In Depth Saltoposuchus was not like todays crocodiles, in fact it was more like a small theropod dinosaur. The hind legs were long which meant that fast running speeds were theoretically possible, though the fore limbs may have still served a weight bearing function, perhaps when at rest. The teeth in the mouth were small … Read more
In Depth Lophostropheus was initially assigned as a specimen of Halticosaurus until 1993 it was re-classified as a second species of Liliensternus, a genus that was also previously established as a species of Halticosaurus. A new study in 2007 however concluded that while the fossils were similar, they were different enough to be established as … Read more
In Depth Romeria is a genus of captorhinid reptile that lived in what is now Texas during the early Permian. Further Reading - Two new cotylosaurs from the Permian of Texas. - Proceedings of the New England Zo�logical Club 11: 97–102. - Llewellyn Ivor Price - 1937. - Romeriid Reptiles from the Lower Permian. - … Read more
In Depth Qijianglong is a genus of sauropod dinosaur that lived in China during the late Jurassic. At the time of writing the genus is only known from a single juvenile, yet this juvenile is already fifteen meters long. It is uncertain how big Qijianglong could grow, but at fifteen meters just for a juvenile, … Read more
In Depth Unlike other pareiasaurs, Scutosaurus’s orientation of the legs was more under the body as opposed to out to the side. This gave Scutosaurus a much taller stance and would be more suitable for a creature that may have spent its time searching for suitable vegetation to eat in the arid environment of the … Read more
In Depth Originally described as an anthracosaur amphibian, Tokosaurus has later been interpreted as a parareptile. In addition to this, Tokosaurus is also considered to be a possible synonym to the genus Macroleter. Further Reading - Nikteroletery iz Permskikh Otlozheniy Vostochnoy Evropy [Nycteroleters from the Permian of Eastern Europe]. - Paleontologicheskii Zhurnal 1984(3):98-111. - G. … Read more
In Depth Toxochelys is a genus of sea turtle that lived during the late Cretaceous, and is also one of the most common sea turtles that lived in the Western Interior Sea Way, a shallow sea that once submerged the central portion of the North American Continent. As a genus, Toxochelys seems to be in-between … Read more
In Depth The genus Lorosuchus represents one of if not the most primitive sebecid crocodiles currently known. Lorosuchus is named after the Rio Loro Formation where the holotype fossils were discovered. Further Reading – A new sebecid mesoeucrocodylian from the Rio Loro Formation (Palaeocene) of north-western Argentina. – Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society 163:S7-S36. … Read more
In Depth Pacifichelys is a genus of sea turtle that lived along the coastlines of Peru and California during the mid Miocene. The morphology of the skull suggests that Pacifichelys fed upon hard shelled organisms such as shelled molluscs and crustaceans. A former species of Euclastes, E. hutchisoni, has now been renamed as a species … Read more
In Depth The discovery of Gilmoreosaurus began in 1923 when the first fossil remains were discovered. These remains were however referred to the genus Mandschurosaurus as a new species, which is where they remained until a study by Brett-Surman in 1979 saw them re-identified as a distinct genus separate from Mandschurosaurus. Later in 1995, two … Read more