In Depth When Appalachiosaurus was first discovered it raised more than a few eyebrows because it was discovered in the Eastern United States. Up until that point only one other genus of tyrannosaur named Dryptosaurus had been found in the eastern half of the USA. The one specimen of Appalachiosaurus appears to have been a … Read more
In Depth Tanycolagreus has been dubbed a run of the mill kind of Jurassic predator. Small and lightweight, Tanycolagreus probably focused its attentions on hunting smaller dinosaurs that were too difficult for larger predators to live on. However the holotype specimen is of a three meter subadult, with further referred material indicating a size approaching … Read more
In Depth Almas is a genus of troodontid dinosaur that lived in Asia during the late Cretaceous. Further Reading Osteology of a New Late Cretaceous Troodontid Specimen from Ukhaa Tolgod, �mn�govi Aimag, Mongolia. - American Museum Novitates. 3889: 1–47. - Rui Pei, Mark A. Norell, Daniel E. Barta, G. S. Bever, Michael Pittman & Xing … Read more
In Depth Although known from only a single partial skull, Nemegtosaurus is quite a find as titanosaurid dinosaurs are often only known from post cranial remains. However another titanosaurid called Opisthocoelicaudia is also known from the same Formation as Nemegtosaurus, and this one is only known from post cranial remains. This has led some to … Read more
In Depth Mansourasaurus is a genus of titanosaurian sauropod dinosaur that lived in North Africa during the late Cretaceous. The discovery of Mansourasaurus was significant in itself because North African fossil beds often do not yield remains of larger dinosaurs like sauropods. This is partly because the harsh arid conditions of North Africa will often … Read more
In Depth The lightly built skull of Abrosaurus (which is the inspiration for the name ‘delicate lizard’) clearly indicates that it was a macronarian sauropod, similar to genera such as Brachiosaurus and Camarasaurus. Camarasaurus in particular has been considered to be a very close relative of Abrosaurus because they both seem to represent basal (primitive) … Read more
In Depth The first Masiakasurus remains were described in 2001, and a second set of remains were recovered in 2011. This has allowed some of the original gaps including the premaxilla to be included with the overall morphology. The most striking feature of Masiakasaurus is the way the front teeth point forward and out of … Read more
In Depth Protarchaeopteryx was so named because of a superficial similarity to the genus Archaeopteryx. However today, Protarchaeopteryx is seen as a very primitive member of the Oviraptosauria, and one that bears a strong resemblance to the genus Incisivosaurus. Protarchaeopteryx was a small dinosaur, and one that probably specialised in hunting small animals like lizards … Read more
In Depth Triunfosaurus is a genus of sauropod dinosaur that lived in South America during the early Cretaceous. Described only from an ischium and tail vertebra, Triunfosaurus was originally described as a titanosaur. Further Reading - A new basal titanosaur (Dinosauria, Sauropoda) from the Lower Cretaceous of Brazil. - Journal of South American Earth Sciences … Read more
In Depth A little known theropod dinosaur from China, a 2010 study by Benson et al found Chuandongocoelurus to probably be related to the more complete Monolophosaurus. The partial remains of Chuandongocoelurus are thought to be from a juvenile/subadult individual, and coupled with the overall incomplete nature of them, it is impossible to establish an … Read more