In Depth        What would otherwise be an unassuming little fossil dinosaur,†‬it is near impossible to talk about Sciurumimus without bringing up the subject of feathered dinosaurs.†‬Exquisitely well preserved upon a slab,†‬examination of the holotype specimen of a juvenile Sciurumimus under ultraviolet light revealed the presence of primitive protofeathers that would have covered … Read more
In Depth        Barracudasauroides was named from fossils that were originally attributed to Mixosaurus as M.†‬panxianensis.†‬Barracudasauroides itself represents a transitional ichthyosaur similar to Mixosaurus which is seen as a link between primitive and advanced ichthyosaurs.†‬Since its naming Barracudasauroides is sometimes confused with another ichthyosaur that is named Barracudasaurus†‬that is also from the … Read more
In Depth        Myosauroides is a genus of dicynodont therapsid that lived in South Africa during the Permian. Further Reading -†‬Some new Karoo reptiles,†‬with notes on a few others:†‬-†‬Annals of the Transvaal Museum,†‬v.†‬20,†‬part†‬3,†‬p.†‬193-213.†‬-†‬Robert Broom†‬-†‬1949.
In Depth        A large relative of the more famous Hyaenodon,†‬Megistotherium was clearly one of the main predators of its day.†‬The skull of Megistotherium alone measured up to†‬sixty-six centimetres long,†‬almost as long as the average person’s arm and hand.†‬It is likely that Megistotherium also scavenged carcasses,†‬though in what ratio Megistotherium … Read more
In Depth        Hypselohaptodus is a genus of pelyocsaur that lived in Europe around the early Permian. Further Reading Re-evaluation of an early sphenacodontian synapsid from the Lower Permian of England.†‬-†‬Earth and Environmental Science Transactions of the Royal†‬-†‬Frederik Spindler†‬-†‬2019.
In Depth        Reconstructions of Lanzhousaurus are sketchy at best,†‬but with a jaw length of one meter,†‬it is near certain that in life Lanzhousaurus would have been a very large ornithopod dinosaur.†‬Following this trend,†‬the teeth that have been preserved in the lower jaw are also unusually large,†‬and at fourteen centimetres in … Read more
In Depth        Like so many other Australian dinosaurs Qantassaurus is known only from frustratingly incomplete remains.†‬At the time of writing the only parts of this dinosaur that are known are partial jaws,†‬but they are still distinct enough to recognise as a new type of dinosaur.†‬Qantassaurus has been classified as a hypsilophodontid dinosaur,†… Read more
In Depth        When Shanag was first described the genus was described as a member of the Dromaeosauridae,†‬but later studies have refined this further to suggest that Shanag was closer to dromaeosaurid genera such as Microraptor.†‬So far Shanag is only known from partial jaw†‬material,†‬but analysis and comparisons to other related genera suggests … Read more
In Depth        Homodontosaurus was first described from a partial skull which Robert Broom thought might have come from a pelycosaur†‬and perhaps one similar to Elliotsmithia.†‬Then in†‬1950†‬a second specimen of Homodontosaurus was described by Brink,†‬and this one included parts of the post cranial skeleton.†‬This revealed that Homodontosaurus was not a … Read more
In Depth        ‬Metriorhynchus is one of the better known marine crocodiles with features that show it was more at home in the water than on the land.†‬The legs have evolved to become more like flippers,†‬and the tail sports evidence of a tail fluke.†‬It is likely that the tail provided primary locomotion in … Read more