In Depth Berberosaurus will catch the eye of anyone interested in theropod dinosaurs because the genus may represent the oldest ceratosaur, though not everyone is in agreement. The original description of Berberosaurus came to the conclusion that Berberosaurus was an abelisauroid that was more advanced than genera such as Elaphrosaurus and Spinostropheus, though more primitive … Read more
In Depth Vallibonavenatrix is a genus of spinosaurid dinosaur that lived in Spain during the early Cretaceous. As a spinosaurid, Vallibonavenatrix is expected to have been a predatory dinosaur, primarily hunting for aquatic creatures in the water systems of the time. Further Reading - A new spinosaurid theropod (Dinosauria: Megalosauroidea) from the late Barremian of … Read more
In Depth Mosasaurs appear to have been some of the most common marine reptiles around New Zealand towards the end of the Cretaceous, and at up to twelve meters long, Moanasaurus was towards the larger end of the mosasaur size scale. Given its large size it’s a safe bet that Moanasaurus would have been a … Read more
In Depth Tricleidus is but one of many cryptoclidid plesiosaurs active in European waters during the Jurassic, although it is not as well-known as the type genus of this group, Cryptoclidus. The type species name T. seeleyi is in honour of the British palaeontologist Harry Govier Seeley. Another species based upon American fossils once attributed … Read more
In Depth Parahongshanornis is a genus of primitive bird that lived in China during the early Cretaceous. The genus is noted for its similarity to another genus called Hongshanornis, hence the name Parahongshanornis which can be translated to English as ‘near Hongshanornis’. Further Reading - A new ornithurine bird (Hongshanornithidae) from the Jiufotang Formation of … Read more
In Depth Monkonosaurus is a dubious genus of stegosaur that lived in what is now Tibet during the late Jurassic. Monkonosaurus is considered to be dubious because only a few bones are known, and these may not be diagnostic enough to assign further fossil remains to. Further Reading - Phylogeny and Evolutionary Stages of Dinosauria. … Read more
In Depth With the skull being wider than it is long, Jeholpterus has the same basic skull morphology consistent with all anurognathid pterosaurs. Most of the teeth are small but some are longer and recurved (backwards towards the mouth). The claws of the hands and feet are long and curved, longer on the hands, meaning … Read more
In Depth Cetiosauriscus is often confused with the similarly named Cetiosaurus, and this is no accident. The name Cetiosauriscus means ‘whale-lizard-like’, a reference to Cetiosaurus which itself means ‘whale-lizard’, so when Friedrich von Huene named the genus in 1927, he was actually saying that Cetiosauriscus was similar to Cetiosaurus. When the genus was first named … Read more
In Depth Originally named as a Miocene species of Dicerorhinus, D. leakeyi was re-described as a distinct genus named Rusingaceros in 2010. Rusingaceros is a Miocene aged rhinoceros, the best fossils of which were found upon Rusinga Island which is situated on Lake Victoria, the largest lake on the African continent. Further Reading - Chapter … Read more
In Depth Found almost complete, Heyuannia was the first oviraptorid to be discovered within the borders of mainland China, specifically Guangdong Province. Up until the description of Heyuannia, other Asian oviraptorids were all discovered in Mongolia. Going by the holotype individual, Heyuannia seems to have been a small mid-sized genus of oviraptorid. The skull of … Read more