In Depth Perhaps the most striking feature of Tenontosaurus is the tail which actually takes up more than half the total body length. This tail was supported by a network of strong tendons which ensured it was always carried erect off the ground. It is in reference to these tendons that Tenontosaurus was given its … Read more
In Depth Homalocephale possessed broad hips, which has led to two theories about its lifestyle. One is that the wide pelvis was a sign that Homalocephale gave birth to live young, the extra space between the hips allowing for gestation of the foetus. However such an idea without further proof is considered purely speculation. The … Read more
In Depth Temnodontosaurus is one of the oldest and largest ichthyosaurs known to science, and while there are a few species associated with the genus, the most obvious differences between these are the size and proportions of the jaws. Temnodontosaurus fossils have been so well preserved that they reveal stomach contents of ammonites and cephalopods … Read more
In Depth Labidosaurus is a genus of captorhinid reptile that lived in the USA in the last half of the early Permian. The upper jaw of Labidosaurus had a pronounced downwards hook that would have fitted around the end of the lower jaw, and unlike previously known captorhinids had a single row of conical teeth. … Read more
In Depth Canaanimys is one of the earliest known occurrences of the Caviomorpha, a group of rodent mammals that is best known today for including chinchillas and guinea pigs. Another genus from the same formation and named in the same year as Canaanimys is Cachiyacuy. Further Reading - Middle Eocene rodents from Peruvian Amazonia reveal … Read more
In Depth When first described in 1982 Dianchungosaurus was thought to represent a small Jurassic dinosaur, and until the early years of the twenty-first century was listed as a heterodontosaurid dinosaur. In 2005 however a study by Barret and Xu discovered that the original description of Dianchungosaurus was actually based upon a fossil chimera, described … Read more
In Depth Rotaryus is a genus of temnospondyl amphibian that lived in Germany during the Permian. Further Reading – Rotaryus gothae, a New Trematopid (Temnospondyli: Dissorophoidea) from the Lower Permian of Central Germany. - Annals of Carnegie Museum 80(1):49-65. - D. S. Berman, A. C. Henrici, T. Martens, S. S. Sumida & J. S. Anderson … Read more
In Depth Zapalasaurus is another example of an early cretaceous era diplodocoid sauropod, a find significant in itself since many diplodocid genera are dated to the Late Jurassic. Further to its inclusion within the Diplodocoidea, Zapalasaurus has been included as a member of the Rebbachisauridae, a sub group of the Diplodocoidea that includes other Cretaceous … Read more
In Depth Although often associated with Western Europe where remains were first documented, Megaloceros was actually widespread across Eurasia. The type species of Megaloceros, M. giganteus, is by far the largest and is more commonly known as the ‘Irish Elk’, ‘Irish Deer’ or just simply ‘Giant Deer’. As a genus however, Megaloceros shows a varied number of sizes across … Read more
In Depth Ischyrocyon appears to have been around mid-sized for one of the North American bear dogs being much bigger than some genera such as Temnocyon and Cynelos, but still much smaller than giants like Amphicyon. The type species name I. hyaenodus means ‘hyaena tooth’, a reference to the similarity of the teeth of Ischyrocyon … Read more