In Depth Nedcolbertia is a genus of theropod dinosaur known to have lived in the Western portion of the United States during the early Cretaceous. Nedcolbertia is known from the partial remains of at least three individuals, though much of these remains were damaged by erosion before their discovery. Still, enough is known about Nedcolbertia … Read more
In Depth Teleidosaurus is a genus of primitive form thalatosuchian marine crocodile. Originally named as a species of Teleosaurus, Teleidosaurus was established as a distinct genus in 1869, and was considered to possibly be one of the oldest marine crocodiles until 2015 when the genus Zoneait was named. As a metriorhynchoid, Teleidosaurus would have been … Read more
In Depth A European relative of Doswellia, Jaxtasuchus were doswellian archosaurs that may have been semi aquatic in the behaviour. This is indicated by the observation that the remains of aquatic invertebrates and temnospondyl amphibians were found alongside the holotype remains of Jaxtasuchus which were preserved in mudstone. Isolated teeth and a relation to other … Read more
In Depth Desmatosuchus is one of the better known aetosaurs that were squat quadrupedal archosaurs that fed upon low growing vegetation. This diet is suggested by the presence of peg like teeth that were best suited for stripping off fronds of fern-like vegetation. Not only is Desmatosuchus one of the better known of its group … Read more
In Depth Bromsgroveia is a genus of poposaurid rauisuchian that lived in England during the early Triassic. Bromsgroveia was named after the Bromsgrove Sandstone Formation where the holotype fossils were discovered. Further Reading - The poposaurid thecodontian Teratosaurus suevicus v. Meyer, plus referred specimens mostly based on prosauropod dinosaurs, from the Middle Stubensandstein (Upper Triassic) … Read more
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