In Depth Nasutoceratops was the second genus of centrosaurine ceratopsian dinosaur to be discovered in the south west of the USA, the first genus being Diabloceratops that was named three years earlier. Back in the Cretaceous the South-west of what is now the USA was the southern portion of Laramidia, an island landmass extending from … Read more
In Depth Named using the Zuni for ‘grinding mouth’ Jeyawati’s classification is a little uncertain. Usually Jeyawati is classed as a hadrosaurid, but body features have led some researchers to place Jeyawati within the much broader ornithopod classification. Further and more complete skeletal material may yet shed more light upon the body of Jeyawati resulting … Read more
In Depth As stegosaurs go Chungkingosaurus was towards the smaller end of the scale at four meters long. The hips and humerus (upper arm bone) of Chungkingosaurus seem to be quite primitive when compared to other stegosaurs. The skull is also deep which might be a relict primitive trait, or an adaptation for supporting stronger … Read more
In Depth Endothiodon is certainly one of the more interesting genera of dicynodont. First named in 1876 from fossils discovered in South Africa, Endothiodon is not only known from other African countries such as Tanzania, Zambia and Mozambique, but the genus is also known from India in Asia, and now also Brazil in South America. … Read more
In Depth Exaeretodon seems to have been more herbivorous given that the teeth and jaw structure of Exaeretodon seem to be more suited to grinding. One interesting point of note however is that very young juveniles had no teeth. This suggests that young Exaeretodon had to stay with the mother for an extended period of … Read more
In Depth Though only based upon the description of a single skull, Waipatia has still been one of the more significant discoveries regarding our understanding of the early evolution of dolphins. This is because the skull of Waipatia represents one of the first good examples of actual bones and not just teeth. This has also … Read more
In Depth Penelopognathus is a genus of hadrosauroid dinosaur that lived in Mongolia during the early Cretaceous. Unfortunately, because only a partial jaw of this dinosaur has been recovered, not much is known about Penelopognathus. Further Reading - A new primitive hadrosauroid dinosaur from the Early Cretaceous of Inner Mongolia (P. R. China). - Comptes … Read more
In Depth The first Brachylophosaurus remains were discovered in Alberta in 1936, but were not named until 1953 when Charles Sternberg made the description. A second species of Brachylophosaurus was named as B. goodwini by Jack Horner in 1988; however the wider consensus today is that these individuals are actually further individuals of the genus … Read more
In Depth Remarkably when Troodon was first ‘discovered’ it was only known from a tooth, and it was the description of this tooth that gave rise to the genus. Although naming a creature after only discovering its teeth is hard to imagine today, it was a common place practice in the nineteenth century, and … Read more
In Depth Although known only from a partial jaw, Chthonophis may represent one of the earliest appearances of an Amphisbaenia lizard. Also known as worm lizards, amphisbaenians are lizards that have lost limbs giving them a superficial resemblance to snakes, although even a basic study of them will reveal several clear differences. Further Reading - … Read more