In Depth Dashanpusaurus is identified as a macronarian sauropod that might by related to the North American Camarasaurus, which means that it may have been a more specialised high browser. This fits in with another genus of sauropod from the Lower Shaximiao Formation called Abrosaurus that has also been considered to be a possible relative … Read more
In Depth Punatitan is a genus of titanosaurian dinosaur that lived in South America during the late Cretaceous. The genus name of this dinosaur is a reference to the thin air high up in the Andes mountain range where the holotype fossils of Punatitan were first discovered. Punatitan was named alongside the genus Bravasarus in … Read more
In Depth Chebsaurus is a genus of sauropod dinosaur that is known to have lived in what is now Algeria during the Jurassic. The genus name for Chebsaurus means ‘young man lizard’, from the Arabic word ‘cheb’, combined with the Ancient Greek for lizard. This is because the holotype specimen of this dinosaur is from … Read more
In Depth Surprisingly what is perhaps the most important ornithomimosaur so far discovered by the early twentyfirst century is also one of the least known outside of palaeontology. Initially thought to be a primitive ornithomimosaur, Sinornithomimus is now thought to be quite a bit more advanced than early ornithomimosaurs like Harpymimus, but not quite as … Read more
In Depth Xixiposaurus is a genus of sauropodomorph dinosaur that lived in China during the early Jurassic. Further Reading - [A new prosauropod dinosaur from Lower Jurassic in Lufeng of Yunnan]. - Global Geology 29(1):6-15. - T. Sekiya - 2010.
In Depth Today Antarctica is often referred to as a frozen wasteland, but back in the Jurassic it actually had an extensive covering of forest, something which is confirmed by the presence of fossilised tree trunks found near the remains of Cryolophosaurus. Many of the early Jurassic theropods had display features on top of their … Read more
In Depth Kholumolumo is a genus of sauropodomorph dinosaur that lived in Southern Africa during the late Triassic. Further Reading - Kholumolumo ellenbergerorum, gen. et sp. nov., a new early sauropodomorph from the lower Elliot Formation (Upper Triassic) of Maphutseng, Lesotho. - Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology. in press: e1732996. - Claire Peyre de Fabr�gues … Read more
In Depth Garudimimus is considered to be an ornithomimosaur, but unlike others of its kind it had shorter ilia, the legs were shorter and the muscles not as well developed. This has led to speculation that Garudimimus would have actually been quite slow for an ornithomimosaur, although it could still probably out pace a human … Read more
In Depth Yunyangosaurus is a genus of predatory theropod dinosaur that lived in China during the Mid Jurassic. Further Reading - A new possible megalosauroid theropod from the Middle Jurassic Xintiangou Formation of Chongqing, People’s Republic of China and its implication for early tetanuran evolution. - Scientific Reports. 10: Article number 139. - Hui Dai, … Read more
In Depth Duriavenator was for a long time attributed to Megalosaurus, part of the ‘wastebasket taxon’ effect which saw Megalosaurus becoming a home for many fossils that actually represented similar yet different dinosaurs. Further Reading – A redescription of “Megalosaurus” hesperis (Dinosauria, Theropoda) from the Inferior Oolite (Bajocian, Middle Jurassic) of Dorset, United Kingdom. – … Read more