In Depth Laganosuchus acquired its name from its flat ‘pancake like’ jaws. These had small but numerous teeth running across the edges. Laganosuchus is thought to have used these specialised jaws as a fish trap, laying in the water with its jaws open for extended periods until a fish swam in. Once this happened, the … Read more
In Depth Convolosaurus is a genus of ornithopod dinosaur that lived in North America during the early Cretaceous. At the time of writing Convolosaurus is known mostly from subadult and juvenile individuals. Further Reading - A new basal ornithopod (Dinosauria: Ornithischia) from the Early Cretaceous of Texas. - PLoS One 14(3):e0207935:1-44. - K. A. Andrzejewski, … Read more
In Depth Chunerpeton was a key discovery as it represents the first appearance of a crown salamander in the fossil record. Unfortunately there has been a lot of debate and uncertainty about the true age of the fossil deposits that Chunerpeton comes from. Soft tissue impressions reveal that even in adult life Chunerpeton retained external … Read more
In Depth Pentasaurus is a genus of dicynodont that lived in South Africa during the Triassic. Pentasaurus should not be confused with the dinosaur Pentaceratops. Further Reading - The first skeletal evidence of a dicynodont from the lower Elliot Formation of South Africa. - Palaeontologia africana 52:102-128. - C. F. Kammerer - 2018.
In Depth The name Orkoraptor is derived from ‘Orr-Korr’ the Aoniken name for the La Leona River of Argentina.When first described, Orkoraptor was thought to be a coelurosaur thus a possible tyrannosauroid. However later studies have since caused this notion to be dismissed as Orkoraptor seems to actually be a form of late surviving allosaurid, … Read more
In Depth Remains of Ornithocheirus indicate that it was a medium sized pterosaur however Ornithocheirus has still had its total size grossly overestimated in the popular media, with the most outlandish suggesting that it had a wingspan of twelve metres. The crests of Ornithocheirus were quite different from the majority of other pterosaurs in that … Read more
In Depth Limnoscelis is a genus of diadectomorph that lived in North America during the early Permian period. Diadectomorphs (there name taken from the genus Diadectes) are often identified as being herbivorous, though Limnoscelis seems to be an exception to this with the dentition and body form of a primitive predator. Limnoscelis however was not … Read more
In Depth Further Reading – Eremotherium laurillardi: the Panamerican late Pleistocene megatheriid sloth. Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology. – C. Cartelle & G. De Iuliis – 1995. – Eremotherium sefvei nov. sp. (Mammalia, Xenarthra, Megatheriidae) from the Pleistocene of Ulloma, Bolivia. – Geobios 30(3):453-461. – G. De Iuliis and P. A. Saint-Andre – 1997. – A … Read more
In Depth When first discovered, Protoceratops was heralded as the ancestor to the massive North American ceratopsian dinosaurs such as Triceratops. However with the advent of new and continuing studies of the group, Protoceratops is now considered to be more representative of the type of dinosaur that led to the larger North American species as … Read more
In Depth Similar to the genera Lagerpeton and Dromomeron, Ixalerpeton is a genus of dinosauromorph that is noted for having rear limbs that are proportionately long to the body. Ixalerpeton would have been a small and agile dinosauromorph, possibly hunting for insects. Ixalerpeton was named alongside the dinosaur Buriolestes. Further Reading - A Unique Late … Read more