In Depth Kapi is a genus of gibbon that lived in India during the Miocene. Further reading New Middle Miocene Ape (Primates: Hylobatidae) from Ramnagar, India fills major gaps in the hominoid fossil record. - Proceedings of the Royal Society B. 287 (1934). - Christopher C. Gilbert, Alejandra Ortiz, Kelsey D. Pugh, Christopher J. Campisano, … Read more
In Depth Pholidophorus is often considered a herring-like fish in both appearance and ecological niche. The symmetrical tail would have allowed for fairly high cruising speeds, though Pholidophorus were probably not pursuit predators. Instead they likely inhabited surface waters where they either focused their attentions upon either small fish of other marine organisms. Pholidophorus are … Read more
In Depth Kabirmys is a genus of rodent that lived in Egypt during the Eocene. Further Reading - A large-bodied anomaluroid rodent from the earliest late Eocene of Egypt: phylogenetic and biogeographic implications. - Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology 30(5):1579-1593. - H. M. Sallam, E. R. Seiffert, E. L. Simons & C. Brindley - 2010.
In Depth Nshimbodon is a genus of cynodont therapsid that lived in Africa during the late Permian. Further Reading - A basal nonmammaliaform cynodont from the Permian of Zambia and the origins of mammalian endocranial and postcranial anatomy. - Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology: e1827413. - Adam K. Huttenlocker & Christian A. Sidor - 2020.
In Depth Scutellosaurus was a relatively small ornithischian dinosaur that may have been primarily bipedal, though still having fore limbs developed enough for providing quadrupedal support for activities such as feeding. Scutellosaurus also had a covering of armoured scutes along its back that provided flexible yet tough armour to give some defence against the teeth … Read more
In Depth Reiszorhinus is a species of captorhinid reptile that lived in what is now Texas during the Permian. Further Reading - Reiszorhinus olsoni, a New Single-Tooth-Rowed Captorhinid Reptile from the Lower Permian of Texas. - Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology 30(3):704-714. - S. S. Sumida, J. Dodick, A. Metcalf & G. Albright - 2010.
In Depth Ictidosuchus is a little known genus of therapsid. Further Reading – On a new theriodont reptile (Ictidosuchus primaevus) from the Karroo Beds, South Africa. – Annals of the Magazine of Natural History 6:314-316. – Robert Broom – 1900.
In Depth Proterochersis was an early terrestrial turtle that live in Europe during the late Triassic, as one well as one of the earliest appearances of a pleurodiran (side-necked) turtle. Further Reading – Proterochersis, eine pleurodire Schildkr�te aus dem Keuper. – Jahreshefte des Vereins f�r vaterl�ndische Naturkunde in W�rttemberg 80:13-30. – E. Fraas – 1913. … Read more
In Depth A relative to other gomphothere elephants like Gomphotherium and Ambelodon, Platybelodon also had a pair of forward facing tusks in the lower jaw that were shaped into a form of shovel-like structure. Like with its relatives, it is believed that Platybelodon used these tusks as feeding aids for uprooting plants and stripping bark. … Read more
In Depth Although only described from a partial maxilla, Geminiraptor has still been a significant discovery since it was the first troodont dinosaur known to have lived in early Cretaceous North America. The name Geminiraptor was established to honour Celina and Marina Suarez, twin sisters and the geologists who discovered the Geminiraptor holotype specimen. Further … Read more