In Depth Centrosaurus acquired its named from the numerous bony projections that run along the edges of its frill. Aside from these a large nasal horn extends upwards from the top of the snout, and a pair of small horns project from the eyebrow. Two more hornlets hook down from the top of the frill, … Read more
In Depth The holotype individual of Microvenator was first discovered by the famed American palaeontologist Barnum Brown in 1933. Brown noted that the holotype individual had what he thought was a disproportionately large head, and so came up with the name Megadontosaurus. A reference to the large head, but also the teeth found near it. … Read more
In Depth Because nothing is known about Kimmerosaurus from below the neck vertebrae it is impossible to say exactly how the body of Kimmerosaurus looked. However another plesiosaur from the same formation called Colymbosaurus is known only from its post cranial skeleton. Together these two separate genera may in fact represent the same plesiosaur, but … Read more
In Depth When first described in 1988 by Zhang Yihun this sauropod dinosaur genus was named as Protognathus. However it was soon realised that the name Protognathus had already been used to name a genus of beetle, so the dinosaur was renamed buy George Olshevsky to become Protognathosaurus in order to make it distinct from … Read more
In Depth Named after Erlik, the demon king in Mongolian mythology, Erlikosaurus was a ground breaking discovery as it was the first therizinosaurid skull known to science. Despite the overall lack of other skeletal material, this skull made Erlikosaurus a model for other therizinosaurids, which at the time were only known from their post cranial … Read more
In Depth Oryctorhynchus is a genus of rhynchosaur that lived in North America during the late Triassic. Oryctorhynchus would have fed upon low growing plants. Further reading - A new rhynchosaur (Reptilia, Archosauromorpha) from the Upper Triassic of eastern North America. - Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology. - Hans-Dieter Sues, Adam J. Fitch & Robin L. … Read more
In Depth Oohkotokia was a medium to large ankylosaurid dinosaur that is so far only known from a single individual, though other fossils gathered in the past may actually represent specimens of this genus. Oohkotokia seems to have been similar to Euoplocephalus, though is considered distinct because the skull texture of Oohkotokia is quite smooth … Read more
In Depth Originally named Coloradia, it was later discovered that the genus name had already been assigned to a type of moth, hence the revision and change to Coloradisaurus in 1983. Identified as a massospondylid sauropodomorph, Coloradisaurus has been considered as a synonym to the genus Mussaurus. However, Mussaurus has been established only upon hatchlings, … Read more
In Depth Keresdrakon is a genus of pterosaur that lived in Brazil during the Cretaceous. The holotype individual of Keresdrakon was discovered in a bone bed with other pterosaur remains. These remains include the genus Caiuajara, proving that these two pterosaurs were active within the same ecosystem at the same time. Further Reading - A … Read more
In Depth Living in India during the early Jurassic, the dinosaur Lamplughsaura has been the source of some head scratching amongst palaeontologists. The two main options at the moment are that either Lamplughsaura represents a very advanced sauropodomorph, or a primitive sauropod dinosaur. What can be established however is that Lamplughsaura does represent a transitional … Read more