In Depth Just thirty years before its description, the concept of dinosaurs evolving into birds was still a very controversial theory that did not have universally wide acceptance in academic circles. However, since the opening of fossil beds in China, new discoveries have slowly but steadily been made, each one adding more and more weight … Read more
In Depth Calcarichelys was a relatively small late Cretaceous turtle but one with a highly specialised shell. Instead of the usual concave curve across the back, a series of enlarged spikes ran down the middle of the back. These are taken as being almost certainly a defensive adaptation to make it more difficult for predators … Read more
In Depth Xixiasaurus is a troodont genus thought to possibly be closely related to Byronosaurus and Urbacodon. Part of this reasoning is that the teeth of Xixiasaurus lacked serrations. Care should be taken not to confuse Xixiasaurus with the alvarezsaur genus Xixianykus that is also known from the same formation as Xixiasaurus. Further Reading - … Read more
In Depth Losillasaurus is a member of the Turiasauria, a group sauropods which is named after the genus Turiasaurus. However Turiasaurus was named in 2006 while Losillasaurus was named in 2001, and usually this would actually make Losillasaurus the type genus since it was named earlier. Other sauropod dinosaurs that are closely related to Losillasaurus … Read more
In Depth Saurosphargis is a little known placodont who’s only known collection of remains were destroyed in World War Two. Although this means that the original fossils are no longer available for study, the original description did mention that the rib structure of Saurosphargis was very similar to that of the Paraplacodus. This indicates that … Read more
In Depth The sauropod dinosaur Brachiosaurus earned its name from the fact that the arms, or rather the fore legs as it was quadrupedal, are actually longer than the hind legs. The fact that these are longer offers Brachiosaurus a passive advantage in reaching up into the tree canopy to feed as the neck is … Read more
In Depth There appears to be some confusion regarding the full size of Prestosuchus. Earlier fossil discoveries seemed to point at a total length of around five hundred centimetres for an adult Prestosuchus. However an almost complete specimen reported in 2010 was stated as being the equivalent of about six hundred and seventy centimetres long. … Read more
In Depth When initially described, the dinosaur Yaverlandia was thought to be a pachycephalosaur, but a later study in 2008 (Naish & Martill) clarified the genus as representing a theropod dinosaur. Further Reading - A primitive dome-headed dinosaur (Ornithischia: Pachycephalosauridae) from the Lower Cretaceous of England and the function of the dome of pachycephalosaurids. - … Read more
In Depth Yulong was a Late Cretaceous oviraptosaur, and one that was positively tiny, especially when compared to the very large oviraptosaur genera like Gigantoraptor. Unfortunately, the exact age of the Qiupa Formation is currently unknown at the time of writing, but we can say that Yulong probably lived in the same ecosystems as other … Read more
In Depth At the time of writing Pluridens is only known from lower jaws, but these show that this mosasaur was a highly specialised hunter. The lower jaw of Pluridens had at least twenty-eight tightly packed teeth, more than in other known mosasaurs, and hence the inspiration for the name Pluridens which means ‘many teeth’. … Read more