In Depth Koolasuchus is a good example of a late surviving temnospondyl. Most of the other members of this group had been long extinct by the time of the Aptian, but Koolasuchus had managed to hang on in the cooler climate of what would become Australia. However when the climate warmed, crocodiles that were becoming … Read more
In Depth Although sauropods are known for having long necks, Mamenchisaurus was one of the few that took it to the extreme. With nineteen vertebrae, the neck of Mamenchisaurus was just as long its body and tail combined. Such a long neck is thought to have been to enable Mamenchisaurus to sweep its neck across … Read more
In Depth Kubanochoerus is a genus of extinct long legged pig that seems to have had a very broad distribution reaching from Russia to China and across to at least eastern Africa throughout most of the Miocene. The most distinctive feature of Kubanochoerus is the skull which is proportionately long when compared to modern pigs, … Read more
In Depth Vectocleidus is a genus of leptocleidid plesiosaur, a group that sees multiple similarities to the pliosaurs. Further Reading - A new leptocleidid (Sauropterygia, Plesiosauria) from the Vectis Formation (Early Barremian–early Aptian; Early Cretaceous) of the Isle of Wight and the evolution of Leptocleididae, a controversial clade - Journal of Systematic Palaeontology 11(2):233-250 - … Read more
In Depth As an Asian brontothere, Embolotherium rivals large North American species like Megacerops in terms of size. However a full skeleton of Embolotherium remains unknown to science and this conclusion is based upon comparison of the known parts of Embolotherium with the more complete remains of other brontotheres. Whereas many brontotheres have ornamentation on … Read more
In Depth At over six meters long Saichania is one of the larger known ankylosaurids, although in terms of size it would probably be eclipsed by the larger Tarchia which is also known from the same formation, and was actually described at the same time as Saichania. The actual meaning of the name Saichania (beautiful … Read more
In Depth The name Leinkupal means ‘vanishing family’, and this is a reference to the observation that the diplodocid sauropods seemed to have died out during the early Cretaceous. Indeed, at the time of its description, Leinkupal seems to have been one of the last diplodocid sauropods known to live, though other types of sauropods, … Read more
In Depth Burianosaurus is a genus of ornithopod dinosaur that lived in Europe during the earlier part of the late Cretaceous. Burianosaurus is named after palaeoartist Zdeněk Burian. Further Reading - A basal ornithopod dinosaur from the Cenomanian of the Czech Republic. - Journal of Systematic Palaeontology 16(11):967-979. - D. Madzia, C. A. Boyd & … Read more
In Depth Cionodon is a dubious genus of hadrosaur that is based only upon very partial and fragmentary remains. So far two species of Cionodon continue to exist, but because of the poor quality of their fossils, it is next to impossible to assigned further remains to them, or even to identify them as synonymous … Read more
In Depth For over a hundred years Gigantophis was regarded as the largest known snake, a title that has since been handed to the even larger Titanoboa in 2009. Still even at the lower estimate of just over nine meters long Gigantophis is still bigger than the reticulated python which is thought to be the … Read more