In Depth Concavenator is certainly different from the other known theropod dinosaurs that came before it. Its most striking feature is the protrusion above its hips that is caused by the extension of two presacral vertebrae. Its speculated that these vertebrae would have supported either a sail or hump structure. Theories as to its purpose … Read more
In Depth Linhenykus has the distinctive feature of incredibly reduced arms that are typical of the alvarezsauroids. What makes Lynhenykus stand out from the group though is the fact that it had only one finger. A bone for a second finger was discovered but the nub is not thought to have been functional. Although at … Read more
In Depth Classification and controversy of validity. Stenonychosaurus is a genus of troodontid dinosaur that spent much of its time depicted as a synonym to Troodon. Stenonychosaurus itself was first named in 1932 and for much of the twentieth century it was occasionally depicted as a small predatory dinosaur. Stenonychosaurus would also become the inspiration … Read more
In Depth Patagonia is a hot bed for dinosaur fossils, although it’s usually the dramatic giants such as Giganotosaurus and Argentinosaurus that that take the spotlight. Bonapartenykus was much smaller than these two dinosaurs, however for the purposes of palaeontology and understanding of Mesozoic Patagonia it is at least just as important. First is the … Read more
In Depth Panguraptor is the first genus of coelophysid dinosaur discovered on the Asian continent. Panguraptor was a small predator that would have hunted small animals. Panguraptor was also the second definitive dinosaur genus named from the Lufeng Formation, the first being Sinosaurus. Further Reading - The first well-preserved coelophysoid theropod dinosaur from Asia. - … Read more
In Depth One of the troodonts, Byronosaurus aquired its name after being named after Byron Jaffe, a supporter of the American Museum of Natural History Paleontological Expeditions. One of the unearthed skulls of B. jaffei is the best persevered skull specimen of any troodont, and shows two adaptions that are unique among the currently known … Read more
In Depth Although as the name suggests this was the first dromaeosaurid to be discovered, it was not well understood until some of the other dromaeosaurids were discovered and studied. This has allowed for the gaps to be filled in, giving a much more accurate representation of what Dromaeosaurus was like. While Dromaeosaurus still had … Read more
In Depth Cristatusaurus is recorded as a genus of spinosaurid dinosaur that lived in Africa during the Cretaceous. Africa has been an important source of spinosauird fossil material, however usually only snouts and teeth, and a few isolated bone fragments are found. Unfortunately, Cristatusaurus is no exception, and at the time of writing only some … Read more
In Depth Although only fragmentary remains are known Ilokelesia has been identified as a basal abelisaurid. Like many South American dinosaurs, Ilokelesia had been named using the Mapuche language from a combination of the works ‘ilo’ (flesh) and ‘kelesio’ (lizard). Further Reading – A basal Abelisauria Novas, 1992 (Theropoda–Ceratosauria) from the Cretaceous of Patagonia, Argentina. … Read more
In Depth Named after a demon that appears in Mapuche mythology, Gualicho is a medium sized genus of theropod dinosaur that lived in South America during the early stages of the late Cretaceous. Gualicho would have been a predator of other smaller and similarly sized dinosaurs. Gualicho was named as a genus in 2016, and … Read more