Chordata - Prehistoric-Wildlife

Pachyornis Including P.‭ ‬elephantopus‭ (‬Heavy-footed Moa‭)‬,‭ ‬P.‭ ‬geranoides‭ (‬Mantell’s Moa‭)‬,‭ ‬and P.‭ ‬australis‭ (‬Crested Moa‭)‬.

In Depth The Pachyornis genus of moa has a taxonomic history going all the way back to the early days of moa study,‭ ‬though like with many other moa genera,‭ ‬the first remains of Pachyornis were attributed to the Dinornis genus.‭ ‬The Pachyornis genus was spread across virtually all of New Zealand,‭ ‬with P.‭ ‬australis being most common in the northern and southern regions of South Island,‭ ‬P.‭ … Read more

Guidraco

In Depth The describers of Guidraco classed‭ ‬it‭ ‬within the Pteranodontoidea‭ (‬the group defined by the type genus Pteranodon‭)‬,‭ ‬however they also found that its closest known relative was Ludodactylus which is actually a member of the Ornithocheiridae‭ (‬another group defined by the type genus Ornithocheirus‭)‬.‭ ‬These two groups of pterosaurs are closely related to … Read more

Dystrophaeus

In Depth One of many diplodocid sauropods of the Morrison Formation‭ (‬with other genera including Diplodocus,‭ ‬Apatosaurus and Suuwassea amongst others‭)‬,‭ ‬Dystrophaeus has been the source of a lot of confusion.‭ ‬Edward Drinker Cope,‭ ‬the person who first named Dystrophaeus,‭ ‬thought that the animal belong in the much earlier Triassic period,‭ ‬while Othniel Charles Marsh … Read more

Hypsilophodon

In Depth Hypsilophodon is one of the more famous dinosaurs that have been discovered in the Isle of Wight,‭ ‬however its discovery was delayed by the fact that for the first twenty years of the first fossils discovery,‭ ‬Hypsilophodon was actually believed to be a juvenile Iguanodon.‭ ‬ This is of course in reference to … Read more

Megalapteryx (‬.a.k.a.‭ ‬Upland Moa‭)

In Depth Though not as famous as Dinornis,‭ ‬the Megalapteryx genus is just as if not even more important to our understanding of moa birds.‭ ‬ Megalapteryx is one of the few moa,‭ ‬in‭ ‬fact one of the few prehistoric animals,‭ ‬to be known by mummified remains of soft tissue.‭ ‬ Mummification is essentially where all moisture is drawn out of … Read more

Ondogurvel

In Depth Ondogurvel is a genus of alvarezsaurid dinosaur that lived in Asia during the late Cretaceous. Further reading -‭ ‬A new alvarezsaurid theropod dinosaur from the Upper Cretaceous of Gobi Desert,‭ ‬Mongolia.‭ ‬-‭ ‬Cretaceous Research.‭ ‬135‭ ‬-‭ ‬Alexander O. Averianov‭ & ‬Alexey V. Lopatin‭ ‬-‭ ‬2022.

Delectosaurus

In Depth Delectosaurus is a species of dicynodont that lived in Russia during the Permian. Further Reading -‭ ‬New Late Permian dicynodonts from the Vyazniki Assemblage of terrestrial tetrapods of Eastern Europe.‭ ‬-‭ ‬Paleontological Journal‭ ‬35‭(‬1‭)‬:53-59.‭ ‬-‭ ‬A.‭ ‬A.‭ ‬Kurkin‭ ‬-‭ ‬2001.

Besanosaurus

In Depth Besanosaurus was‭ ‬a‭ ‬primitive icthyosaur that lacked a dorsal fin and had a more eel-like tail rather than the fish-like tail seen in later more advanced genera.‭ ‬The jaws were long and thin,‭ ‬filled with small conical teeth for trapping marine organisms.‭ ‬The eyes that were around twenty centimetres in diameter may have … Read more

Neotrirachodon

In Depth Neotrirachodon is listed as a‭ ‬genus of gomphodont,‭ ‬cynodont therapsid that lived in Russia during the Permian.‭ ‬If this analysis is correct then Neotrirachodon is the first gomphosont cynodont to be discovered in Russia.‭ ‬Neotrirachodon was originally described as a species of Antecosuchus,‭ ‬and at times the genus has been considered by some … Read more

Sphaerotholus

In Depth A genus of pachycephalosaurid dinosaur,‭ ‬Sphaerotholus has been raising a few questions as to its validity.‭ ‬The type species,‭ ‬S.‭ ‬goodwini is based upon only two very partial skull fossils.‭ ‬S.‭ ‬edmontonensis is based only upon three partial skull domes.‭ ‬This has led some to speculate that the genus is dubious and indifferent … Read more