In Depth Chelosphargis was originally named as species of Protostega in 1906 by Oliver Perry Hay. However the description of Calcarichelys in 1953 led a later palaeontologist, Rainer Zangerl to conclude that P. advena should be reclassified as a distinct genus. Chelosphargis is regarded as being almost identical to Calcarichelys, a turtle with a series … Read more
In Depth Classification and controversy of validity. Stenonychosaurus is a genus of troodontid dinosaur that spent much of its time depicted as a synonym to Troodon. Stenonychosaurus itself was first named in 1932 and for much of the twentieth century it was occasionally depicted as a small predatory dinosaur. Stenonychosaurus would also become the inspiration … Read more
In Depth Currently represented by a partial skull, Ulemica is a genus of anomodont therapsid that lived in Russia Permian. Further Reading - Primitive anomodonts, venyukoviids, from the Late Permian of Eastern Europe. - Paleontological Journal 30: 575–582. - M. F. Ivakhnenko - 1996.
In Depth Pteraspis gets its name from the growths on the sides of its main body ‘shield’. These served acted as hydrofoils, the job usually done by the pectoral fins which are absent in Pteraspis. The lower lobe of the tail is also larger than the upper which would provide upwards lift. The spine that … Read more
In Depth One of the creodont mammals that were most common from the Paleocene to Oligocene periods, Pterodon seems to have been most numerous around Europe and North Africa. An odd set of remains from Pakistan however not only increases the geographic range of this creodont, but also the temporal range as well. Being interpreted … Read more
In Depth First named in 1996, Siamotyrannus was originally thought to represent one of the earliest known occurrences of a large tyrannosaur, hence the name Siamotyrannus which combines the old name for Thailand, Siam, with the ancient Greek for tyrant. However later studies of Siamotyrannus have come to the conclusion that Siamotyrannus was not a … Read more
In Depth Not too much can be said about Tochisaurus because so far it is only known from a couple of foot bones, However these bones do seem to be most similar to those seen in troodontid dinosaurs. Additionally with lengths of about twenty-four and twenty-two centimetres long, the foot bones of Tochisaurus do indicate … Read more
In Depth Patagonia is a hot bed for dinosaur fossils, although it’s usually the dramatic giants such as Giganotosaurus and Argentinosaurus that that take the spotlight. Bonapartenykus was much smaller than these two dinosaurs, however for the purposes of palaeontology and understanding of Mesozoic Patagonia it is at least just as important. First is the … Read more
In Depth Described from a skull, Hypercoryphodon was a pantodont mammal that is considered to be a potential descendent of the better represented Coryphodon. As such Hypercoryphodon is also envisioned to be a quadrupedal hippopotamus-like herbivore that may have been able to adapt its feeding to suit different situations. Other than this Hypercoryphodon is thought … Read more
The woolly mammoth of the ice age Mammuthus primigenius is more popularly known as the woolly mammoth that today is regarded as the poster animal for the ice age, a colloquial term for the Pleistocene period which saw a series of glaciations across the upper latitudes of the Northern hemisphere and an overall reduction in global … Read more