In Depth Enantiophoenix is genus of enantiornithine bird that lived in what is now Lebanon during the early part of the Late Cretaceous. Further Reading - Enantiophoenix electrophyla gen. et sp. nov. (Aves, Enantiornithes) from the Upper Cretaceous (Cenomanian) of Lebanon and its phylogenetic relationships. - Atti della Societa Italiana di Scienze Naturali e del … Read more
In Depth Fossil remains of Stenorhynchosaurus were first discovered in 2000, and later excavation of the fossil site between 2004 and 2005 revealed an almost complete skeleton. Also in 2005, paleontologist Oliver Hempe came to the theory that this pliosaur possibly represented a species of the genus Brachauchenius. Later more detailed study however identified this … Read more
In Depth Whereas Cistecephalus was the ‘Permian mole’, Dicynodon appears to have been the ‘Permian Rabbit’, a title that Dicynodon earned by the large abundance of fossils. This abundance has led to a great many species being named for the genus but as often happens, particularly with extinct animals from the early days of palaeontology, … Read more
In Depth Eoscansor is a genus of varanopid amniote that lived in North America during the Carboniferous period. Further reading - A Scansorial Varanopid Eupelycosaur from the Pennsylvanian of New Mexico. - Annals of Carnegie Museum. 87 (3): 167–205. - Spencer G. Lucas, Larry F. Rinehart, Matthew D. Celeskey, Davis S. Berman & Amy C. … Read more
In Depth Discovered back in the early days of scientific palaeontology, Eudes-Deslongchamp named the species Poekilopleuron bucklandii in honour of William Buckland, the man who named the first ever known dinosaur Megalosaurus. Additionally Eudes-Deslongchamp thought that Poekilopleuron may actually be the same species of dinosaur as Megalosaurus, an idea shared by the palaeontologists Fredriech von … Read more
In Depth Gladiobranchus is a genus of Acanthodiian fish that lived in the waters of what is now Canada during the Devonian period. Further Reading - New acanthodians from the Delorme Formation (Lower Devonian) of N.W.T. - Canada. Palaeontographica, abteilung A, 159: 1-25. - G. M. Bernacsek & D. L. Dineley - 1977. - Redescription … Read more
In Depth Fushanosaurus is a genus of titanosaurian dinosaur that lived in Asia during the late Jurassic. Further reading - A new titanosauriform dinosaur (Dinosauria: Sauropoda) from Late Jurassic of Junggar Basin, Xinjiang. - Global Geology (in Chinese). 38 (3): 581–588. X.-R. Wang, W.-H. Wu, T. Li, Q. Ji, Y.-X. Li & J.-F. Guo - … Read more
In Depth Genyodectes was first named in 1901 by A. S. Woodward who described it upon the basis of partial premaxilla and maxilla bones as well as a dentary. Because of the lack of other fossils the genus languished in relative obscurity for over a hundred years, with occasional references citing Genyodectes as a nomen … Read more
In Depth Like many other prehistoric whales of its type Brygmophyseter had teeth in both the upper and lower jaws. As a mid-sized whale, Brygmophyseter would have probably been a generalist hunter tackling a variety of different prey types including fish, squid, and probably other whales. Not much is known about the hunting behaviour, but … Read more
In Depth The most striking feature of Thalassodromeus is the highly ornate head crest, one of the largest known among pterosaurs. From the side this crest resembles the pharaoh crown that is often depicted in artwork of ancient Egyptian gods. It is for this reason that the type species is named T. sethi, after the … Read more