In Depth Along with Yinlong, Stenopelix appears to have been one of the earliest members of the ceratopsian group of dinosaur. Unfortunately because the skull was not preserved no one knows exactly how far along the beak and neck frill had developed, in fact the identification of Stenopelix as a ceratopsian dinosaur was based upon … Read more
In Depth Leyesaurus is a genus of small sauropodomorph dinosaur that lived in South America around the early Jurassic. Predatory threats to Leyesaurus would have mostly come from theropod dinosaurs. Further Reading - A new basal sauropodomorph (Dinosauria: Saurischia) from Quebrada del Barro Formation (Marayes-El Carrizal Basin), Northwestern Argentina. - PLoS ONE 6(11):e26964:1-19. - C. … Read more
In Depth Lestobradys is a genus of ground sloth that lived in South America during the Miocene. Further Reading - A new genus and species of Mylodontidae (Mammalia: Xenarthra) from the late Miocene of Southern Uruguay, with comments on the systematics of Mylodontinae. - Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology 30(3):899-910. - A. Rinderknecht, E. Bostelmann, D. … Read more
In Depth Etjoia is a genus of traversodontid cynodont that lived in Africa during the Triassic. Like other traversodontids, Etjoia is expected to have been herbivorous. Further Reading - A new traversodontid cynodont with a peculiar postcanine dentition from the Middle/Late Triassic of Namibia and dental evolution in basal gomphodonts. - Journal of Systematic Palaeontology. … Read more
In Depth Hypsognathus is regarded as one of the last of the procolophonids, a group of parareptiles that became common during the Permian and Triassic periods. The earliest members of this group are believed to have been insectivores due to the form of their teeth. The teeth of Hypsognathus however were quite different to those … Read more
In Depth Eoazara is a genus of elasmotherine rhino that lived in North Africa during the Miocene. Further reading - A new late Miocene elasmotheriine rhinoceros from Morocco. - Acta Palaeontologica Polonica. 66. - D. Geraads & S. Zouhri -2021.
In Depth The discovery of three Oryctodromeus individuals at the bottom of a two meter long burrow that was filled with sediment was proof that some dinosaurs had adapted to burrowing. There are several advantages to burrowing, including safer rearing of young, having a retreat to escape to from predators, to being more able to … Read more
In Depth The largest species of Captorhinus approaching eighty centimetres long is C. magnus, with other species around forty centimetres long. The other difference between the species is C. aguti which has more than one row of teeth. The arrangement of the teeth at the back of the mouth suggest that Captorhinus mashed plant leaves … Read more
In Depth When first described from fossil skulls, Meiolania was first thought to have been a lizard, hence the name which means ‘small roamer’. This is a reflection to the earlier description of Megalania (today known as Varanus priscus) which means great roamer and was also named by Owen in 1859. In time however it … Read more
In Depth Jamoytius was a jawless fish of the Silurian, though its credibility has in the past been cast in doubt. Several researchers examined the original fossils and rather than interpreting them as the carbonised remains of muscles, they interpreted them as the scales of an anapsid reptile. Later fossil discoveries however, including specimens with … Read more