In Depth Arizonasaurus has enjoyed a lot of popularity since the discovery of a far more complete specimen in 2002. Before this Arizonasaurus was only known from very partial remains that were only diagnostic enough to classify it as a rauisuchian, reptiles that were the dominant predators of the Triassic while the early dinosaurs were … Read more
In Depth Platysomus had a very deep body with a reduced tail and quite small pectoral fins, all indicators that fish of this genus were slow swimmers. Despite this, Platysomus was a highly successful genus, a statement that is easily backed up just by looking at the broad temporal and geographic ranges of the known … Read more
In Depth The one ‘fact’ that is often presented for Alamosaurus is that it is named after the Alamo, the famous mission in San Antonia that was the site for one of the most important battles in the Texas Revolution. However this is completely false and the truth of the matter is that the first … Read more
In Depth Pellegrinisaurus is a genus of titanosaur that lived in South America during the late cretaceous. So far most of the fossils attributed to Pellegrinisaurus are vertebra, however these are mostly from the tail with only a small number of back vertebrae known. This makes an exact size estimate impossible to establish because we … Read more
In Depth Although still only known from a few scattered and incomplete fossils, Dissopsalis stands out from other creodonts by being one of the last to live. The earliest species was D. pyroclasticus from Kenya, but it is the type species of D. carnifex from Asia that confirms is position as a late surviving creodont. … Read more
In Depth The first fossils of Lusotitan were found in 1947, and named in 1957 as a species of Brachiosaurus by Albert-F�lix de Lapparent and Georges Zbyszewski. In 2003 Oct�vio Mateus & Miguel Telles Antunes renamed the fossils as Lusotitan atalaiensis on the basis that the differences were greater than what was to be expected … Read more
In Depth Larachelus was a pan-cryptodiran turtle, and the appearance of the genus in early Cretaceous era rocks of Spain has helped reveal the range and diversity pan-cryptodiran turtles. Further Reading - Larachelus morla, gen. Et sp. Nov., a new member of the little-known European Early Cretaceous record of stem cryptodiran turtles - Journal of … Read more
In Depth Further Reading – A contribution to the vertebrate paleontology of Texas. – Proceedings of the American Philosophical Society 30(137):123-131 – E. D. Cope – 1892.892. - A new Pliocene horse from Idaho, James W. Gidley - 1930
In Depth Belantsea would essentially have been the Carboniferous equivalent of a parrotfish. The body was bulky with strong muscular fins, and an underdeveloped tail which all indicate a preference for manoeuvrability over speed. The teeth are triangular and tightly packed to form a dental arrangement similar to a beak which would have easily broken … Read more
In Depth An early Cretaceous sauropod dinosaur from South America, the precise size of Amargatitanis is hard to establish due to lack of remains. The name Amargatitanis is a reference to its discovery in the La Amarga Formation, and its titanosaurian lineage. Other sauropods known from the La Amarga Formation include Zapalasaurus and the similarly … Read more