In Depth Teyumbaita is a genus of rhynchosaur that lived in South America during the late Triassic. Further Reading - Cranial anatomy of a new genus of hyperodapedontine rhynchosaur (Diapsida, Archosauromorpha) from the Upper Triassic of southern Brazil. - Earth and Environmental Science Transactions of the Royal Society of Edinburgh 101:27-52. - F. C. Montefeltro, … Read more
In Depth Plesiopleurodon is a genus of polycotylid plesiosaur that is known to have lived in the Western Interior seaway of North America during the early part of the Late Cretaceous. As with others of its kind, Plesiopleurodon would have had a proportionately shorter neck and longer jaws than other plesiosaurs. Further Reading - A … Read more
In Depth Draconyx is a genus of ornithischian dinosaur that lived in Portugal during the late Jurassic. Although the currently available fossils don’t reveal the whole skeleton, Draconyx still seems to have been similar to Camptosaurus, albeit a little smaller. Further Reading - Draconyx loureiroi, a new camptosauridae (Dinosauria, Ornithopoda) from the Late Jurassic of … Read more
In Depth Isaberrysaura is a genus of dinosaur that lived in South America during the middle Jurassic. Initially described as a neoornithischian, later analysis has suggested that Isaberrysaura is actually a very primitive stegosaur. Although much detail about Isaberrysaura is still unknown, it is possible that Isaberrysaura may have still been bipedal despite being a … Read more
In Depth Qianichthyosaurus is an example of a transitional ichthyosaur similar to Mixosaurus that shows a link between the more primitive ichthyosaurs and the more fish-like advanced forms. One clue to this are the limbs (flippers) which have four digits instead of the more common five which are seen in more primitive ichthyosaur forms. However … Read more
In Depth Although it seems to have lived towards the end of the Jurassic, Suuwassea appears to have been a basal diplodocid sauropod dinosaur that was more primitive in form than other better known sauropods such as Diplodocus and Apatosaurus. This would make Suuwassea a late surviving form. At an estimated length approaching fifteen meters, … Read more
In Depth Euclastes is a genus of marine cryptodiran turtle that lived from the late cretaceous to the early Paleocene. Euclastes is noted for having a partial secondary palate, and a mouth suited for crushing the shells of armoured animals such as crustaceans and shelled molluscs. A former species, E. hutchisoni, has now been reassigned … Read more
In Depth Though commonly stated to be mammal, the evolutionary placement of Yanoconodon amongst mammals is uncertain due to the fact that Yanoconodon shows a development of an inner ear. This is an advanced feature upon what otherwise might be interpreted as a more primitive mammaliaform body. Further Reading - A new eutriconodont mammal and … Read more
In Depth Because the skull of Westphaliasaurus is so far unknown it is impossible to say for certain what the diet of Westphaliasaurus was. However most of the early Jurassic plesiosaurs were dedicated hunters of fish and possibly also squid, prey animals that would become a staple part of the diets of plesiosaurs throughout the … Read more
In Depth Palaeoherpeton was originally named as Palaeogyrinus in 1926, but was renamed as Palaeoherpeton in 1970. Palaeoherpeton was a medium sized predator that would have hunted in the Carboniferous coal swamps of Scotland. Further Reading - Croonian lecture.—The evolution and origin of the Amphibia. - Proceedings of the Royal Society of London, Series B … Read more