In Depth Superficially, Utahraptor appears to be an earlier, scaled up version of Deinonychus. Specimens of Utahraptor are fragmentary but suggest a potential size of up to seven meters long, with some more conservative estimates falling nearer six meters long. These estimates make Utahraptor a contender for one of the largest known dromaeosaurid dinosaurs, but … Read more
In Depth Gongbusaurus is a genus of small ornithischian dinosaur that lived in China during the Jurassic. Further Reading – [Dinosaurs from the Jurassic of Sichuan]. - Palaeontologica Sinica, New Series C, Whole Number 162(23):1-136. - Z. Dong, S. Zhou & H. Zhang - 1983.
In Depth Cartorhynchus might well be one of the more ground breaking discoveries regarding ichthyosaur research. For over one hundred and fifty years the origins of the ichthyosaurs have been murky to say the least. We know that the ichthyosaurs began appearing in large numbers in the Triassic, so their origin is at least that … Read more
In Depth Corythosaurus acquired its name from the shape of the head crest on the back of its skull which resembles a Corinthian helmet from ancient Greece. Because this head crest was hollow, Corythosaurus is today classed as a lambeosaurine hadrosaurid. The lambeosaurine hadrosaurs which also include other famous genera such as Parasaurolophus as well … Read more
In Depth Zuolong was a relatively small Jurassic aged theropod that has been classed within the Coelurosauria. Due to its small size it was probably a predator of small vertebrates such as lizard, primitive mammals to even smaller dinosaurs. Zuolong however may have been potential prey for even larger theropods that are also known from … Read more
In Depth In modern times Szechuanosaurus is widely regarded as a dubious genus because it has only been described from a collection of isolated teeth. Also, because these teeth do not really have any specifically characteristic features, it is highly unlikely that skeletal remains could be later attributed to these teeth (like what happened with … Read more
In Depth Forfexopterus is a genus of pterosaur that lived in China during the early Cretaceous. Further Reading - A new archaeopterodactyloid pterosaur from the Jiufotang Formation of western Liaoning, China, with a comparison of sterna in Pterodactylomorpha. - Journal of Vertebrate Palaeontology. - S. Jiang, X. Cheng, Y. Ma & X. Wang - 2016.
In Depth Although only described from very incomplete remains, a number of things can be inferred about Barreirosuchus. Comparison to other notosuchian genera indicates that in life Barreirosuchus may have been up to four meters long. The discovery of a nearby turtle rib is also taken as an indication that Barreirosuchus was at least semi-aquatic. … Read more
In Depth When Willinakaqe was first described it was from a collection of fossils from various different individual dinosaurs. With the holotype bones of Willinakaqe weathered, the other fossil bones were used as stand in to get a more complete picture of this dinosaur. This involved establishing what is known as a paratype, a more … Read more
In Depth Elaphrosaurus has been something of an enigma for palaeontologists as while it is generally regarded as a ceratosaur, its proportions are similar to some other kinds of theropods. The overall appearance of Elaphrosaurus is that of a lightweight hunter that relied more upon speed rather than strength to take down prey. The tibia … Read more