In Depth Described from a single partially preserved skull, Alexandronectes was an elasmosaurid plesiosaur that swam in the waters around what is now New Zealand during the late Cretaceous. These were dangerous waters as fossils of large mosasaurs such as Taniwhasaurus are also known from the same formation as Alexandronectes, and these predators were certainly … Read more
In Depth Due to the incomplete nature of the holotype fossils, Ultrasaurus is today seen as a dubious genus of sauropod dinosaur, given that it would be near impossible to attribute further remains to the genus. Ultrasaurus is actually more famous for forcing a naming change in a North American genus of diplodocid dinosaur. In … Read more
In Depth Several hundred bones from an estimated four individuals have been attributed to this genus, and together they make up the best represented European genus of nodosaurid dinosaur. Like its nodosaurid relatives, Hungarosaurus was an armoured quadrupedal dinosaur that would have browsed upon low growing vegetation. The armour would have been an arrangement of … Read more
In Depth Lessemsaurus is a genus of sauropod dinosaur named in honour of the Don Lessem, an author noted for his work writing popular science books. Although Lessemsaurus is so far only based upon the description of vertebrae. These vertebrae are noted for having tall neural spines, something which may hint at a fleshy or … Read more
In Depth Remains of Brazilian dinosaurs are often noted as being incomplete (for example, the increasingly famous spinosaurid Oxalaia was named from only the tip of the snout), and Adamantisaurus was no exception to this since it was named from only six caudal vertebrae. These six vertebrae were originally written about in 1959 by Sergio … Read more
In Depth Rhinorex is a genus of saurolophine hadrosaur that lived in the USA during the late Cretaceous. Rhinorex can be further identified as a kritosaurine due to the development of the bones on the snout which would have formed a bony display structure in life. However, Rhinorex is also noted as being very similar … Read more
In Depth Like with many sauropod dinosaurs, Agustinia is known from incomplete remains. Some of these remains however revealed a startling revelation in that this sauropod had what appeared to be armour along its back similar in appearance to the plates of Stegosaurus, a herbivorous but completely different kind of dinosaur. This is in particular … Read more
In Depth The original 2012 paper of the plesiosaur Spitrasaurus included the description of not one but two species for the genus. The type species, S. wensaasi (PMO 219 718) is described from sixty articulated cervical vertebrae believed to have come from a juvenile individual. S. larseni (SVB 1450) is also known from cervical vertebrae, … Read more
In Depth The overall appearance of Velociraptor was that of a lightweight bipedal hunter built for speed, though differed from most other known dromaeosaurid dinosaurs by having an upturned snout at the front of a long, low skull. The skull was filled with small teeth, suitable for taking meat off a carcass, but not for … Read more
In Depth Riabininohadros is a genus of large ornithischian dinosaur that lived on Europe towards the end of the Cretaceous period. Further Reading - Riabininohadros, a New Genus for the Ornithischian Dinosaur Orthomerus weberae (Ornithopoda, Iguanodontia) from the Late Cretaceous of Crimea. - Paleontological Journal. 54 (3): 112–114. - A. V. Lopatin & A. O. … Read more