In Depth Staurikosaurus may have been only a small theropod dinosaur, but it is also one of the earliest known confirmed dinosaurs. By the time of the Carnian, the first definitive theropods were roaming around South America and hunting other animals. At a little over two meters long, Staurikosaurus was probably a predator of smaller … Read more
In Depth To start with the discovery, fossil specimens that would be raised as Richardoestesia where actually described as belonging to the type species of another dinosaur named Chirostenotes. Study in the 1980‘s however yielded the revelation that Chirostenotes was an oviraptorid, which means that the more classic theropod jaws and teeth could not possibly … Read more
In Depth Sigilmassasaurus has had a turbulent taxonomic history, at times being valid, other times being synonymous with other genera, to being valid again. It all began in 1996 when Dale Russel described a series of cervical vertebrae that were noted for being fairly short, hence the type species name S. brevicollis which mans ‘short … Read more
In Depth First described in 2001, Nothronychus was the first genus of therizinosaurid dinosaur to be discovered in North America (the state of New Mexico in the USA), with other earlier notable discoveries such as Beipiaosaurus and Therizinosaurus being discovered in China and Mongolia. However the first fossil of Nothronychus called an ischium (the rear … Read more
In Depth Irritator is proof that palaeontologists do have a sense of humour even if it is a dry one. The holotype specimen of Irritator was a skull that had been artificially elongated by illegal fossil collectors in the hope of increasing its monetary value (plainly speaking, to get more money for the fossil). Before … Read more
In Depth Although officially named in 2003, the first confirmed remains of Rajasaurus were found in between 1982 and 1984 by Suresh Srivastava. However there is an outside chance that the first remains may have actually been discovered way back in 1923 with the naming of Lametasaurus. Lametasaurus though is now considered to ba a … Read more
In Depth Abelisaur theropods ranged across much of the southern continents during the late Cretaceous and India certainly seems to have had its share of them. However when Indosaurus was fist named by Matley and von Huene in 1933, the abelisaurs were still an unknown group of theropods, which is why they initially described Indosaurus … Read more
In Depth Banji is a genus of small oviraptorid dinosaur that lived in China During the late Cretaceous. The name Banji translates as (striped crest), and is a reference to the striations that run vertically along the crest. Another feature seen in the holotype skull is that the nasal opening is by proportion unusually large … Read more
In Depth A little known oviraptorid, Elmisaurus is based upon very few remains. Initially cited as a species of the North American Chirostenotes, it was quickly named as a distinct genus. Still, the Chirostenotes connection did not end there as in 1989 the palaeontologist Philip Currie established a second species, Elmisaurus elegans based upon oviraptorid … Read more
In Depth Lukousaurus is a little known reptile that is probably a theropod dinosaur, possibly of the Ceratosauria. The overall lack of fossil remains for the genus however makes it very difficult to be certain about exactly what kind of creature Lukousaurus was. Further Reading – Preliminary notes on the Lufeng vertebrate fossils. – Bulletin … Read more