In Depth Migmanychion was a small mysterious theropod dinosaur that lived about 121 million years ago during the Early Cretaceous of what is now Inner Mongolia, China. Its name means “claw mixture,” a reference to the unusual differences in the shape of its hand claws. The main specimen preserves parts of the ribs, a partial … Read more
In Depth Platytholus was a dome-headed dinosaur from the Late Cretaceous Hell Creek Formation of Montana, about 66 million years ago. It belonged to the pachycephalosaurids, a group of small, plant-eating ornithischians best known for their thick, rounded skull roofs. Unlike most of its relatives, Platytholus had a broad, flattened dome, which is what inspired … Read more
In Depth Euoplocephalus was one of the best-known armored dinosaurs, living in western North America during the Late Cretaceous, about 76–67 million years ago. Its name means “well-armored head,” and it was one of the largest ankylosaurs, protected by heavy bony plates and equipped with a massive tail club. Euoplocephalus was part of the same … Read more
In Depth Lokiceratops was a large centrosaurine ceratopsid dinosaur from the Late Cretaceous Judith River Formation of Montana, USA. Its name means “Loki’s horned face,” a reference to the Norse trickster god and to its unusual array of horns. The species name, rangiformis, means “reindeer-like,” in allusion to its sprawling, ornate frill ornamentation. Fossil Remains … Read more
In Depth Huashanosaurus was an early eusauropod sauropod dinosaur from the Wangmen Formation of Guangxi, southern China. The name means “Huashan Mountain lizard,” in reference to the UNESCO World Heritage site of Huashan Mountain and its famous rock art. The species name, qini, honors Jian Qin, the local teacher who first discovered the remains. Fossil … Read more
Wudingloong is an early massopodan sauropodomorph dinosaur from the Lower Jurassic Yubacun Formation in Yunnan Province, China. It is represented by a partial skeleton including the skull, neck vertebrae, and forelimb. It is the oldest sauropodomorph known from East Asia and an important early member of Massopoda. Description Wudingloong was a lightly built, plant-eating dinosaur. … Read more
In Depth Istiorachis was a large iguanodontian dinosaur from the Early Cretaceous Wessex Formation of the Isle of Wight, England. The name means “sail spine,” a reference to its hyperelongated vertebral spines, while the species name honours British sailor Dame Ellen MacArthur. Fossil Remains and Description The fossils of Istiorachis include partial vertebrae from the … Read more
Fossil Map Interactive fossil Map of Protathlitis, along with its chronological bar chart of fossil discoveries. In Depth Protathlitis is a genus of baryonychine spinosaurid dinosaur from the Early Cretaceous of Spain. The fossils were discovered in the Arcillas de Morella Formation, dating to the Barremian stage about 129–125 million years ago. The genus was … Read more
Fossil Map Interactive fossil Map of Dubreuillosaurus, along with its chronological bar chart of fossil discoveries. In Depth Discovered in 1994 and originally classed as a species of Poekilopleuron, Dubreuillosaurus (Poekilopleuron valesdunensis.) was placed into its own genus in 2005 on the basis of differences of the post cranial remains of the two. Dubreuillosaurus itself … Read more
Abelisaurus Fossil Map Interactive fossil Map of Abelisaurus, along with its chronological bar chart of fossil discoveries. In Depth Named after Roberto Abel, the palaeontologist who first discovered the remains, Abelisaurus was the first of the Abelisauridae group of carnivorous theropod dinosaurs, a relatively new group that seems to have been most common across southern … Read more