In Depth Despite the fact that Mythunga is only known from a partial skull it is still one of the best preserved Australian pterosaur fossils which are in themselves rare from Australia. This is not to say that Australia didn’t have its fair share of pterosaurs, just that they did not preserve very well in … Read more
In Depth As a cynodont Thrinaxodon was the result of the on-going evolution of mammal like reptiles that had can be traced all the way back to the early synapsids. Thrinaxodon however displays numerous features that place it much closer to mammals than its reptile origin would imply. The first and most evolutionary significant feature … Read more
In Depth Eocetus was first named by Eberhard Fraas in 1904, but at first as Mesocetus schweinfurthi. It soon came to the attention of Fraas however that the name Mesocetus was already in use, so he instead created the genus name Eocetus for his specimen. Known as a protocetid whale, and hence relative to genera … Read more
In Depth Prosictodon is a genus of dicynodont that lived in South Africa during the Middle Permian. Further Reading - A new pylaecephalid dicynodont (Therapsida, Anomodontia) from the Tapinocephalus Assemblage Zone, Karoo Basin, Middle Permian of South Africa. - Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology 30 (5): 1396–1409. - Kenneth D. Angielczyk & Bruce S. Rubidge - … Read more
In Depth So far Pinacosaurus appears to have been one of the most numerous of the Asian ankylosaurs given the large numbers of fossil remains that have been found for this genus. This large number combined with the high level of preservation in many of the specimens mean that the validity of the genus is … Read more
In Depth Possibly the main feature of interest to researchers of Germanodactylus is the head crest. Although quite unremarkable compared to some other pterosaurs like Nyctosaurus or Tupandactylus, it is a good example of the early forms that seem to be more common to the more advanced pterodactyloid pterosaurs. The crest itself is best known … Read more
In Depth Platalearostrum is an extinct genus of dolphin that lived in the waters of what is now the North Sea. The first fossils of Platalearostrum were dredged up by a fishing trawler, and they show us that Platalearostrum probably had a balloon shaped head. Further Reading - A new dolphin (Cetacea, Delphinidae) from the … Read more
In Depth A genus of reptilomorph, Gephyrostegus is on the evolutionary line to amniotes, yet at the same time remains a very distant relation to actual amniotes. As far as reptilomorphs go Gephyrostegus is also very small, and the presence of numerous small sharp teeth, and large eyes has been interpreted by most as being … Read more
In Depth If Trucidocynodon could be notable for just one thing it would be size. At over a meter in length Trucidocynodon was positively huge for a cynodont as most of its relatives were rarely more than about half a meter. The large size growth of Trucidocynodon may have been a result of continuing divergence … Read more
In Depth Nidimys is a genus of multituberculatan mammal that lived in North America during the late Cretaceous. Further Reading - Mammals from the St. Mary River Formation (Upper Cretaceous), Montana. - Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology 30(3):885-898. - J. P. Hunter, R. E. Heinrich & D. B. Weishampel - 2010.