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
In Depth Leonerasaurus is a genus of sauropodomorph dinosaur that is known to have lived in South America during the early Jurassic. Leonerasaurus is notable for having a mix of physical characteristics that are seen in both sauropodomorph dinosaurs as well as later sauropods, though current thinking is that Leonerasaurus was a sauropodomorph, but one … Read more
In Depth Like with many dinosaurs named from English fossils in the nineteenth century, Lexovisaurus has a complex taxonomic history, but it can be broken down like this. Current fossils of Lexovisaurus were originally described in 1887as Omosaurus a genus that had different species. However it was later realised that the name Omosaurus was preoccupied, … Read more
In Depth Diandongosuchus is classed as a poposaurid rauisuchian, though while most of the members of this group such as Poposaurus, Arizonasaurus and Lotosaurus are terrestrial, Diandongosuchus seems to have been semiaquatic and living in a similar manner to a crocodile. At the time of writing the only other poposaurid thought to be similar to … Read more
In Depth Along with Wonambi, Yurlunggur is another representative of the madtsoiid group of prehistoric snakes. Yurlunggur was a constrictor which means it coiled around its prey and squeezing it to death. One thing that makes Yurlunggur stand out from other snakes related to it is the fact it has perhaps one of the most … Read more
In Depth Huaxiapterus is a genus of pterosaur,that lived in China during the early Cretaceous. Further Reading - New tapejarid pterosaur from western Liaoning, China. - Acta Geologica Sinica 79(4):453-458. - J. L� & C. Yuan - 2005. - A new species of Huaxiapterus (Pterosauria: Pterodactyloidea) from the Lower Cretaceous of western Liaoning, China with … Read more