In Depth One of many small ornithopod dinosaurs from the Jurassic of China, there has been some speculation that Hexinlusaurus may actually represent a juvenile form of another ornithopod. Similar small ornithopods from the same formation as Hexinlusaurus include Agilisaurus, Yandusaurus and Xiaosaurus. Other herbivorous dinosaurs may have come across include stegosaurs Tuojiangosaurus and Huayangosaurus … Read more
In Depth Brontomerus has been given its name for good reason, it had possibly the largest thigh muscles of all the known sauropods. This has been established from the proportionately large ilium that also projects forward. The ilium is where the thigh muscles attach and this enlargement not only suggests enlarged muscles but a degree … Read more
In Depth Chuanqilong is a genus of ankylosaur that lived in China during the early Cretaceous. Further Reading - A New Basal Ankylosaurid (Dinosauria: Ornithischia) from the Lower Cretaceous Jiufotang Formation of Liaoning Province, China. - PLoS ONE 9 (8). - F. Han, W. Zheng, D. Hu, X. Xu & P. M. Barrett - 2014.
In Depth Zhuchengceratops was on the larger average size for known leptoceratopsid dinosaurs, and one of the most impressive features were the mandibles (lower jaw bones), which at fifty centimetres long and eighteen centimetres deep at the mid-point, were simply huge for a dinosaur of this size. These mandibles were about one and a half … Read more
In Depth Amargasaurus has easily become one of the most popular dinosaurs thanks to the elongated neural spines of the neck vertebrae that are immediately apparent from even a casual glance at the skeleton of this dinosaur. Technically known as hemispinous processes, these spines rise up from the top of the vertebrae and are bifurcated, … Read more
In Depth Malawisaurus began its classification history as a species of Gigantosaurus, however this genus has had a long problematic history regarding its validity and further study towards the end of the twentieth century confirmed that material attributed to Gigantosaurus dixeyi actually belonged to a separate genus, and so Malawisaurus was created. Malawisaurus was a … Read more
In Depth A medium sized iguanodontid, dinosaur from the early Cretaceous of the USA, Planicoxa is established upon the partial remains of several individuals. As an iguanodontid, Planicoxa would have been a primarily quadrupedal dinosaur, though one with the capability to rear up and walk on just its hind legs when it needed to. Planicoxa … Read more
In Depth There is some confusion about Turanoceratops, given that we know that it was a ceratopsian dinosaur, but not all palaeontologists agree upon exactly what kind. Papers published by Sues and Averianov in 2009 support the idea that Turanoceratops was a transitional form that linked primitive ceratopsians of the Ceratopsoidea, with the more advanced … Read more
In Depth The first remains of Albertosaurus were recovered from the Horseshoe Canyon Formation in 1884, and these were the type specimen along with a smaller skull and some of the post crania. However Albertosaurus was not yet identified and when these parts were studied in 1892 by Edward Drinker Cope, he assigned them to … Read more
In Depth Lufengosaurus has the honour of being the first dinosaur to ever be assembled and mounted for display in China, and even today is one of the more popular exhibits in Chinese natural history displays concerning dinosaurs. The first species of Lufengosaurus, L. huenei, was named in 1940, and a second larger species, L. … Read more