In Depth Whereas Smilodon is without doubt the most famous prehistoric big cat, Dinofelis is the most notorious. This notoriety comes from the long association of Dinofelis hunting and eating early hominids like Homo habilis, Paranthropus and Australopithecus afarensis, thought by some to be an ancestor to modern humans. This predation reveals that Dinofelis was … Read more
In Depth Ruhuhucerberus is a genus of gorgonopsid that lived in Tanzania during the Permian. The Ruhuhucerberus type species was originally named as a species of Aelurognathus called A. aughtoni, but was split and elevated to genus level by Maisch in 2002. A second species of Ruhuhucerberus, R. terror, is now considered to be synonymous … Read more
In Depth Fukuisaurus was initially only known from partial skull fragments, including a maxilla and jugal from the right hand side of the skull. Further specimens have since been discovered leading to Fukuisaurus being reconstructed with a strong degree of confidence. As an ornithopod, Fukuisaurus is similar to others of the group such as Iguanodon. … Read more
In Depth Kielanobaatar is a genus of mammal that lived in China during the early Cretaceous. Further Reading - New multituberculate mammals from the Lower Cretaceous (Shahai and Fuxin formations), northeastern China. - Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology 30(5):1501-1514. - N. Kusuhashi, Y. Hu, T. Setoguchi & H. Matsuoka - 2010.
In Depth The creation of the Bellusaurus was born out of the discovery of a bonebed of at least seventeen individuals. Features on some of these fossil such as the lack of fusion on some parts means that these individuals are probably juveniles and therefore not fully grown. It has also led to speculation that … Read more
In Depth Navajodactylus was named in honour of the Navajo Nation with the genus name also incorporating the Greek ‘dactylus’ for ‘finger’, like in many other pterosaurs. The species name honours Arjan C. Boer� who discovered the holotype specimen in the Kirtland Formation back in 2002. Navajodactylus has been placed within the azhdarchidae pterosaurs, although … Read more
In Depth Dadadon is a massetognathine cynodont that lived in Madagascar during the Triassic. Further Reading - New traversodontids (Synapsida, Eucynodontia) from the Triassic of Madagascar. - Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology 20(3):422-427. - J. J. Flynn, J. M. Parrish, B. Rakotosamimanana, L. Ranivoharimanana, W. F. Simpson & A. R. Wyss - 2000. – New material … Read more
In Depth Originally described as a species of Aeolosaurus, A. maximus was established as its own genus, Arrudatitan, in 2021. Arrudatitan was established from partial remains including limbs, shoulder, hip and various vertebrae. Aside from being distinct from Aeolosaurus, Arrudatitan is noted for being fairly lightly built when compared to other titanosaur genera as a … Read more
In Depth The partial skeletal remains that the Drusilasaura genus is known by have been seen to be indicative of a lognkosaurian titanosaur. If this analysis is correct then Drusilasaura would be the oldest known lognkosaurian titanosaur. Further Reading – Drusilasaura deseadensis gen. et sp. nov., a new titanosaur (Dinosauria-Sauropoda), of the Bajo Barreal Formation, … Read more
In Depth Today fish under the Lampris genus (a.k.a. moonfish, opah, Jerusalem haddock, kingfish and cravo) are known for their deep round bodies, brilliant sheen to their scales and the fact that they can easily grow up to two meters in length. Then in 2006 a fossil relative of the Lampris was named, and comparison … Read more