asia. - … Read more
In Depth Named after Kyrgyzstan where the holotype specimen was found, Kyrgyzsaurus has been identified as a drepanosaurid reptile. As such Kyrgyzsaurus would be expected to have been an arboreal reptile climbing through shrubs and the tree canopy with the aid of enlarged claws on the ends of its fingers and toes as well as … Read more
In Depth One of the troodonts, Byronosaurus aquired its name after being named after Byron Jaffe, a supporter of the American Museum of Natural History Paleontological Expeditions. One of the unearthed skulls of B. jaffei is the best persevered skull specimen of any troodont, and shows two adaptions that are unique among the currently known … Read more
In Depth Although as the name suggests this was the first dromaeosaurid to be discovered, it was not well understood until some of the other dromaeosaurids were discovered and studied. This has allowed for the gaps to be filled in, giving a much more accurate representation of what Dromaeosaurus was like. While Dromaeosaurus still had … Read more
In Depth Cristatusaurus is recorded as a genus of spinosaurid dinosaur that lived in Africa during the Cretaceous. Africa has been an important source of spinosauird fossil material, however usually only snouts and teeth, and a few isolated bone fragments are found. Unfortunately, Cristatusaurus is no exception, and at the time of writing only some … Read more
In Depth Ligabuesaurus is a genus of titanosaurid dinosaur that lived in Argentina towards the end of the early Cretaceous. Ligabuesaurus was named in honour of Dr Giancarlo Ligabue, while the type species L. leanzai was named in honour of Dr. Hector Leanza, the geologist who discovered the holotype specimen. Further Reading - Ligabuesaurus leanzai … Read more
In Depth Bactrosaurus is one of the earliest hadrosauroids known from Asia, and also one of the best known. Bactrosaurus still had three stacked teeth for each tooth in the maxilla, an iguanodont feature that reveals the ancestry of the genus. However, Bactrosaurus also has a number of hadrosauroid features, particularly those of lambeosaurines (hollow … Read more
In Depth Mojoceratops was discovered by a close examination of some skulls that had been assigned to the more well Chasmosaurus. The more the skulls were studied the more differences were discovered, resulting in the creation of a new genus. The palaeontologists who were looking the skulls over initially came up with name Mojoceratops when … Read more