The giant goanna For roughly one hundred and fifty years Varanus priscus went by the name of Megalania prisca, however modern interpretations of this ancient lizard mostly concur that it is actually a species of the current Varanus genus of monitor lizards that we know today. Because it has appeared in many books, websites and … Read more
In Depth Kritosaurus was first described in 1910 upon a description of a partial skull that was not only incomplete but partially eroded. To fill in the gaps, Brown used a second skull that would later be referred to Anatotitan to complete the reconstruction. Not all the fragments were used, and the final reconstruction was … Read more
In Depth The discovery of Suchomimus helped towards the more accurate reconstruction of its potentially much larger relative Spinosaurus. Combined with knowledge from the discovery of Baryonyx and new partial skull material attributed to Spinosaurus remains resulted in Spinosaurus finally being given a crocodile-like skull instead that of the more typical theropod skull style. These … Read more
In Depth Chilesaurus is a very exciting find, and not just because it was the first Jurassic aged dinosaur to be discovered in Chile. Chilesaurus is a theropod dinosaur, yet there is no doubt that Chilesaurus was a plant eater, and not a carnivore like most other theropods were. Firstly the teeth of spatulate and … Read more
In Depth Remains of Suskityrannus were first announced back in 1998 when the description of the ceratopsian dinosaur Zuniceratops was first published. Back then the fossil remains were thought to have been those of a dromaeosaur, but in 2019, a more detailed analysis of these fossils were published. The name chosen for this dinosaur was … Read more
In Depth Not much is known about Unwindia except that examination of its skull suggests its placement within the Ctenochasmatoidae perhaps in a basal position. This would make Unwindia a relative to the filter feeding pterosaur Pterodaustro that is also known from the same part of the world. Further Reading Further reading- A new pterodactyloid … Read more
In Depth The name Carcharodontosaurus is derived from the Carcharodon genus of sharks, a group famous for including the great white shark (Carcharodon carcharias). This name was chosen because the teeth are sharp and serrated in a similar manner to the great white sharks, something that meant they could slice through the flesh of prey … Read more
In Depth Five neck vertebrae may not be much to go on when describing a pterosaur, but the elongated vertebra of Phosphatodraco are a signature feature of the azdarchid group of pterosaurs. The vertebra of Phosphatodraco are also quite unique in themselves by being elongated at the base as well as higher up and also … Read more
In Depth Eardasaurus is a genus of pliosaur known to have lived around European waters during the Middle Jurassic. The skull of Eardasaurus displays some proportional features that are similar to the famous Liopleurodon, including a diastema where the premaxilla meets the maxilla. However the skull of Eardasaurus suggests that as many as thirty-four to … Read more
In Depth Although only described from a single upper jaw bone, Matheronodon is noteworthy among ornithopod dinosaurs for having teeth that are larger, but fewer in number to most other known ornithopods. The describers speculated that Matheronodon used a scissoring action to eat plants. Further Reading - Extreme tooth enlargement in a new Late Cretaceous … Read more