In Depth There is not a lot of information about Sarcosaurus due to the relatively incomplete remains from only the pelvic region of the body. This makes it impossible to ascertain the form and structure of other body parts such as the head, hands and feet, something that makes exact classification of this dinosaur near … Read more
In Depth The Introduction of Megalosaurus to Science Megalosaurus was the dinosaur that started a great many things including the science of palaeontology, the debate about if dinosaurs should be called names that end with ‘saurus’ because they are not ‘lizards’, to lifetimes of fascination about the creatures that once walked the Earth when we … Read more
In Depth When Ornithopsis was named by Harry Govier Seeley in 1870, Seeley noted the pneumaticised vertebrae and considered Ornithopsis to represent a link between pterosaurs and birds. Richard Owen however said that he was wrong, the vertebra actually represented a kind of large marine reptile, though one that probably had a well-developed respiratory system. … Read more
In Depth Caihong is a genus of anchiornithid dinosaur that lived in Asia during the late Jurassic. Caihong was a very small dinosaur, roughly about forty centimetres long in life. Caihong is noted for having feathers covering the entire body except for the snout and claws. Study of melanosome associated with Caihong show that in … Read more
In Depth Mei was named because it was found in a sleeping pose, not unlike birds today. Study of the bones has revealed they were not totally fused, meaning that the animal was a juvenile. Analysis of the stone the fossil was discovered in shows it to have been buried by volcanic ash. A second … Read more
In Depth At fifteen meters long it could be said that Datousaurus was a lower average in terms of sauropod sizes of the Jurassic era. The skull of Datousaurus is noted as being deep with ‘spoon-shaped’ teeth for processing plants. Datousaurus is also noted for having a higher reach than some other sauropods that lived … Read more
In Depth Alwalkeria was originally named in 1986 as Walkeria, however the genus name Walkeria was later found to be as preoccupied as it had already been used to name a bryozoan (a kind of tiny aquatic invertebrate). This necessited a revision to the name since naming priority is always given to the first creature … Read more
In Depth Corythoraptor is a genus of oviraptorid dinosaur that lived in China during the late Cretaceous. Corythoraptor has been described as having a head crest similar to that of a modern day cassowary. The beak of Corythoraptor was also more pointed towards the end, suggesting feeding specialisation. Corythoraptor is one of many oviraptorid dinosaurs … Read more
In Depth The fragmentary nature of Shaochilong resulted in it being included into the Chilantaisaurus genus, a theropod dinosaur also from the Ulansuhai Formation. However while fragmentary, the fossil remains for C. maortuensis were much larger that the estimated length of two and a half meters for other Chilantaisaurus material. Questions were first raised about … Read more
In Depth Certainly one of the more difficult dinosaur names to pronounce, Mnyamawamtuka is a genus of titanosaur that lived in Africa during the Cretaceous. The holotype of Mnyamawamtuka is recognised as one of the most complete titanosaurs ever discovered. The high level of completeness may be down to the fact that this creature was … Read more