In Depth The first Dolichorhynchops specimens were recovered in 1900 by George F. and Charles H. Sternberg from the Smokey Hill Chalk Formation. After being named by Samuel Wendell Williston in 1902, the type specimen has been a regular feature in the display of the Museum of Kansas. The establishment of two additional species (D. … Read more
In Depth Tlatolophus is a genus of hadrosaurid dinosaur that lived in Mexico during the late Cretaceous. Although a lot of the post cranial skeleton was unknown at the time of the genus description, what is known, including the skull, represents one of the best preserved lambeosaurine hadrosaurs discovered in Mexico. Like others of its … Read more
In Depth Moythomasia was an early ray-finned fish of the Devonian period that seems to have had a wide distribution because the world’s continents were gradually coming together into the supercontinent of Pangaea. Further Reading – A new species of the Devonian actinopterygian Moythomasia from Bergisch Gladbach, Germany, and fresh observations on M. durgaringa from … Read more
In Depth Palaeontology as we know it today has its foundation in nineteenth century Europe and dinosaurs first began to be named and classified in England in the first half of that century. As the first named dinosaur, Megalosaurus was the first dinosaur genus to have a taxonomic placement amongst other recognised animals, however this … Read more
In Depth Xiyukannemeyeria is a genus of dicynodont that lived in China during the Triassic. Further Reading - [A new material of kannemeyerid from Xinjiang and the restudy of Parakannemeyeria brevirostris]. - Vertebrata PalAsiatica 41(2):147-156. - J. Liu & J.-L. Li - 2003.
In Depth Dimaitherium is a genus of mammal closely related to modern hyraxes that lived in Egypt during the Eocene. Further Reading - A primitive hyracoid (Mammalia, Paenungulata) from the early Priabonian (Late Eocene) of Egypt. - Journal of Systematic Palaeontology 8(2):213-244. - E. Barrow, E. R. Seiffert & E. L. Simons - 2010.
In Depth Originally assigned to the genus Clupea (better known as herrings) as Clupea sprattiformis by Blainville in 1818, the species was actually erected to its own genus level in 1974 by Nybelin. Leptolepides were fairly small fish but are among the most numerous known from the Solnhofen limestones of Germany. Aside from being similar … Read more
In Depth A very primitive genus of hyena, Protictitherium has actually been more loosely interpreted as like a civet in terms of physical appearance. Further Reading - Late Miocene carnivores of the Greco-Iranian Province: Composition, guild structure and palaeoecology - Palaeogeography, Palaeoclimatology, Palaeoecology 305: 215 - G. D. Koufos & G. E. Konidaris - 2011.
In Depth The holotype specimen of Excalibosaurus was discovered in 1984, and consisted of partial remains of a skull and some of the post cranial skeleton such as ribs, vertebrae, forefin and an incomplete pectoral girdle. When pieced together these remains recreated an individual that was estimated to have been up to four meters long, … Read more
In Depth Initially named in 1918, Notoceratops may not only be the first ceratopsian dinosaur named from South America, but all of Gondwana, the southern collection of landmasses that split from the Northern continents during the Mesozoic. Not everyone was initially convinced however, and even to this day some still question the validity of Notoceratops … Read more