In Depth Fossils of Citipes were first described in 1933, but as a species of Ornithomimus. After this they subsequently moved into the Elmisaurus and Leptorhynchos genera respectively, before finally being described as a distinct genus in 2020. Citipes is a genus of oviraptosaur dinosaur that lived in North America during the late Cretaceous. Further … Read more
In Depth Although not very well known, Arctamphicyon might have been one of the last surviving genera of bear dog. This is based upon analysis of the faunal assemblage Dhok Pathan Formation which has yielded a concentration of other animals from these eras. Further Reading – A new amphicyonid (Mammalia, Carnivora, Amphicyonidae) from the late … Read more
In Depth With a name that translates to English as ‘Monstrous murderer’, Teratophoneus has arguably one of the most apt names of any dinosaur, although the remains suggest that it was smaller than many of the other tyrannosaurids. The species name, T.curriei, is in honour of palaeontologist Philip J. Currie. Teratophoneus was a very interesting … Read more
In Depth Benthosuchus has been considered to be a member of the Trematosauroidea (type genus Trematosaurus), but in more recent time the genus has also been considered to be a member of the Mastodonsauroidea (type genus Mastodonsaurus). However the primitive nature of Benthosuchus makes a confident assignment difficult to establish. Benthosuchus seems to have been … Read more
In Depth Arisierpeton is a genus of caseid that lived in North America during the early Permian. The genus is named in honour of Giuseppe Alberto Arisi, the person who discovered the holotype fossil. Further Reading - A small caseid synapsid, Arisierpeton simplex gen. et sp. nov., from the early Permian of Oklahoma, with a … Read more
In Depth At first glance the holotype specimen of Bellubrunnus was considered to have been an example of the famous pterosaur genus Rhamphorhynchus, though a closer study of the specimen soon came to the conclusion that it actually represented a unique genus. The skull of Bellubrunnus has been noted for being proportionately short with large … Read more
In Depth The holotype fossils of Antetonitrus were originally found in 1981, but were thought to be further fossils of the genus Euskelosaurus. It was not until over two decades later that they would be correctly described as a distinct genus. Antetonitrus is a very interesting sauropod dinosaur, as while it was quadrupedal (walked on … Read more
In Depth Riograndia is a genus of cynodont that lived in Brazil during the Triassic. Further Reading - A primitive Late Triassic ‘ictidosaur’ from Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil. - Palaeontology 44(4):623-635. - J. F. Bonaparte, J. Ferigolo & A. M. Ribeiro - 2001. – New information on Riograndia guaibensis Bonaparte, Ferigolo & Ribeiro, 2001 … Read more
In Depth Pelagornis is a genus of large sea bird that as a genus existed for a very long time during the Paleocene. So large is Pelagornis that the genus is now seriously considered to be a contender for the title of largest known bird capable of flight. This is down to two factors. First … Read more
In Depth Tadzhikosuchus was a late Cretaceous era crocodile that lived in what would become Uzbekistan and Tajikistan. Three species were once named for the genus but a 2000 review resulted in the observation that no differences between the available fossils could differentiate three separate species. Therefore the species T. neutralis and T. kizylkumensis are … Read more