In Depth Brachauchenius was once regarded as one of the largest pliosaurs, and this was down to the addition of a skull measuring 170 centimetres in length to the genus. However, in 2013 this skull was used to establish a new genus called Megacephalosaurus. This in turn has led to a size revision for Brachauchenius, … Read more
In Depth Pilmatueia is a genus of dicraeosaurid sauropod dinosaur that lived in South America during the Early Cretaceous. Analysis of known vertebrae of Pilmatueia show enlarged neural spines which have led to the idea that Pilmatueia would have been similar to the much better known Amargasaurus. Further Reading - A new dicraeosaurid sauropod from … Read more
In Depth To put it bluntly, the remains of Hudiesaurus are very partial, but they do seem to belong to a mamenchisaurid sauropod, or in simpler terms, one like Mamenchisaurus. The remains which are known are without doubt huge, and comparison to other similar sauropod genera has resulted in an estimated length of around thirty … Read more
In Depth Plesiotylosaurus acquired its name for its similarity to another genus of mosasaur called Tylosaurus, one of the largest mosasaurs known. The jaws of Plesiotylosaurus are quite long and attached to a solid robust skull, something that suggests a prey preference for tougher animals. Possible candidates could include marine turtles which are known from … Read more
In Depth Mesosaurus is one of the first reptiles to return to an aquatic lifestyle. The nostrils are on top of the skull and the legs are suited more for aquatic movement than that on land. The tail may have sported a fin similar to the earlier tetrapod amphibians, and the feet were webbed. As … Read more
In Depth Bradysaurus is a primitive genus of pareiasaur that gives an indication to how the pareiasaurs developed. The teeth of Bradysaurus have little in the way of cusps, and are also fairly high crowned. The scutes (osteoderms) in the skin are also not as well developed as those of later forms, which indicates that … Read more
In Depth Shishugounykus is a genus of small alvareszaurid dinosaur that lived in Asia during the Jurassic. Further Reading - A new alvarezsaurian theropod from the Upper Jurassic Shishugou Formation of western China. - Scientific Reports, 9: 11727. - Z. Qin, J. Clark, J. Choiniere & X. Xu - 2019.
In Depth Howesia is a genus of rhynchosaur that lived in South Africa during the mid Triassic. Further Reading - Preliminary notice of some new fossil Reptiles collected by Mr. Alfred Brown at Aliwal North, S. Africa - Records of the Albany Museum 1 (4): 269–275. - Robert broom - 1905. - The rhynchosaur Howesia … Read more
In Depth Bharitalasuchus is a genus of erythrosuchid reptile that lived in South Asia during the middle Triassic. Erythrosuchids are noted for proportionately large heads and were among the key predators of the early and mid-Triassic. Further reading A new erythrosuchid archosauriform from the middle Triassic Yerrapalli Formation of south-central India. - Ameghiniana. 58 (2). … Read more
In Depth Megalolamna is a genus of shark that lived during the Miocene period. So far only teeth of this shark have been found, but these are known from as far apart as Japan to Peru and even the states of California and North Carolina in the USA. These locations tell us that Megalolamna was … Read more