In Depth Microraptor was first presented to the world as part of the composite fossil called Archaeoraptor, where the tail of a Microraptor was added to the upper body of a Yanornis. Archaeoraptor was a scandalous fake that made headlines around the world, but in the aftermath of this, Microraptor would become known to science. … Read more
In Depth Although the holotype specimen of Gobivenator was missing major bones of the limbs, some vertebrae and the tip of the snout, it remains one of the most complete late Cretaceous troodontid dinosaurs known from late Cretaceous Asia. Two areas that have been important to note during the description are that the parietal bones … Read more
In Depth Shingopana is a genus of titanosaurian sauropod dinosaur that lived in Africa during the Cretaceous. Shingopana is a small genus of titanosaur and one thought to have been similar to the genus Aeolosaurus, though the femur of Shingopana is proportionately shorter than that seen in Aeolosaurus. Further Reading - The second titanosaurian (Dinosauria: … Read more
In Depth The dromaeosaurids are a very popular group of dinosaurs that all share a few common features. These include reasonably lightweight build, long stiff tails for balance, legs and pelvis adapted for very fast running and a large sickle shaped claw on the second toe of each foot. Balaur however is a dromaeosaur with … Read more
In Depth Hagryphus is another one of those dinosaur genera that teases us about a prospect of being unusually large, yet known only from partial remains, in this case a hand. At about thirty centimetres long this hand is larger than that known for any other oviraptosaur with the sole current exception of Gigantoraptor. This … Read more
In Depth Daxiatitan is another one of the really big early Cretaceous sauropods from China. The holotype remains are considered to be from an individual twenty-one meters long, though Daxiatitan is also thought to have possibly also grown bigger than this. Daxiatitan was named after branch of the Huang He River. Another large sauropod with … Read more
In Depth When looking up what is the biggest dinosaur, people usually get presented with the image of a sauropod, but the exact owner of this title depends upon a number of factors, particularly the definition of largest be it by length, height or weight. Although incomplete, Sauroposeidon is thought to be one of the … Read more
In Depth Nullotitan is a genus of titanosaurian dinosaur that lived in South America during the late Cretaceous. With an estimated length of around twenty meters long for the holotype individual, Nullotitan was a big dinosaur, but a medium average amongst other titanosaurs. Further Reading - Paleontological discoveries in the Chorrillo Formation (upper Campanian-lower Maastrichtian, … Read more
In Depth Guanlong is well-known among palaeontological circles as the first tyrannosaur, although new discoveries in the future may take this epithet away from Guanlong. The discovery of Guanlong lends support to the theory that the early origins of the tyrannosaurs can be traced back to Asia. From here fossil evidence from the discovery of … Read more
In Depth Fukuiraptor is a dinosaur that really does not deserve the ‘raptor’ part of its name. This is because when it was discovered, one of the large hand claws was interpreted as being a ‘killing claw’ on the second toe, similar to other dromaeosaurids that have the epithet raptor. Later analysis resulted in a … Read more