In Depth Platytholus was a dome-headed dinosaur from the Late Cretaceous Hell Creek Formation of Montana, about 66 million years ago. It belonged to the pachycephalosaurids, a group of small, plant-eating ornithischians best known for their thick, rounded skull roofs. Unlike most of its relatives, Platytholus had a broad, flattened dome, which is what inspired … Read more
In Depth Istiorachis was a large iguanodontian dinosaur from the Early Cretaceous Wessex Formation of the Isle of Wight, England. The name means “sail spine,” a reference to its hyperelongated vertebral spines, while the species name honours British sailor Dame Ellen MacArthur. Fossil Remains and Description The fossils of Istiorachis include partial vertebrae from the … Read more
In Depth Yuxisaurus is a genus of armoured dinosaur that lived in Asia during the Jurassic. Quadrupedal and a browser of low growing vegetation, Yuxisaurusis considered to be a basal member of the thyreophoran dinosaurs. Further reading - A new early-branching armoured thyreophoran dinosaur from the Lower Jurassic of southwestern China. - bioRxiv: 1–43. - … Read more
In Depth Jakapil is an interesting little dinosaur as it may represent not only a basal thyreophoran dinosaur, but possibly also for the time of its description, an unknown kind. Unfortunately the remains of the holotype individual are largely incomplete, but they do at least give us a tantalising glimpse at the jaw structure, general … Read more
In Depth Ornatops is a genus of brachylophosaurine saurolophine hadrosaurid dinosaur that lived in North America during the late Cretaceous. Though the holotype skull is in bits, it has been reconstructed to form features that are roughly similar to Brachylophosaurus. Ornatops however also seems to have a bony protrusion rising up above the eyes. Like … Read more
In Depth Stegouros is a genus of small ankylosaurian dinosaur that lived in South America during the late Cretaceous. What is an immediate stand out feature of this dinosaur is the tail which has a very distinct arrangement of osteoderms. This arranging of osteoderms led to comparison to a maquahuitl, a kind of hand held … 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 Brighstoneus is a genus of hadrosauriform dinosaur that lived in the British Isles during the early Cretaceous. One feature that immediately stands out about Brighstoneus is the enlarged nasal bone which would have supported a bulla-like feature with convex sides on the tip of the snout. Like other hadrosaurifom dinosaurs, Brighstoneus would have … Read more
In Depth The naming history of this dinosaur is somewhat convoluted. The fossils that would go on to establish this genus were originally described in 1984, but as a species of Kritosaurus, K. australis. As you may have inferred front the species name, it was thought that a southern population of Kritosaurus had been discovered, … Read more
In Depth Yamatosaurus is a genus of hadrosaurid dinosaur that lived in Japan during the late Cretaceous. Yamatosaurus is considered to be a more primitive form of hadrosaur, and the discovery of this dinosaur seems to portray a picture of more basal hadrosaur forms existing in East Asia all the way into the late Cretaceous, … Read more