In Depth Edmontosaurus is without a doubt one of if not the most intensively studied hadrosaurid dinosaur. Not only are there many Edmontosaurus specimens known, but those that have been recovered include some of the best preserved hadrosaurid material so far found.Classification history Edmontosaurus has one of the longest and most complicated taxonomic histories of … Read more
In Depth Edaphosaurus is easily one of the more recognisable pelycosaurs, even if the genus is often presented in the shadow cast by the much more famous Dimetrodon. These two genera of pelycosaur are at opposite ends of the ecosystem however, with Edaphosaurus being a plant eater specialising in low growing vegetation, and Dimetrodon being … Read more
In Depth One of the most striking characteristics of Leptictidium are the well-developed hind legs that are considered to have made this creature one of the rare few bipedal mammals (the others being humans and the macropods such as kangaroos and wallabies). The biggest problem with Leptictidium however is that we can’t be certain as … Read more
In Depth Yehuecauhceratops is a genus of ceratopsian dinosaur that lived in North America during the late Cretaceous. The holotype individual of Yehuecauhceratops was discovered in the Aguja Formation of Mexico, and in life is thought to have been similar to nasutoceratopsine ceratopsian dinosaur genera such as Nasutoceratops and Avaceratops. Unfortunately because of the lack … Read more
In Depth Fulgurotherium is a little known genus of Australian dinosaur that is also known from very little fossil material; at the time of writing, only a fragment of a femur. This femur seems to match up small ornithopod dinosaurs that range about one to one and a half meters long in size, but this … Read more
In Depth Tambachia is a genus of temnospondyl amphibian that live in what is now Germany during the Permian period. Specifically, Tambachia is a trematopod temnospondyl, and is also recorded as the first of its kind to be found outside of the USA. Further Reading - A New Trematopid Amphibian from the Lower Permian of … Read more
In Depth Docofossor is a genus of mammaliform that lived in China during the late Jurassic. Docofossor is noted as having similar features as modern day members of Chrysochloridae, better known as golden moles, leading researchers to suggest that Docofossor may have lived a similar life, using powerful fore arms to dig into the ground … Read more
In Depth An exciting find, the genus name of this whale is a reference to the golden colouration of the bones of the type specimen. It is important to note that should further fossilised bones of this genus be discovered they might not have the same colouration since the colour of holotype bones was due … Read more
In Depth Miacis is often heralded as being the progenitor of the Carnivora, one of the main groups of carnivorous mammals that today include predators such as big cats, wolves and mustelids among others. However most of the known species of Miacis are considered to actually be members of the Carnivoramorpha, a group of predator … Read more
In Depth Eoherpeton is a genus of reptilomorph that is known to have lived in what is now Scotland during the Carboniferous. Further Reading - A new genus and species of anthracosaur amphibian from the Lower Carboniferous of Scotland and the status of Pholidogaster pisciformis Huxley. - Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society of London, … Read more