In Depth Shenshou is a genus of possibly arboreal mammal that lived in China during the Jurassic. As a genus Shenshou shows a strong resemblance to modern squirrels, however it is thought that Shenshou is not a direct ancestor, but merely a case of looking similar through convergent evolution. Further Reading - Three new Jurassic … Read more
In Depth Spinolestes is a genus of small mammal that lived in Spain during the early Cretaceous, and one that has told us more about Mesozoic mammals that most other genera combined. This is all down to the truly exceptional level of preservation in the xenarthrosus type specimen that not only contains the skeleton, but … Read more
In Depth Serikornis is a genus of small anchiornithid dinosaur that lived in China during the late Jurassic. The holotype individual of Serikornis clearly shows the extent of feathers covering the body of this small dinosaur. What is surprising though is how much these feathers varied in relation to different parts of the body. A … Read more
In Depth Though the name means ‘Lewis’s crocodile’, Lewisuchus is actually a genus of silesaurid dinosauriforme. In simpler terms, Lewisuchus was closely related to the ancestors of the dinosaurs, though probably not an ancestor itself. Lewisuchus was a fairly small and lightly built predator that probably hunted for small animals such as lizards and primitive … Read more
In Depth Cookeroo is a genus of kangaroo that lived in Australia during the Miocene. Further Reading - Cookeroo, a new genus of fossil kangaroo (Marsupialia, Macropodidae) from the Oligo-Miocene of Riversleigh, Northwestern Queensland, Australia. - Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology 36(3):e1083029 - K. Butler, K. J. Travouillon, G. J. Price, M. Archer & S. J. … Read more
In Depth Tsoabichi is a genus of caiman crocodile that lived in North America during the early Eocene. At the time of its description, Tsoabichi is the only caiman crocodile known to have lived north of Mexico. Further Reading - A new alligatorid from the lower Eocene Green River Formation of Wyoming and the origin … Read more
In Depth Named after the title character in the 1942 film Bambi, Bambiraptor was a small dromaeosaurid dinosaur that has caused a lot of excitement in the science of palaeontology. Discovered by a fourteen year-old Wes Linster in 1993, the Bambiraptor holotype is of an exceptionally well preserved individual that is estimated to be around … Read more
In Depth Sahonachelys is a genus of side-necked turtle that lived in Madagascar during the late Cretaceous. The name Sahonachelys means ‘frog turtle’, a reference to the frog-like appearance of the face. Sahonachelys is thought to have been a specialised suction feeder. This is evidenced by upper and lower jaw surfaces that face each other, … Read more
In Depth A little known theropod from the mid Jurassic of China, Shidaisaurus was so far only been described from partial remains. However, the Shidaisaurus remains were discovered along with the remains of several other individual dinosaurs, and the partial remains of an unknown theropod skull found nearby with the skeletal remains of a sauropod … Read more
In Depth Thoracosaurus is a medium-large gharial-like crocodile that lived during the late Cretaceous through to the Paleocene. Fossils of Thoracosaurus are usually associated with North American and European fossil deposits, but remains from other places such as India have also been reported. The sheer number of Thoracosaurus fossils seems to indicate that the genus … Read more