In Depth Halisaurus was first named all the way back in 1869 during a period in American paleontological history today known as the ‘bone wars’. However a year later Othniel Charles Marsh, the person who named Halisaurus, became aware of a genus of fish called Halosaurus and mistakenly came to the conclusion that Halisaurus was … Read more
In Depth Bissektipelta was first named as a species of Amtosaurus in 2002, however a subsequent evaluation of that genus found the type species, A. magnus to be indeterminate and possibly be those of a hadrosaur and not an ankylosaur. As such, the braincase that represented the second species, A. archibaldi was moved to its … Read more
In Depth Pabwehshi is a genus of terrestrial crocodile that lived and hunted on dry land. At the time of writing, Pabwehshi is only known from the Pab Formation of Pakistan where fossils of Pabwehshi were laid down during the Maastrichtian stage of the Cretaceous. Pabwehshi is usually credited as being a member if the … Read more
In Depth Fossils of Schleitheimia were originally recovered in the early 1950s by Emil Schutz, then in 1986 named as belonging to Plateosaurus. A subsequent study of the fossils in 2020 (Rauhut et al) found them different enough to warrant the creation of a new genus. The name Schleitheimia is derived from the name Schleitheim, … Read more
In Depth Kayentasuchus is a genus of small sphenosuchian crocodilomorph that lived in the south-west of the USA during the early Jurassic. Overall Kayentasuchus is noted for having a gracile build with slender limbs. The front of the skull is narrow with the lower jaw curved upwards, indicating that Kayentasuchus may have been quite specialised … Read more
In Depth The most noteworthy feature of Coelurosauravus are the dermal ossicles, creating thin strands of bone that extended from the flanks and supported a gliding wing. This may have provided a limited flight capability over short distances by jumping from a high point and steering itself by twisting towards a lower spot as it … Read more
In Depth Although known from very well preserved remains, there is still quite a bit of mystery surrounding Limusaurus. Study of the bones has revealed that it is a member of the Ceratosauria (the first one known from Asia), a group of theropods defined by the type genus Ceratosaurus. However the one specimen where the … Read more
In Depth Qiaowanlong was first thought to be an Asian representative of the world famous Brachiosaurus, but has since been found to be similar to other Asian sauropods like Euhelopus. Further Reading – The first well-preserved Early Cretaceous brachiosaurid dinosaur in Asia. – Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences. – H.-L. You & … Read more
In Depth At the time of the genus being named, Orovenator is the oldest neodiapsid reptile known to science. The neodiapsids are the ancestral reptile group which includes most modern reptile forms. Further Reading - A new Early Permian reptile and its significance in early diapsid evolution. - Proceedings of the Royal Society B 278 … Read more
In Depth The holotype fossils of Kayentavenator were originally described as Syntarsus kayentakatae until later study declared them to represent a distinct genus of theropods (additionally Syntarsus has now been declared a synonym of Megapnosaurus). Not a lot can be said for Kayentavenator because the skeletal remains are incomplete and of a juvenile dinosaur; combined … Read more