In Depth Although the name means ‘snout horse’, Rhynchippus was actually a notoungulate, a group of South American mammals completely unrelated to horses. Rhynchippus was actually an early relative to the much larger Toxodon that would appear much later around the Pliocene/Pleistocene eras. The similarity between Rhynchippus and primitive horses like Mesohippus is a case … Read more
In Depth Fresnosaurus was a late Cretaceous era elasmosaurid plesiosaur that seems to have the signature feature of this group of a very long neck proportionately greater than in earlier and more primitive plesiosaur forms. Like with these other genera, Fresnosaurus was probably a specialist hunter of fish and soft bodied cephalopods like squid. Fresnosaurus … Read more
In Depth Natchitochia is a genus of protocetid whale that lived in waters around North America during the mid-Eocene. Though only known from a few vertebrae and partial ribs, it is known that Natchitochia would have been similar to genera such as Eocetus, Pappocetus and Protocetus. Comparison to the vertebrae of Eocetus and the ribs … Read more
In Depth Kitchinganomodon is a genus of dicynodont that lived in South Africa during the Permian. Kitchinganomodon possessed a very powerful and robust st of jaws which could easily chew through tough vegetation. Further Reading - Observations on Karoo and Gondwana vertebrates: Part 4: The taxonomic status of the Late Permian rhachiocephalid Platycyclops crassus Broom, … Read more
In Depth Preondactylus is another contender for earliest pterosaur although new discoveries are constantly challenging this. One feature that confirms the basal placement of Preondactylus is the short wings, since as pterosaurs evolved the wings became proportionately larger. The hind legs are also very long in relation to the total body length. The diet of … Read more
In Depth Bayannurosaurus is a genus of iguanodont dinosaur that lived in Asia during the early Cretaceous. Further Reading - A large-sized basal ankylopollexian from East Asia, shedding light on early biogeographic history of Iguanodontia. - Science Bulletin 63:556-563. - X. Xu, Q.-W. Tan, Y.-L. Gao, Z.-Q. Bao, Z.-G. Yin, B. Guo, J.-Y. Wang, L. … Read more
In Depth The many individuals of Palaeotherium recovered from Eocene era deposits in Europe indicate that it was one of the most common mammals across Europe (especially the Western portion) during this time. When first described by Georges Cuvier, Palaeotherium was thought to be related to the ancient Tapirs, but today it is more widely … Read more
In Depth Traukutitan is a genus of titanosaurian dinosaur that lived in South America during the late Cretaceous. Traukutitan was named after Trauku, an Araucanian mountain spirit. The species name T. eocaudata is a reference to the primitive appearing form of the caudal vertebrae. There is speculation that Traukutitan was a lognkosaurian titanosaur, and this … Read more
In Depth Asprosaurus is the first genus of Mesozoic aged lizard to be discovered on the Korean peninsula. At the time of its description Asprosaurus is only known from fragmentary fossils, but still researchers have speculated that it may be a prehistoric relative of the Gila Monster. Further Reading - The first lizard fossil (Reptilia: … Read more
In Depth Khaan is a genus of small oviraptorid dinosaur that lived in Mongolia during the Late Cretaceous. Studies into Khaan individuals may have revealed differences between males and females. On some specimens, the caudal (tail) vertebrae have reduced chevrons, and this has been seen as a sign of a female. The reduced chevrons at … Read more