In Depth Further Reading -†‬Extraordinary cranial specialization in a new genus of extinct duck†(‬Aves:†‬Anseriformesâ€) ‬from Kauai,†‬Hawaiian Islands.†‬-†‬Zootaxa†(‬Auckland,†‬New Zealand:†‬Magnolia Pressâ€) ‬2296:†‬47â€â€“‬67.†‬-†‬Andrew N.†‬Iwaniuk,†‬Storrs L.†‬Olson†& ‬Helen F.†‬James†‬-†‬2009.
In Depth        Back in the Cretaceous North America was divided into two land masses due to the presence of the Western Interior Seaway,†‬a shallow sea that submerged the central portions of North America all the way from Canada to Mexico.†‬These two land masses were Appalachia in the†‬east,†‬and Laramidia in the†‬west,†… Read more
In Depth        Saurornithoides seems for lack of a better description an Asian counterpart to the famous Troodon from North America. It shares many morphological similarites including being of a comparble size, large eyes and large brain. For this reason Saurornithoides is thought to have been a nocturnal hunter with the large eyes being of more … Read more
In Depth        The best specimen of Grippia was destroyed in World War II,†‬so today we have only this description and other less complete specimens left to study.†‬This makes the key question about what this†‬early†‬ichthyosaur ate very difficult to answer.†‬Early ideas had Grippia down as a predator of armoured prey like … Read more
In Depth        Another plesiosaur named Kimmerosaurus is known from the Kimmeridge Clay, and interestingly while Colymbosaurus is known only from incomplete post cranial remains, Kimmerosaurus is known only from the skull and a few cervical vertebra. This has led to speculation that the two genera are actually one and the same species. However, only the … Read more
In Depth        Stenaulorhynchus is a genus of rhynchosaur that lived in Tanzania during the Triassic. Further Reading -†‬On a collection of Karroo vertebrates from Tanganyika Territory.†‬-†‬Quarterly Journal of the Geological Society of London†‬88:†‬634â€â€“‬668.†‬-†‬Sidney H.†‬Haughton†‬-†‬1932. -†‬Stenaulorhynchus,†‬ein Rhynchosauride der ostafrikanischer Obertrias.†‬-†‬Nova Acta Leopoldina.†… Read more
In Depth        Eohippus is a classic prehistoric mammal,†‬dubbed as one of the earliest and smallest horses ever to live.†‬There has in the past been some taxonomic confusion over the validity of the genus,†‬and at one time Eohippus was actually regarded as belonging to another genus named Hyracotherium.†‬Later thought has cast doubt … Read more
In Depth        Though only described from a single rib,†‬the dinosaur Spicomellus has generated a lot of interest.†‬First is the original assessment that Spicomellus represents a primitive ankylosaur,†‬and if true this would not only help to build a pattern of development of this dinosaur lineage all the way back into the Jurassic,†‬something … Read more
In Depth        Adocus is a genus of freshwater cryptodiran turtle that lived in both Asia and North America.†‬Most Canadian and American fossils are confirmed as coming from Cretaceous deposits,†‬however some fossils†‬are determined†‬as coming from†‬deposits after the Cretaceous,†‬with some as recent as the late Oligocene.†‬Adocus is known to have … Read more
In Depth        Very little was known about Caviramus when it was discovered as it was only known from a ramus (part of the side of the lower jaw) and two teeth. This lack of knowledge continued until 2009 when another pterosaur from the same area, Raeticodactylus, was found to have been identical to the fragment … Read more