In Depth Yunnanosaurus is one of the best represented sauropodomorph (previously known as prosauropods) dinosaurs not only in China, but the entire world, with the fossils remains of over twenty individual Yunnanosaurus so far known. This has allowed palaeontologists to become familiar with most aspects of this genus including the realisation that Yunnanosaurus would have … Read more
In Depth Despite its appearance in dinosaur documentaries like Dinosaur Planet, not much is known about Tarascosaurus. The type material is very incomplete but has still seen this dinosaur tentatively placed within the Abelisauridae. Aside from Betasuchus, Tarascosaurus is the only representative of this group of theropod dinosaurs which were previously considered to be present … Read more
In Depth The holotype specimen of Scipionyx was first discovered in 1981, though it did not garner wider attention until 1993 when its existence was announced to the wider public. It would not be until 1998 however that the genus and species name Scipionyx samniticus would be created. The holotype was discovered by amateur palaeontologist … Read more
In Depth Shuangbaisaurus is a genus of predatory dinosaur that lived in China during the start of the Jurassic period. Known from a partial skull, there is speculation that Shuangbaisaurus might be synonymous with Sinosaurus. Further Reading - A new crested theropod dinosaur from the Early Jurassic of Yunnan Province, China. - Vertebrata PalAsiatica 55(2):177-186. … Read more
In Depth The name Echinodon means ‘hedgehog tooth’, and this is because when Richard Owen first named Echinodon in 1861, he thought he was dealing with a lizard that had a similar lifestyle to a hedgehog. Later, Echinodon was often perceived to be a primitive thyreophoran dinosaur (popularly known as an armoured dinosaur), but today … Read more
In Depth Bravasaurus is a genus of titanosaurian dinosaur that lived in South America during the late Cretaceous. While many of the South American titanosaurs such as Argentinosaurus were positive giants, Bravasaurus seems to have been much smaller than most. Bravasaurus was named alongside the genus Punatitan in the same paper in 2020. Further reading … Read more
In Depth The Liliensternus holotype was originally described in 1934 as a species of Halticosaurus by Friedrich von Huene. However a later palaeontologist named Samuel Paul Welles concluded that this species was actually different beyond the species level and created the genus of Liliensternus for it instead. Further complication to the history of the genus … Read more
In Depth Fabrosaurus has been widely considered to be a dubious genus due to the very incomplete nature of the type remains, a partial jaw and three teeth. The better known genus Lesothosaurus however has been speculated to be a synonym to Fabrosaurus, though the lack of remains for Fabrosaurus mean that such an observation … Read more
In Depth Laiyangosaurus is a genus of hadrosaurid dinosaur that lived in Asia during the late Cretaceous. Further Reading - A new saurolophine hadrosaurid (Dinosauria: Ornithopoda) from the Upper Cretaceous of Shandong, China” (PDF). Annals of the Brazilian Academy of Sciences. - J. L. Zhang, X. Wang, Q. Wang, S. Jiang, X. Cheng, L. Ning … Read more
In Depth If there has ever been a genus that has been a serious source of confusion for people, it’s Scansoriopteryx. We’ll start with the correct name for this genus regarding whether it should be Scansoriopteryx or Epidendrosaurus. We are certain that both of these genera are one and the same and therefore synonymous. However, … Read more