In Depth Named after the Russian palaeontologist Evgenii Aleksandrovich who actually found the holotype material in 1952, Maleevus is today considered to be a dubious genus of dinosaur. This is because it is based upon only a small amount of fossil material which is actually similar to another genus of ankylosaur from the Bayan Shireh … Read more
In Depth Liaoningosaurus is named after the Liaoning Province of China, which is where the holotype remains were found. The species name L. paradoxus came about from the mix of nodosaur and ankylosaur features in the specimen. In fact the original classification of Liaoningosaurus was that of a nodosaurid, but today it is actually regarded … Read more
In Depth Like with Liaoningosaurus, Zhongyuansaurus was first described as a nodosaurid, but later identified as an ankylosaurid. Further study has identified Zhongyuansaurus as the most basal (primitive) ankylosaurine, the group of ankylosaurs that contains the more advance forms that began to appear as the Cretaceous progressed. So basal in fact was Zhongyuansaurus, that it … Read more
In Depth So far Pinacosaurus appears to have been one of the most numerous of the Asian ankylosaurs given the large numbers of fossil remains that have been found for this genus. This large number combined with the high level of preservation in many of the specimens mean that the validity of the genus is … Read more
In Depth With the currently clear exception of Pinacosaurus, Talarurus is one of the best represented ankylosaurs from Asia. Talarurus was given its name because the tendons wove around the caudal (tail) vertebrae like a wicker basket. In life these would have strengthened and stiffened the tail so that the club on the end could … Read more