In Depth The type specimen was originally assigned to the genus Microceratops (now a synonym to Microceratus), Graciliceratops seems to have been a small and lightly built ceratopsian dinosaur. Graciliceratops seems to have been more comfortable in a bipedal posture, but already it is clear that Graciliceratops would have been easily able to adopt a … Read more
In Depth Culebrasuchus is a genus of caiman crocodile that lived in Central America during the early Miocene. The presence of Culebrasuchus in Panama has also led to speculation that North and South America may have been joined much earlier than previous thought, albeit only temporally, though other kinds of caiman are known from slightly … Read more
In Depth Originally described as a species of Valdosaurus, Elrhazosaurus is a genus of small dryosaurid ornithopod that lived in Africa during the early Cretaceous. Further Reading - Valdosaurus, a hypsilophodontid dinosaur from the Lower Cretaceous of Europe and Africa. - G�obios 15 (2): 147–159. - P. M. Galton & P. Taquet - 1982. - … Read more
In Depth Although only known from partial skull material Sinoceratops displays features that are seen in both the centrosaurine and chasmosaurine lines of the ceratopsian dinosaurs. Although larger than others of the group, Sinoceratops is considered to be a basal centrosaurine, and its discovery has shed a little more light on ceratopsian evolution. Unfortunately however, … Read more
In Depth Jiangxisaurus is a genus of oviraptorid dinosaur that lived in China during the late Cretaceous. Other oviraptorid dinosaurs known from the Nanxiong Formation where the holotype specimen of Jiangxisaurus was found include Banji, Ganzhousaurus, Huanansaurus and Nankangia. Further Reading - A New Oviraptorid Dinosaur (Theropoda: Oviraptorosauria) from the Late Cretaceous of Jiangxi Province, … Read more
In Depth Siamosaurus is a little known and often considered dubious genus of spinosaurid dinosaur since it has so far only been described from teeth. Siamosaurus was the first and only known genus of spinosaurid dinosaur known from Asia until the 2012 description of Ichthyovenator from partial post cranial bones. Like other spinosaurids, Siamosaurus was … Read more
In Depth Initially thought to be a juvenile Megaraptor, Unenlagia was found to not only be a separate species but one that would challenge the notions for the origins of flight. Unenlagia fits into the Unenlagiinae group, which is also considered by some to be the rightful home of the dromaeosaur Rahonavis. If correct, that … Read more
In Depth One of the more popular hadrosaurids, Tsintaosaurus is actually not known by many individuals. The popularity of Tsintaosaurus is all down to the forward pointing crest that adorns the top of the skull. There was one widespread speculation that this crest was simply a product of the fossilisation process, and that the bone … Read more
In Depth The dinosaur Oviraptor has a very unfortunate name as it was given to it on the presumption that it stole other dinosaur’s eggs. When the first dinosaur eggs were discovered in Mongolia, they were thought to belong to the herbivorous Protoceratops due to the large number of their remains in the vicinity. Also … Read more
In Depth Named in 2007, Mahakala has been widely accepted as one of the most primitive formed dromaeosaurids so far discovered. Key to this idea is the observation that the third metatarsal is not compressed, whereas in more advanced dromaeosaurids and troodonts it is. However another fact to consider is that Mahakala lived during the … Read more