In Depth Tichvinskia was a small procoloniphid reptile that is known to have lived in Russia during the early Triassic. Further Reading - Novye Dannye o Melkikh Kotilosavrakh iz Permi i Triasa SSSR [New Data on Small Cotylosaurs from the Permian and Triassic of the USSR]. - Doklady Akademii Nauk SSSR 108(3):547-550. - P. K. … Read more
In Depth Further Reading – Carboniferous fishes from the central western States – Bulletin of the Museum of Comparative Zoology 39:163-226 – C. R. Eastman – 1903. – Two new Stethacanthid sharks (Stethacanthidae, Symmoriida) from the Pennsylvanian of Indiana, USA – Palaeontographica Abteilung A 213:115-141 – R. Zangerl – 1990. – Early Carboniferous Fishes (Acanthodian, … Read more
In Depth For the first part of their taxonomic life, fossils of Lufengpithecus were actually known as Ramapithecus lufengensis (‘Rama ape from Lufeng). Between 1975 and 1976 however, much more complete fossils of Ramapithecus were recovered, but instead of allowing for more complete restoration of this ape they led to the realisation that the genus … Read more
In Depth The Schizooura holotype came from Jiufotang Formation of China, which is one of the fossil bearing Rock Formations that the more famous Confuciusornis came from. Schizooura had an unusual arrangement of tail feathers that gave the appearance of being split in two, hence the establishment of the genus name Schizooura which translates roughly … Read more
In Depth Aegyptonycteris is a genus of bat that lived in Egypt during the Eocene. Though only known form partial remains, Aegyptonycteris seems to have had an omnivorous diet, revealing that as the bats evolved, they were relatively quick to adapt to different ecological niches. Further Reading - A New Family of Large Omnivorous Bats … Read more
In Depth Gobititan is a genus of titanosaurian dinosaur that lived in China during the early Cretaceous. At the time of writing Gobititan is only known from caudal vertebrae and a partial hind limb, though from these it is possible to infer that Gobititan was a primitive titanosaur. This is because Gobititan is known to … Read more
In Depth The annoying thing about Amtocephale is that it is yet another pachycephalosaur genus that is known only from skull material, specifically the thick dome. The exciting thing about Amtocephale however is that at the time of its discovery it represents what might be the oldest known pachycephalosaur genus. Further Reading - A new … Read more
In Depth Deccanodon is a genus of cynodont that lived in India during the Triassic. Further Reading - A new mammal-like reptile (Cynodontia) from Upper Triassic Maleri Formation of Pranhita-Godavari Valley, Andhra Pradesh. - Journal of the Geological Society of India 69:57-60. - T. T. Nath & P. Yadagiri - 2007.
In Depth Phascolonus was a genus of giant wombat that lived in Australia during the Pleistocene period. Fossils of this genus have been found at one of the most well-known areas for Pleistocene animals in Australia, Lake Callabonna. Lake Callabonna is especially well known for the remains of the huge Diprotodon, another large wombat that … Read more
In Depth An early Cretaceous sauropod from Spain, Aragosaurus is considered to have been similar to the North American Camarasaurus in form. This means that the head would have been carried up high to enable Aragosaurus to browse upon the upper branches of trees, which were simply beyond the reach of low browsing dinosaurs. This … Read more