In Depth        Lonchidion is a genus of very successful hybodontid shark that lived for most of the Mesozoic.†‬Most fossils attributed to Lonchidion are Cretaceous in age,†‬though Jurassic and even Late Triassic fossils are also known.†‬Also,†‬while Lonchidion has been mostly associated with North America and Europe,†‬fossils from Africa and Asia are … Read more
In Depth        Another small amphibian from the Carboniferous period of Scotland,†‬Adelospondylus is only known by a skull and jaws.†‬The lower jaw is noted as being quite deep,†‬but is otherwise not greatly special.†‬Adelospondylus may have been similar to Adelogyrinus. Further Reading -†‬An Adelogyrinid Lepospondyl Amphibian from the Upper Carboniferous,†‬R.†‬L.†… Read more
In Depth        Arganarhinus is a phytosaur that lived in what is now Morocco during the late Triassic.†‬Arganarhinus was originally named as a species of Paleorhinus before being made a distinct species in†‬1995. Further Reading -†‬Late Triassic†(‬Carnian and Norianâ€) ‬tetrapods from the southwestern United States.†‬-†‬New Mexico Museum of Natural History … Read more
In Depth        Auroraceratops is a genus of neoceratopsian dinosaur,†‬the kind of horned dinosaurs that were becoming more and more common during the early Cretaceous,†‬the descendants of which would grow into the horned giants like Triceratops at of the late Cretaceous.†‬One of the notable features about Auroraceratops is the rough rugose appearance of … Read more
In Depth        Although certainly not the only dinosaur to be discovered in Brazil,†‬Amazonsaurus was still the first discovered within the Amazon Basin.†‬Amazonsaurus is confirmed as a diplodocoid sauropod,†‬but the lack of fossil remains makes it difficult to tell what kind.†‬One possibility is that Amazonsaurus might be a rebbachisaurid,†‬a sub group … Read more
In Depth        Sphenonectris is a genus of thelodontid fish that lived in waters associated with what is now Canada during the early Devonian. Further Reading -†‬The Furcacaudiformes:†‬a new order of jawless vertebrates with thelodont scales,†‬based on articulated Silurian and Devonian fossils from northern Canada.†‬-†‬Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology,†‬Volume†‬18,†‬no.†… Read more
In Depth        Cerrejonisuchus is a genus†‬of†‬drysosaurid crocodile that is only represented by partial remains.†‬These remains reveal however that Cerrejonisuchus†‬had†‬one of the shortest snouts of all of the known dryosaurids as well as the shortest body.†‬Hailing from the Cerrejďż˝n Formation,†‬Cerrejonisuchus was probably a predator of fish and possible small … Read more
In Depth        Leptosuchus is a genus of phytosaur that is currently known from a few species.†‬Phytosaurs like Leptosuchus were very much like crocodiles,†‬though they were not actually directly related to them.†‬An exceptionally large skull once assigned as Leptosuchus gregorii,†‬has since been moved to the genus Smilosuchus,†‬though since this time there … Read more
In Depth        The first specimen of Acamptonectes was discovered in†‬1958†‬from the Speeton Clay Formation,†‬but was never officially described.†‬A second specimen from this formation was recovered in†‬1985.†‬Early interpretations of Acamptonectes led to the conclusion that it was similar to Platypterygius,†‬but a new discovery from Germany in†‬2003†‬was found … Read more
In Depth        Zupaysaurus is often reconstructed with a pair of crests rising from the top of its skull like the more famous Dilophosaurus.†‬Indeed,†‬Zupaysaurus†‬also has a similar upper jaw arrangement to Dilophosaurus with a notable gap between the teeth of the maxilla and premaxilla forming a small notch.†‬However if a†‬2005†‬presentation … Read more