In Depth Luanchuanraptor can go down in palaeontological history as the first Asian dromaeosaurid found outside of the Gobi Desert. Beyond this however the partial remains of the holotype make it hard to establish details about this genus. Luanchuanraptor was a dromaeosaurid meaning that it was a relatively small theropod dinosaur similar to others such … Read more
In Depth Despite its diminutive size Compsognathus is one of the dinosaurs that are best known to science. Not only was the skeleton well persevered but the remains of its last meal, a small lizard named Bavarisaurus were also found inside the specimen proving without doubt that Compsognathus was a carnivore. At the time of … Read more
In Depth Supersaurus is a relative of the ever famous Diplodocus and Apatosaurus (formerly known as Brontosaurus), as these three genera are all described as diplodocid sauropods. Diplodocids are members of the Diplodocidae and are noted for their long necks and tails, the latter of which are very thin and whip-like. Diplodocids can be further … Read more
In Depth Although only known from partial remains, Patagonykus is confirmed to have been an alvarezsaur, small bipedal dinosaurs that are thought to have specialised in hunting insects. Dinosaurs like Patagonykus were once thought to have been restricted to the lower stages of the upper Cretaceous, however the discovery of Bonapartenykus in 2012 has revealed … Read more
In Depth Pukyongosaurus is a genus of titanosaur that lived in Korea during the early Cretaceous. Further Reading - A preliminary report on a sauropod from the Hasandong Formation (Lower Cretaceous), Korea. - Proceedings of the Eighth Annual Meeting of the Chinese Society of Vertebrate Paleontology 41-53. - Z. Dong, I. S. Paik, & H. … Read more
In Depth Fossils of Lourinhasaurus were first described in 1957, but were initially thought to be a species of Apatosaurus. A second individual described in 1983 led to the notion that the fossils were not of a new species but an entirely new genus. Fossils of Lourinhasaurus have also previously been labelled as species of … Read more
In Depth Although two species have been named for this genus of sauropod dinosaur, they have both been established upon the description of teeth. For this reason Asiatosaurus is usually treated as a highly dubious genus of sauropod. Further Reading - Sauropoda and Theropoda from the Lower Cretaceous of Mongolia. American Museum Novitates 128:1-7. - … Read more
In Depth Described from a partial skeleton, Seitaad is one of the few North American sauropodomorphs currently known. It is widely believed that the individual that is now the Seitaad holotype was buried in a landslide from a collapsing sand dune, and hence this is the inspiration for the genus name. Further Reading -A New … Read more
In Depth Daliansaurus is a genus of small troodontid dinosaur that lived in China during the early Cretaceous. Many trrodontid dinosaurs are known to have been living in the same approximate time and location as Daliansaurus, but the describing paleontologists identified several features that differentiate this genus from others. Some of the clearer differences are … Read more
In Depth Named in 1890 from a partial hand and foot, Ornithomimus became the first known ornithomimid, which is why it is considered the type genus of the Ornithomimidae. The ornithomimds (also sometimes called ‘ostrich dinosaurs’) were small dinosaurs that usually ranged between three and four meters long, although some were slightly larger. During the … Read more