In Depth Yabeinosaurus is a genus of lizard that lived in China during the Early Cretaceous. When first described Yabeinosaurus was thought to have been like a small gecko, but this interpretation was based upon the description of juvenile remains. In 2005, adult specimens were described for the genus, revealing that Yabeinosaurus grew larger and … Read more
In Depth Paraxenisaurus is a genus of deinocheirid dinosaur that lived in Mexico during the late Cretaceous. Deinocheirid dinosaurs like Paraxenisaurus are a special sub group of ornithomimosaurs that are more similar to the Deinocheirus genus (Deinocheirus was for a long time known only from a gigantic pair of arms until the early twenty-first century … Read more
In Depth Cetarthrosaurus is a little known and often considered dubious genus of ichthyosaur that is only known from fragmentary post cranial remains. Still, Cetarthrosaurus is identified as a thunnosaurian ichthyosaur that was hunting in the waters around what would become England around the boundary of the early and late Cretaceous. Fossil remains of ichthyosaurs … Read more
In Depth Parahupehsuchus is a genus of hupehsuchian marine reptile that lived in waters that receded over what is now China. Parahupehsuchus would have been a small aquatic predator that is named for its similarity to the type genus of the Hupehsuchidae, Hupehsuchus. Further Reading - A carapace-like bony ‘body tube’ in an Early Triassic … Read more
In Depth Multiple species and the differences between male and female. Much like the pterosaurs Pterodactylus and Rhamphorhynchus, Pteranodon has suffered from the wastebasket taxon effect. This is because at the time of its discovery it was the only known toothless pterosaur, and as such any remains that suggested a toothless pterosaur were almost automatically … Read more
In Depth Qianosuchus is a poposaurid rauisuchian that may have been semi-aquatic, similar to the genus Diandongosuchus in ecological niche. Part of this interpretation comes from the fact that the Qianosuchus holotype was discovered in a deposit that was formed from what seems to have been a lagoon. Further Reading - An unusual archosaurian from … Read more
In Depth Panphagia has been popularly perceived to have been an omnivore, an analysis based upon examination of the teeth. This is mainly because the teeth towards the rear of the mouth are broader and leaf shaped, better suited for slicing through plant material. The teeth at the front however are still better for processing … Read more
In Depth Calanguban is a genus of lizard that lived in Brazil during the early Cretaceous. Further Reading - A new Early Cretaceous lizard species from Brazil, and the phylogenetic position of the oldest known South American squamates. - Journal of Systematic Palaeontology 13 (7): 601. - Tiago R. Sim�es, Michael W. Caldwell & Alexander … Read more
In Depth Along with Yinlong, Stenopelix appears to have been one of the earliest members of the ceratopsian group of dinosaur. Unfortunately because the skull was not preserved no one knows exactly how far along the beak and neck frill had developed, in fact the identification of Stenopelix as a ceratopsian dinosaur was based upon … Read more
In Depth Leyesaurus is a genus of small sauropodomorph dinosaur that lived in South America around the early Jurassic. Predatory threats to Leyesaurus would have mostly come from theropod dinosaurs. Further Reading - A new basal sauropodomorph (Dinosauria: Saurischia) from Quebrada del Barro Formation (Marayes-El Carrizal Basin), Northwestern Argentina. - PLoS ONE 6(11):e26964:1-19. - C. … Read more