In Depth At the time of the genus description, Thanatotheristes is known only from very partially preserved skull and jaw bones. However, these bones show that Thanatotheristes was a large tyrannosaur, and one with a close similarity to Daspletosaurus. The discovery of Thanatotheristes has also added further evidence that the tyrannosaurs of Laramidia (the land … Read more
In Depth Although the genus name means crocodile, Walgettosuchus was actually a theropod dinosaur, although the single opalised vertebrae that it is known from has been criticised as not being diagnostic enough to establish a specific genus. As such Walgettosuchus is generally regarded as being what is called a nomen dubium, a genus that cannot … Read more
In Depth Discovery and classification history of Saurophaganax Saurophaganax has a complicated taxonomic history due to the fact that it is still only known from very partial remains, some of which bear a strong resemblance to the smaller but more common Allosaurus. This history dates back to the discovery of the first material over 1931 … Read more
In Depth Struthiomimus remains were actually known all the way back to 1901, but were interpreted by Lawrence Lambe to belong to Ornithomimus altus, the first ornithomimid to be named. In 1917 however, Henry Fairfield Osborn (the man who is perhaps best remembered for naming Tyrannosaurus) identified key differences in the bones, especially the hands … Read more
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
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
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
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
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
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