In Depth Ouranosaurus similarities and differences to Iguanodon Although initially classed as an iguanodontid dinosaur, subsequent studies of Ouranosaurus fossils have revealed it to be a form of basal hadrosaur. Despite this, Ouranosaurus still bears some features that are similar to the more famous Iguanodon, specifically the forelimb. The hands of the forelimbs still have … Read more
In Depth When remains of Shantungosaurus were first found they were found in a bone bed of at least five individual dinosaurs. Though none of these were of a complete skeleton, composites of incorporating the bones of more than one individual have been assembled with the largest producing a hadrosaurid dinosaur just over sixteen and … Read more
In Depth Tethyshadros is without doubt one of the more interesting genera of hadrosauroid dinosaurs. For a start hadrosauroids are not particularly well known from Europe, though large ornithopod dinosaurs which were ancestral to them are. Tethyshadros also seems to have been a dwarf hadrosaur, growing to an average length of four meters. This reduction … Read more
In Depth As a member of the Anurognathidae, Batrachognathus is seen as being related to other pterosaurs such as Dendrorhynchoides, Jeholopterus and Anurognathus itself. Unfortunately Batrachognathus has also suffered from being damaged during the fossilisation process with the tall and broad skull being broken into several pieces as it lay under pressure in the lacustrine … Read more
In Depth Although small by nothosaur standards, Lariosauru remains one of the most important nothosaurs known to palaeontology as remains are so well preserved they contain the presence of juvenile Lariosaurus, as well as what they ate. The juvenile specimens inside an adult Lariosaurus are very well preserved suggesting that they were not chewed or … Read more
In Depth In a nutshell Kotasaurus is one of the most primitive sauropod dinosaurs discovered. So primitive is Kotasaurus that the genus still possesses features that are known in sauropodomorph dinosaurs. This led to a lot of initial confusion over whether Kotasaurus was an advanced sauropodomorph, or a primitive sauropod, though today the interpretation of … Read more
In Depth After Mymoorapelta in 1994, Gargoyleosaurus was the second ankylosaur to be named from the Morrison Formation. Specifically Gargoyleosaurus is a polacanthine dinosaur and had an arrangement of bony armour and spikes across its back and sides. Gargoyleosaurus also had a large bony plate that covered its hips from above. This armour was an … Read more
In Depth Mauriciosaurus is a genus of polycotylid plesiosaur known to have lived in waters of what would have been the southern portion of the Western Interior Seaway, the shallow sea that once submerged the middle portion of North America. The holotype specimen of Mauriciosaurus was found in Mexico, and has proven to be a … Read more
In Depth The only known example of the pterosaur Feilongus is incomplete and has been damaged in the fossilisation process. Only the skull, mandible and parts of the braincase are preserved. What can be gleamed from the fossil is that Feilongus had a large overbite with the upper jaw extended up to 2.7 centimetres beyond … Read more
In Depth When first described in 1979, Mussaurus was only known from juvenile individuals, and until 2013 this was supposedly the case. However in 1980 the adult were actually described, they had just been classed under the genus Plateosaurus. With a re-evaluation of these in 2013, Mussaurus is also known from adult remains, and the … Read more