In Depth        Today fish under the Lampris genus†(‬a.k.a.†‬moonfish,†‬opah,†‬Jerusalem haddock,†‬kingfish and cravoâ€) ‬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
In Depth        Named after the famous palaeontologist Josďż˝ Fernando Bonaparte for his contributions to the advancement of palaeontology,†‬Bonatitan seems to have actually been quite a small titanosaur.†‬Hailing from the Allen Formation,†‬Bonatitan likely shared its habitat with other dinosaurs such as other titanosaurs like Saltasaurus,†‬Laplatasaurus,†‬Aeolosaurus and Rocasaurus and the hadrosaurs Lapampasaurus … Read more
In Depth        Like with other gompothere elephants,†‬Amebelodon had two pairs of tusks,†‬one in the upper jaw and one pair in the lower.†‬The lower pair of tusks are of particular interest with this genus since they were shaped to form a shovel-like structure that pointed forwards from the lower jaw.†‬It is widely … Read more
In Depth        There has been some contention over exactly what kind of theropod dinosaur Austrocheirus was.†‬When described,†‬Austrocheirus was identified as an abelisauroid theropod via cladistic analysis.†‬This was significant because this would have been the first example of an abelisauroid theropod which did not feature the forelimb reduction which is often used as … Read more
In Depth        Spathicephalus is a genus of early tetrapod that lived†‬during the Carboniferous.†‬Whereas most creatures of its kind had rounded snouts,†‬Spathicephalus is notable for having a roughly square shaped snout when seen from above.†‬The teeth of Spathicephalus are very small and densely packed together,†‬leading to speculation that Spathicephalus may have … Read more
In Depth        In popular culture,†‬especially at the turn of the twentieth and twenty-first centuries,†‬Andrewsarchus has been presented as a huge predator,†‬similar in form to other quadrupedal meat eating mammals,†‬but powerfully built like a big cat or even a bear.†‬However despite this reconstruction becoming very familiar in the public consciousness,†‬palaeontologists … Read more
In Depth        Garrigatitan is a genus of titanosaur that lived in Western Europe during the late Cretaceous.†‬Known only from partial remains of an immature individual,†‬Garrigatitan seems to have been a fairly small titanosaur,†‬even when fully grown. Further Reading -†‬A new titanosaur†(‬Dinosauria:†‬Sauropodaâ€) ‬from the Upper Cretaceous of Velaux-La-Bastide Neuve†(‬southern … Read more
In Depth        Callawayasaurus was originally known as a species of Alzadasaurus until Kenneth Carpenter studied the remains and found that they actually represented a new genus.†‬On a related note the type specimen of Alzadasaurus today only exists as a synonym to Thalassomedon and Styxosaurus.†‬Carpenter named the new genus in honour of fellow palaeontologist … Read more
In Depth        Ctenochasma is one of the few†‬known filter feeding pterosaurs,†‬and its name heads up the group Ctenochasmatidae which includes similar pterosaurs such as Pterodaustro and Unwindia.†‬The method of pterosaurs filter feeding is quite simple as instead of having the large needle like teeth associated with catching fish and insects,†‬pterosaurs like … Read more
In Depth        Metaliomys is a genus of rodent that lived in the USA during the Late Miocene. Further Reading -†‬Rodents and lagomorphs†(‬Mammaliaâ€) ‬from the Hemphillian†(‬Late Mioceneâ€) ‬of Utah.†‬-†‬Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology†‬30â€(‬1â€)‬:226-235.†‬-†‬W.†‬W.†‬Korth†& ‬D.†‬D.†‬De Blieux†‬-†‬2010.