In Depth Luanchuanraptor can go down in palaeontological history as the first Asian dromaeosaurid found outside of the Gobi Desert. Beyond this however the partial remains of the holotype make it hard to establish details about this genus. Luanchuanraptor was a dromaeosaurid meaning that it was a relatively small theropod dinosaur similar to others such … Read more
In Depth Despite its diminutive size Compsognathus is one of the dinosaurs that are best known to science. Not only was the skeleton well persevered but the remains of its last meal, a small lizard named Bavarisaurus were also found inside the specimen proving without doubt that Compsognathus was a carnivore. At the time of … Read more
In Depth Although only known from partial remains, Patagonykus is confirmed to have been an alvarezsaur, small bipedal dinosaurs that are thought to have specialised in hunting insects. Dinosaurs like Patagonykus were once thought to have been restricted to the lower stages of the upper Cretaceous, however the discovery of Bonapartenykus in 2012 has revealed … Read more
In Depth Daliansaurus is a genus of small troodontid dinosaur that lived in China during the early Cretaceous. Many trrodontid dinosaurs are known to have been living in the same approximate time and location as Daliansaurus, but the describing paleontologists identified several features that differentiate this genus from others. Some of the clearer differences are … Read more
In Depth Named in 1890 from a partial hand and foot, Ornithomimus became the first known ornithomimid, which is why it is considered the type genus of the Ornithomimidae. The ornithomimds (also sometimes called ‘ostrich dinosaurs’) were small dinosaurs that usually ranged between three and four meters long, although some were slightly larger. During the … Read more
In Depth The name Koparion is based upon the comparison of the serrated teeth (currently the only known parts of this dinosaur) to ancient versions of scalpels. Despite the lack of overall remains, Koparion is widely regarded as being a troodontid and if this is correct, it would be one of the if not the … Read more
In Depth Although Sinotyrannus has been described from very incomplete material, the palaeontologists who described this dinosaur have managed to conclude that it is a close relative of the primitive tyrannosaurs. Additionally they have also compared the remains to similar dinosaurs and come up with a rough length estimate of up to ten meters long … Read more
In Depth The first genus of theropod dinosaur to ever be named from India’s Lameta Formation, Orthogoniosaurus has often been considered to be a senior synonym for other theropod genera that were later discovered. However the holotype of Orthogoniosaurus is only a tooth, and because of this no other fossil remains have been attributed to … Read more
In Depth Archaeornithoides has proven to be a problematic genus since it has been very difficult to ascertain exactly what it was. Only known from partial paired maxilla and dentaries, Archaeornithoides was first considered to be a primitive bird because of what were considered distinct bird-like features. Later discoveries however proved that these distinct bird … Read more
In Depth Originally named as Elaphrosaurus gautieri in 1960, a 2004 analysis of the remains by P. C. Sereno, J. A. Wilson and J. L. Conrad concluded that they belonged to a different genus of dinosaur. Hence forth this fossil material now goes by the name of Spinostropheus based upon the shape of the vertebrae, … Read more