In Depth Eoconfuciusornis named for its earlier appearance to the related Confuciusornis, the most notable difference about Eoconfuciusornis at the time of writing are that the genus has longer legs than Eoconfuciusornis. Further Reading - A primitive confuciusornithid bird from China and its implications for early avian flight. - Science in China Series D: Earth … Read more
In Depth Phonodus has been described as a genus of procolophonid that lived in South Africa during the earliest part of the Permian. With Phonodus being the fifth such genus from this time and location, this suggests that the procolophonids survived fairly well during the extinction that signalled the end of the Permian. Phonodus is … Read more
In Depth Brodavis was a genus of hesperornithiform that lived in both Asia and North America towards the end of the Cretaceous. Like relative genera, Brodavis would have dived below the water and used well developed feet to swim through the water after fish. What is perhaps most interesting though is that Brodavis was the … Read more
In Depth Although Ophiacodon lacked a sail like that on the more famous Dimetrodon, Ophiacodon was more of the standard morphology for the pelycosaurs. How Ophiacodon lived and hunted is still a matter of debate today with some claiming that it was a semi aquatic carnivore that fed on fish and amphibians. Support for this … Read more
In Depth Idelesaurus is a genus of dicynodont that lived in Tatarstan during the Permian. Further Reading - A New Dicynodont (Anomodontia, Eotherapsida) from the Upper Permian of Tatarstan. - Paleontological Journal 40(4):434-437. - A. A. Kurkin - 2006.
In Depth There is a lot of mystery surrounding Iliosuchus as the genus is only based upon the description of three ilia. These parts are not diagnostic enough to clearly identify what kind of theropod dinosaur Iliosuchus was, though in England during the Mid Jurassic the dominant theropod dinosaurs were the megalosaurs. A similarity to … Read more
In Depth Macropoma is a specific genus of coelacanth. For clarification, a coelacanth is a word used to describe any fish that could be described as one of the Coelacanthiformes, but does not denote a specific species or genus. Macropoma is known to have lived during the late Cretaceous period, specifically around the Cenomanian and … Read more
In Depth At the time of its description in 2015, Eophis was known as one of the oldest snakes to appear. So early and primitive is Eophis, that this snake still had four legs, all very small and underdeveloped, but visibly present none the less. Despite these primitive features, Eophis already has a snake like … Read more
In Depth Prosalirus is one of the earliest frogs that has been confirmed as being able to jump, a revelation brought about from analysis of the skeleton which shows that it was capable of absorbing forces associated with landing. Further Reading - An Early Jurassic jumping frog. - Nature 377:49-52. - Neil H. Shubin & … Read more
In Depth Epidexipteryx was a very special find as not only is it one of the earliest ‘dino-birds’ it also had highly ornate tail feathers. These feathers are thought to have been similar to those of a peacock, and as display feathers, possibly only present in the males for the purpose of attracting females. This … Read more