In Depth Labidosaurikos should not be confused with the similarly named Labidosaurus, another captorhinid that lived in the same approximate locations as Labidosaurikos. In fact the name Labidosaurikos means ‘similar to Labisosaurus‘. Labidosaurikos seems to have been a bit larger and heavier than its relative, and is noted for having a robust and fairly ornate … Read more
In Depth A member of the Crocodyloidea which includes surviving modern species, Arenysuchus is still regarded as a more basal form due to the frontal skull bones contacting the fenestra (openings) on top of the skull. At the time of writing only a partial skull of Arenysuchus is known, but at just under twenty centimetres … Read more
In Depth Siamogale is a genus of otter that once lived in Asia during the Miocene/Pliocene. Further Reading - Feeding capability in the extinct giant Siamogale melilutra and comparative mandibular biomechanics of living Lutrinae. - Scientific Reports. 7 (1): 1–10. - Z. Jack Tseng, Denise F. Su, Xiaoming Wang, Stuart C. White & Xueping Ji … Read more
In Depth Further Reading – Indications of five species, with two new genera, of extinct Fishes. – Proceedings of the Academy of Natural Sciences of Philadelphia 7:414 – J. Liedy – 1855. – On the Occurrence of Edestus in the Coal-Measures of Britain. – Quarterly Journal of the Geological Society 60:1-9 – E. T. Newton … Read more
In Depth Well preserved dinosaur remains are rare from Australia, but Minmi is one of the exceptions. This is in part due to the small body size of Minmi which meant that it would have been more easily buried than a larger animal, something that would have protected the remains from being scattered by scavengers … Read more
In Depth One of the dicynodonts, Placerias was a low browsing herbivore that had a strong beak and a pair of downwards pointing tusks. With a three and a half meter barrel of a body it was the largest known herbivore of its time. Fossils of forty Placerias discovered in Arizona suggest a herding lifestyle. … Read more
In Depth Megalancosaurus is one of the better known of the drepanosaurs, a special group of reptiles that possessed tails that could hook around branches. With an additional hook on the end of their tails, Megalancosaurus are believed to have walked along the branches of Triassic era tree canopies, hunting for small invertebrates to eat. … Read more
In Depth Birgeria are a genus of fish that lived during the Triassic. The body form and broad range of fossil distribution strongly suggest that Birgeria were open water (pelagic) fish that swam throughout the open ocean. The body seems to have been very smooth and the tail deeply vaned, adaptations that support efficient and … Read more
In Depth Originally named as a species of Shweboemys, Brontochelys is a little known genus of side-necked turtle that lived in Pakistan during the early Miocene. The type species is named in honour of Eugene Gaffney for his work on turtles. Further Reading - A review of the fossil Pelomedusidae (Testudines, Pleurodira) of Asia. Breviora … Read more
In Depth So far at the time of writing the only known fossils of Kol are of a complete foot. This foot however is enough to identify Kol as an alvarezsaurid dinosaur, and one that was fairly big. The foot of the Kol holotype specimen is about twice the size of the foot of Shuvuuia, … Read more