In Depth Known from the island of Spitsbergen in Svalbard, Djupedalia seems to have been a medium sized cryptoclided plesiosaur of the late Jurassic. The partial fossil remains of Djupedalia indicate that that the holotype was a juvenile at the time of death and that it was very similar to genera such as Muraenosaurus and … Read more
In Depth Jidapterus has had an uncertain phylogenetic history with researchers either not knowing or not agreeing on where to place it. Most now agree that Jidapterus belongs with the azhdarchid pterosaurs within the chaoyangopteridae because of its similarities to Chaoyangopterus which was described in the same year as Jidapterus. Further Reading – On a … Read more
In Depth Pterosaurs that belong to the Dsungaripteridae group are thought to have primarily if not exclusively fed upon shell fish, and adaptations for this diet can be clearly seen in Dsungaripterus itself. The tip of the snout is toothless and curves upwards. This would have been ideal for levering up shellfish that were stuck … Read more
In Depth Ischioceratops is a genus of small ceratopsian dinosaur that lived in what is now China during the late Cretaceous. Ischioceratops is a rare example of a ceratopsian dinosaur being named without any skull fossils. This has been possible in this case because the hip structure of Ischioceratops is quite unlike any other ceratopsian … Read more
In Depth First described in 2001, Nothronychus was the first genus of therizinosaurid dinosaur to be discovered in North America (the state of New Mexico in the USA), with other earlier notable discoveries such as Beipiaosaurus and Therizinosaurus being discovered in China and Mongolia. However the first fossil of Nothronychus called an ischium (the rear … Read more
In Depth Volgatitan is a genus of titanosaur that lived in Russia during the early Cretaceous period. Further Reading - The oldest titanosaurian sauropod of the Northern Hemisphere. - Biological Communications 63(3):145-162. - A. Averianov & V. Efimov - 2018.
In Depth Orodromeus was a small ornithopod dinosaur of the late Cretaceous that had boss-like growths on the jugals (cheek bones). Orodromeus has been considered to be similar to another small ornithopod named Oryctodromeus, which itself is considered to have been a burrowing dinosaur. It is still not known for certain if Orodromeus burrowed and … Read more
In Depth Wunyelfia is a genus of elasmosaurid plesiosaur that lived in waters around South America during the late Cretaceous. Further reading - Wunyelfia maulensis gen. et sp. nov., a new basal aristonectine (Plesiosauria, Elasmosauridae) from the Upper Cretaceous of central Chile. - Cretaceous Research. 118: Article 104651. - Rodrigo A. Otero & Sergio Soto-Acu�a … Read more
In Depth Selenemys is a genus of turtle that lived in Portugal during the late Jurassic. Further Reading - Selenemys lusitanica, gen. et. sp. nov., a new pleurosternid turtle (Terstudines: Paracryptodira) from the Upper Jurassic of Portugal. - Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology 31(1):60-69. - A. Perez-Garcia & F. Ortega - 2011.
In Depth Eidolosaurus is a genus of mosasaur that lived during the late Cretaceous. Further Reading - Eidolosaurus und Pachyophis, Zwei neue Neocom-Reptilien. - Palaeontographica (55)97-154. - F. Nopcsa - 1923.