In Depth Nankangia is a genus of oviraptorid dinosaur that lived in China during the late Cretaceous. Although only known from partial remains, Nankangia has been speculated to have been more inclined to eating plants because the jaw symphysis is not downturned. However the exact diet for Nankangia, like with many other oviraptorid genera is … Read more
In Depth Baotianmansaurus is a genus of sauropod dinosaur known to have lived in China during the late Cretaceous. The known remains of Baotianmansaurus are very incomplete which means that it is still unknown what kind of sauropod Baotianmansaurus was, though it is usually classed as a titanosauriform. Additional details such as weight, length and … Read more
In Depth Quaesitosaurus is only known from a partial skull of what appears to have been a diplodocid sauropod dinosaur, however it has also drawn similarity to Nemegtosaurus that is also from the same area and also only known from a skull. If true then Quaesitosaurus may also be connected Opisthocoelicaudia which is only known … Read more
In Depth Although based upon incomplete remains, Ceratonykus is known to have been one of the alvarezsaurs. Other alvarezsaurs from the same formation include Parvicursor and possibly Mononykus. Further Reading - Ceratonykus oculatus gen. et sp. nov., a new dinosaur (? Theropoda, Alvarezsauria) from the Late Cretaceous of Mongolia. - Paleontological Journal 43(1):94-106. - V. … Read more
In Depth Although only known from incomplete skull and lower jaw material, Zhuchengtyrannus was still almost certainly one of the largest of the Asian tyrannosaurines. Also, even though the teeth of the holotype are not particularly well preserved, there are more as yet unidentified teeth that are known from that location that may yet prove … Read more
In Depth Sinornithosaurus was especially well preserved, and not only were the presence of feathers clearly revealed; they showed indications of having differing colours for different body areas. The feathers, while not exactly like those of modern birds, are still more advanced than in other species, including some of the later dromaeosaurids. This is significant … Read more
In Depth The skull of Bistahieversor has many features that are considered primitive for the tyrannosaurid group, but most importantly, a noticeable depth that is lacking in other, and later, tyrannosaurid species. This is significant because it was once thought that only the later and more advanced tyrannosaurids, like Tyrannosaurus itself, had deeper snouts. The … Read more
In Depth Sinusonasus is a genus of troodontid dinosaur that lived in China during the early Cretaceous. Sinusonasus means ‘wave nose’, and this name was given after the way the snout on the holotype skull has an undulating profile kind of like a wave. The tail vertebrae of Sinusonasus are also noteworthy in that the … Read more
In Depth One thing that made Dilong stand out from other dinosaurs upon its discovery was the impressions of protofeathers. These protofeathers were not capable of enabling flight, but were very good at insulating, keeping heat in the body. A higher base temperature for a cold blooded creature means a faster metabolism and more active … Read more
In Depth First discovered in 1984 and originally described as a species of Stokesosaurus in 2008, S. langhami was re-described as a new genus of tyrannosaur in 2013. As is standard practice with such occurences, the original species name of langhami was retained to create the new type species, Juratyrant langhami. The species name is … Read more