In Depth When Appalachiosaurus was first discovered it raised more than a few eyebrows because it was discovered in the Eastern United States. Up until that point only one other genus of tyrannosaur named Dryptosaurus had been found in the eastern half of the USA. The one specimen of Appalachiosaurus appears to have been a … Read more
In Depth At times the skull of Naashoibitosaurus has been attributed to Kritosaurus, while the post cranial skeleton attributed to Edmontosaurus. This is because the skull has been challenged as representing a growth stage of Kritosaurus, though other studies have shown that it is different enough to be regarded as its own genus. Currently however, … Read more
In Depth Stupendemys was a genus of pleurodiran turtle, a type better known as a side-necked turtle. Side necked turtles acquired their name because their necks are so long that the only way they could fit under the shell was to fold their necks into one side. The preserved length of the largest known Stupendemys … Read more
In Depth Klobiodon is a genus of rhamphorhynchid pterosaur that lived in Europe during the mid Jurassic. Klobiodon was large for the type of pterosaur it was, and was probably a hunter of fish. Further Reading - Pterosauria of the Great Oolite Group (Bathonian, Middle Jurassic) of Oxfordshire and Gloucestershire, England. - Acta Palaeontologica Polonica. … Read more
In Depth Like Ornithocheirus, Anhanguera had rounded crests on both the tip of its snout and lower jaw. Also the jaws broadened towards the tip with the sharp thin teeth pointing outwards in what is often referred to as a rosette. This arrangement greatly increased the ‘catch area’ for Anhanguera as it flew over the … Read more
In Depth Tanycolagreus has been dubbed a run of the mill kind of Jurassic predator. Small and lightweight, Tanycolagreus probably focused its attentions on hunting smaller dinosaurs that were too difficult for larger predators to live on. However the holotype specimen is of a three meter subadult, with further referred material indicating a size approaching … Read more
In Depth Almas is a genus of troodontid dinosaur that lived in Asia during the late Cretaceous. Further Reading Osteology of a New Late Cretaceous Troodontid Specimen from Ukhaa Tolgod, �mn�govi Aimag, Mongolia. - American Museum Novitates. 3889: 1–47. - Rui Pei, Mark A. Norell, Daniel E. Barta, G. S. Bever, Michael Pittman & Xing … Read more
In Depth Although known from only a single partial skull, Nemegtosaurus is quite a find as titanosaurid dinosaurs are often only known from post cranial remains. However another titanosaurid called Opisthocoelicaudia is also known from the same Formation as Nemegtosaurus, and this one is only known from post cranial remains. This has led some to … Read more
In Depth Mansourasaurus is a genus of titanosaurian sauropod dinosaur that lived in North Africa during the late Cretaceous. The discovery of Mansourasaurus was significant in itself because North African fossil beds often do not yield remains of larger dinosaurs like sauropods. This is partly because the harsh arid conditions of North Africa will often … Read more
In Depth Hypacrosaurus means ‘near the highest lizard’, and in this context the ‘lizard’ was actually the dinosaur Tyrannosaurus, one of the largest dinosaurs in the ecosystems of late Cretaceous North America, but only about a third larger than Hypacrosaurus in the largest individuals (twelve meters for large individual Tyrannosaurus compared to nine meters for … Read more