Sinornithomimus

In Depth        Surprisingly what is perhaps the most important ornithomimosaur so far discovered by the early twentyfirst century is also one of the least known outside of palaeontology.‭ ‬Initially thought to be a primitive ornithomimosaur,‭ ‬Sinornithomimus is now thought to be quite a bit more advanced than early ornithomimosaurs like Harpymimus,‭ ‬but not quite as … Read more

Xixiposaurus

In Depth        Xixiposaurus is a genus of sauropodomorph dinosaur that lived in China during the early Jurassic. Further Reading -‭ [‬A new prosauropod dinosaur from Lower Jurassic in Lufeng of Yunnan‭]‬.‭ ‬-‭ ‬Global Geology‭ ‬29‭(‬1‭)‬:6-15.‭ ‬-‭ ‬T.‭ ‬Sekiya‭ ‬-‭ ‬2010.

Cryolophosaurus

cryolophosaurus

In Depth        Today Antarctica is often referred to as a frozen wasteland,‭ ‬but back in the Jurassic it actually had an extensive covering of forest,‭ ‬something which is confirmed by the presence of fossilised tree trunks found near the remains of Cryolophosaurus.‭ ‬Many of the early Jurassic theropods had display features on top of their … Read more

Kholumolumo

In Depth        Kholumolumo is a genus of sauropodomorph dinosaur that lived in Southern Africa during the late Triassic. Further Reading ‭ ‬-‭ ‬Kholumolumo ellenbergerorum,‭ ‬gen.‭ ‬et sp.‭ ‬nov.,‭ ‬a new early sauropodomorph from the lower Elliot Formation‭ (‬Upper Triassic‭) ‬of Maphutseng,‭ ‬Lesotho.‭ ‬-‭ ‬Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology.‭ ‬in press:‭ ‬e1732996.‭ ‬-‭ ‬Claire Peyre de Fabr�gues‭ … Read more

Garudimimus

In Depth        Garudimimus is considered to be an ornithomimosaur,‭ ‬but unlike others of its kind it had shorter ilia,‭ ‬the‭ ‬legs were shorter and the muscles not as well developed.‭ ‬This has led to speculation that Garudimimus would have actually been quite slow for an ornithomimosaur,‭ ‬although it could still probably out pace a human … Read more

Yunyangosaurus

In Depth        Yunyangosaurus is a genus of predatory theropod dinosaur that lived in China during the Mid Jurassic. Further Reading -‭ ‬A new possible megalosauroid theropod from the Middle Jurassic Xintiangou Formation of Chongqing,‭ ‬People’s Republic of China and its implication for early tetanuran evolution.‭ ‬-‭ ‬Scientific Reports.‭ ‬10:‭ ‬Article number‭ ‬139.‭ ‬-‭ ‬Hui Dai,‭ … Read more

Duriavenator

In Depth        Duriavenator was for a long time attributed to Megalosaurus,‭ ‬part‭ ‬of the‭ ‘‬wastebasket taxon‭’ ‬effect which saw Megalosaurus becoming a home for many fossils that actually represented similar yet different dinosaurs. Further Reading – A redescription of “Megalosaurus” hesperis (Dinosauria, Theropoda) from the Inferior Oolite (Bajocian, Middle Jurassic) of Dorset, United Kingdom. – … Read more

Lophostropheus

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

Qijianglong

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

Jobaria

In Depth        It could be said that Jobaria is a sauropod that doesn’t know what it is due to a mix of different traits.‭ ‬The vertebrae of Jobaria are very simple in form which has led to some suggestion that Jobaria is a primitive sauropod.‭ ‬Study of other areas however has led to speculation that … Read more