In Depth Ctenospondylus was one of the larger sail-backed synapsids. So far only known from the central united states it is probable though thatCtenospondylus had a wider distribution, at least in North America, though the lack of known fossil bearing rock formations from the Permian is limited to just a few areas. Ctenospondylus is classed … Read more
In Depth As an anteosaur, Stenocybus is a genus of dinocephalian therapsid that lived in China during the mid-Permian era. Further Reading - A new genus of primitive dinocephalian. - Vertebrate PalAsiatica. 35: 35-43 - Z. Cheng & J. Li - 1997.
In Depth Eumetabolodon is a genus of procolophonid reptile that lived in China during the Triassic. Further Reading - Tooth replacement in a new genus of procolophonid from the Early Triassic of China. - Palaeontology 26(3):567-583. - J. L. Li - 1983.
In Depth With a morphology like we see in lizards today, Thadeosaurus had a very long tail making up over half of its total body length. The legs were long and had long toes terminating in claws. It is likely that as Thadeosaurus walked, the toes would always be in contact with the ground. Thadeosaurus … Read more
In Depth At one time described as a species of Miacis, Dormaalocyon is a genus of carnivoramorph mammal that lived in Europe during the Eocene. Further Reading - Dental and tarsal anatomy of ‘Miacis’ latouri and a phylogenetic analysis of the earliest carnivoraforms (Mammalia, Carnivoramorpha). - Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology. - Flor�al Sol�, Richard Smith, … Read more
In Depth Simurghia is a genus of pterosaur that lived in Africa during the late Cretaceous. The holotype fossils of Simurghia were found in what was a marine environment, strongly showing that Simurghia lived in coastal ecosystems. Further Reading - Late Maastrichtian pterosaurs from North Africa and mass extinction of Pterosauria at the Cretaceous-Paleogene boundary. … Read more
In Depth Babibasiliscus is a relative of modern day basilisk lizards, some of which are also dubbed ‘Jesus Christ lizards’ for their ability to run across water for short distances. Babibasiliscus is best known from a skull, which when compared to average modern basilisk proportions yields an estimate of about sixty centimetres long for the … Read more
In Depth Magnamanus is a genus of iguanodont dinosaur that lived in Spain during the early Cretaceous. The name Magnamanus means ‘large hand’, a reference to the enlarged well developed hands that this dinosaur genus adapted, notably more so than other known iguanodonts. The first individual of Magnamanus was at the time of its naming … Read more
In Depth Mexichelys was originally described as a species of Euclastes, but was re-described to its own genus in 2010. Like relative genera, Mexichelys is thought to have been a durophagous carnivore of shelled organisms such as molluscs and crustaceans. Further Reading - Euclastes coahuilaensis sp. nov., a basal cheloniid turtle from the late Campanian … Read more
In Depth Before the description of Teinolophos in 1999, Steropodon was considered to be the earliest ancestor of the platypus. Comparison to mammals like the platypus has yielded body estimates of around forty to fifty centimetres long, something that would make Steropodon one of the larger known mammals of the early Cretaceous period. If Steropodon … Read more