In Depth The holotype remains of Volkheimeria were found in close proximity to the remains of five individuals of the sauropod Patagosaurus as well as two individuals of the theropod Piatnitzkysaurus. Volkheimeria has a substantially shorter ilium than Patagosaurus, so even though the remains of Volkheimeria are vastly incomplete, it seems to have been a … Read more
In Depth A tooth taxon, Dobunnodon was originally named as a species of Borealestes. Dobunnodon was a docodont cynodontid therapsid that lived in England during the Jurassic. Further reading - New species of mammaliaform and the cranium of Borealestes (Mammaliformes: Docodonta) from the Middle Jurassic of the British Isles. - Zoological Journal of the Linnean … Read more
In Depth Neohelos is a genus of diprotodont marsupial similar to other genera such as Diprotodon and Zygomaturus. However, Neohelos is not currently known from such good fossil remains as other genera, hence why it is not as commonly known as them. Further Reading - Revision in the diprotodontid marsupial genus Neohelos: Systematics and biostratigraphy. … Read more
In Depth Imperobator is a genus of possible dromaeosaurid dinosaur that lived in Antarctica during the late Cretaceous. Further reading - Phylogeny of a new gigantic paravian (Theropoda; Coelurosauria; Maniraptora) from the Upper Cretaceous of James Ross Island, Antarctica. - Cretaceous Research 101:1-16. - R. C. Ely & J. A. Case - 2019.
In Depth Maraapunisaurus was originally described as a species of the sauropod dinosaur Amphicoelias, and based upon the discovery of a partial vertebra reported to be of massive proportions, as well as a distal end of a femur that was also of equally massive proportions. These bones are among the largest dinosaur fossils ever reported, … Read more
In Depth The metriorhynchids are the best known of the thalattosuchians, a group of crocodiles that had adapted themselves to life at sea. Out of these, Tyrannoneustes is considered to be a geosaurine metriorhynchid, (more closely related to genera like Geosaurus). It took quite some time for Tyrannoneustes to be named though, as the fossils … Read more
In Depth Microraptor was first presented to the world as part of the composite fossil called Archaeoraptor, where the tail of a Microraptor was added to the upper body of a Yanornis. Archaeoraptor was a scandalous fake that made headlines around the world, but in the aftermath of this, Microraptor would become known to science. … Read more
In Depth With a holotype specimen only twenty centimetres long Pappochelys seems an unassuming little creature at first glance, however this genus may just revolutionise our construction of the turtle evolutionary family tree. Ever since evolution went from being theory to accepted and proven fact, naturalists have being trying to find the exact place for … Read more
In Depth Originally thought to represent an extinct species of Cerdocyon (crab eating fox), C. avius was moved to its own genus and named Ferrucyon in 2020. Ferrucyon is also thought to be more of a vulpine type of fox. Further reading - The Pliocene canid Cerdocyon avius was not the type of fox that … Read more
In Depth Originally described as a species of Plesiosaurus, this was the first pliosaur ever named which is why Pliosaurus is used as the type genus of the Pliosauridae. Related to the long necked plesiosaurs the pliosaurs adapted to fill a range of different predatory niches with some like Pliosaurus itself being hunters of other … Read more