In Depth Eurazhdarcho was named because of its location and its close relationship to the type genus of the azhdarchidae, Azdarcho. Unfortunately not much of Eurazhdarcho is known, and what has been preserved is in a very poor state of preservation. We don’t know yet exactly how big Eurazhdarcho was because there simply isn’t enough … Read more
In Depth The describers of Guidraco classed it within the Pteranodontoidea (the group defined by the type genus Pteranodon), however they also found that its closest known relative was Ludodactylus which is actually a member of the Ornithocheiridae (another group defined by the type genus Ornithocheirus). These two groups of pterosaurs are closely related to … Read more
In Depth One of many diplodocid sauropods of the Morrison Formation (with other genera including Diplodocus, Apatosaurus and Suuwassea amongst others), Dystrophaeus has been the source of a lot of confusion. Edward Drinker Cope, the person who first named Dystrophaeus, thought that the animal belong in the much earlier Triassic period, while Othniel Charles Marsh … Read more
In Depth Hypsilophodon is one of the more famous dinosaurs that have been discovered in the Isle of Wight, however its discovery was delayed by the fact that for the first twenty years of the first fossils discovery, Hypsilophodon was actually believed to be a juvenile Iguanodon. This is of course in reference to … Read more
In Depth Besanosaurus was a primitive icthyosaur that lacked a dorsal fin and had a more eel-like tail rather than the fish-like tail seen in later more advanced genera. The jaws were long and thin, filled with small conical teeth for trapping marine organisms. The eyes that were around twenty centimetres in diameter may have … Read more
In Depth A genus of pachycephalosaurid dinosaur, Sphaerotholus has been raising a few questions as to its validity. The type species, S. goodwini is based upon only two very partial skull fossils. S. edmontonensis is based only upon three partial skull domes. This has led some to speculate that the genus is dubious and indifferent … Read more
In Depth Perhaps the most unusual feature of Yongjinglong is the scapula, the part that is equivalent to your own shoulder blade. Although the holotype individual has been estimated to have been about fifteen to eighteen meters long, the shoulder blade was unusually large in proportion at two meters long in itself. In addition to … Read more
In Depth Duerosuchus is a genus of relatively small crocodile that lived in Spain during the Eocene. Further Reading - Nuevo g�nero de Crocodylia del Eoceno medio de la Pen�nsula Ib�rica (Zamora, Espa�a): Duerosuchus piscator nov. gen., nov. sp. - Studia Geologica Salmanticensia 45 (2): 149–173. - L. A. Santiago & L. A. Andr�s - … Read more
In Depth The holotype remains of Chindesaurus were first discovered in 1985 and at first thought to represent a kind of unknown sauropodomorph dinosaur. It was later however that it was realised that Chindesaurus actually represented a kind of primitive theropod dinosaur. Exactly what kind of early theropod dinosaur has been a little bit harder … Read more
In Depth Klamelisaurus is a genus of sauropod dinosaur that lived in what is now China during the Mid Jurassic. Klamelisaurus has been noted as being very similar in form to an earlier named genus named Bellusaurus, though in addition to this, some have gone further to say that Klamelisaurus might actually be the adult … Read more