In Depth Tatisaurus is one of those dinosaurs that has a lot of people forming lots of different opinions about what exactly it is. The person who first described the type fossil, D. J. Simmons first proposed that it belonged to a heterodontosaurid dinosaur and then later to a dinosaur similar to Scelidosaurus, a Thyreophoran … Read more
In Depth Wulong is a genus of microraptorine dromaeosaurid dinosaur that lived in China during the early Cretaceous. The holotype individual of Wulong is of a juvenile, so a full adult size for this dinosaur is unknown at the time of writing. Other microraptorine dinosaurs however are usually smaller than other dromaeosaurid dinosaurs, and like … Read more
In Depth Another Asian tyrannosaur that was named early in 2016, Timurlengia has been named from isolated fossil remains cantered around a braincase that was first discovered in 2004. The braincase lay in storage at the Zoological Institute of the Russian Academy of Sciences until 2014 when Stephen Brusatte, a palaeontologist noted for his work … Read more
In Depth The fossil remains of Becklespinax first began their taxonomic life as a second species of Altispinax called A. altipinax. However Altispinax was previously only described from teeth and there was no firm proof that the second species remains of three vertebrae actually belonged to the type specimen teeth. Later Gregory S. Paul, noting … Read more
In Depth South America is known as the cradle of giant dinosaurs, including other massive sauropods such as Argentinosaurus. Futalognkosaurus however has more skeletal material including the vertebrae (cervical and dorsal), sacrum, ilia, right pubis and ischium and ribs. Unfortunately the skull, tail and legs are unknown. Despite the lack of this material, Futalognkosaurus still … Read more
In Depth Though the name means ‘crocodile’, Mesosuchus was actually one of the rhynchosaurs, a distinct group of archosaurs noted for having a herbivorous diet. Mesosuchus seems to be one of the more primitive forms with later relatives showing distinctly more developed adaptations for their lifestyles. Further Reading - Mesosuchus browni, gen. et spe. Nov. … Read more
In Depth Discovered by Reverend William D. Fox in 1865, Polacanthus has been frustratingly ill preserved with only the hind quarters and parts of armour well preserved. The skull is also unknown, and for this reason modern reconstructions are based upon comparisons with other similar dinosaurs like Gastonia. What can be ascertained is that Polacanthus … Read more
In Depth Carbonodraco is a genus of acleistorhinid parareptile that lived in North America during the early Permian. At the time of its description Carbonodraco is considered to be one of the earliest known parareptiles. Further Reading - Carbonodraco lundi gen et sp. nov., the oldest parareptile, from Linton, Ohio, and new insights into the … Read more
In Depth Guemesia is a genus of abelisaurid dinosaur that lived in South America during the late Cretaceous. At the time of writing Guemesia is known only from a braincase, which makes physical details beyond generic abelisaurid traits hard to determine. The size of the braincase however suggests that Guemesia may have actually been quite … Read more
In Depth Godavarisaurus is a genus of lepidosaur that lived in India during the early Jurassic, and may have resembled a modern day Tuatara. Further Reading - Rhynchocephalians (Diapsida: Lepidosauria) from the Jurassic Kota Formation of India. Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society 133:309-334. - S. E. Evans, G. V. R. Prasad, and B. K. … Read more