In Depth Today Antarctica is often referred to as a frozen wasteland,†‬but back in the Jurassic it actually had an extensive covering of forest,†‬something which is confirmed by the presence of fossilised tree trunks found near the remains of Cryolophosaurus.†‬Many of the early Jurassic theropods had display features on top of their … Read more
In Depth        Eohupehsuchus is a genus of hupehsuchian reptile that lived in China during the early Triassic.†‬The†‬name Eohupehsuchus means†‘‬dawn Hupehsuchusâ€â€™â€¬,†‬a reference to its similarity but earlier appearance to the Hupehsuchus genus. Further Reading -†‬A Small Short-Necked Hupehsuchian from the Lower Triassic of Hubei Province,†‬China.†‬-†‬PLOS ONE†‬9†(‬12.†… Read more
In Depth        Kholumolumo is a genus of sauropodomorph dinosaur that lived in Southern Africa during the late Triassic. Further Reading †‬-†‬Kholumolumo ellenbergerorum,†‬gen.†‬et sp.†‬nov.,†‬a new early sauropodomorph from the lower Elliot Formation†(‬Upper Triassicâ€) ‬of Maphutseng,†‬Lesotho.†‬-†‬Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology.†‬in press:†‬e1732996.†‬-†‬Claire Peyre de Fabrďż˝gues†… Read more
In Depth        Garudimimus is considered to be an ornithomimosaur,†‬but unlike others of its kind it had shorter ilia,†‬the†‬legs were shorter and the muscles not as well developed.†‬This has led to speculation that Garudimimus would have actually been quite slow for an ornithomimosaur,†‬although it could still probably out pace a human … Read more
In Depth        Originally thought to be a cynodont,†‬Lycorhinus was not realised to be a dinosaur until†‬1962†‬when Alfred Walter Crompton studied the holotype.†‬Many remains have been attributed Lycorhinus in the past,†‬but most of these have now been moved to other species of different genera,†‬two examples being UCL A100†‬and UCL … Read more
In Depth        Known only from partial remains,†‬Cedrorestes is a genus of ornithopod dinosaur that lived in North America during the early Cretaceous.†‬Cedrorestes has an uncertain classification,†‬not helped by the fact the fossil bones were damaged prior to being fossilised.†‬Some researchers consider Cedrorestes to be in-between an iguanodont and hadrosaur,†‬while some … Read more
In Depth        The discovery of Padillasaurus has been a very important step in South American palaeontology as it represents the first confirmed genus of†‬a†‬brachiosaurid sauropod dinosaur that is known on this continent†(‬though isolated and very fragmentary remains have been found before,†‬they were not complete enough to name a genusâ€)‬.†‬Unfortunately the … Read more
In Depth        Rukwanyoka is an extinct genus of snake that lived in Africa during the Oligocene. Further Reading -†‬The Earliest Colubroid-Dominated Snake Fauna from Africa:†‬Perspectives from the Late Oligocene Nsungwe Formation of Southwestern Tanzania.†‬-†‬PLoS ONE†‬9â€(‬3â€)‬:e90415.†‬-†‬J.†‬A.†‬McCartney,†‬N.†‬J.†‬Stevens†& ‬P.†‬M.†‬O’Connor†‬-†‬2014.
In Depth        When you look up the first true mammals in dinosaur books you almost certainly going to be presented with a picture and brief description of Megazostrodon.†‬Modern analysis of Megazostrodon has it in a position that is almost fully mammal,†‬yet not quite.†‬True mammals begin with the triconodont group,†‬something that the … Read more
In Depth        Initially through to represent a piece of the dinosaur Troodon in†‬1943,†‬and later the genus Stegoceras,†‬the single dome that makes up the holotype of this genus was named as Hanssuesia in†‬2003.†‬This came about as a result of the work of R.†‬M.†‬Sullivan in the Stegoceras genus when he … Read more