In Depth Although based upon the description of fragmentary fossil remains, the actual discovery of Camarillasaurus is a significant revelation in itself since it is one of the few ceratosaurs known from the early Cretaceous period. This is directly in between the heyday of the ceratosaurs in the late Jurassic, and their second revival in … Read more
In Depth Cristatusaurus is recorded as a genus of spinosaurid dinosaur that lived in Africa during the Cretaceous. Africa has been an important source of spinosauird fossil material, however usually only snouts and teeth, and a few isolated bone fragments are found. Unfortunately, Cristatusaurus is no exception, and at the time of writing only some … Read more
In Depth Siamosaurus is a little known and often considered dubious genus of spinosaurid dinosaur since it has so far only been described from teeth. Siamosaurus was the first and only known genus of spinosaurid dinosaur known from Asia until the 2012 description of Ichthyovenator from partial post cranial bones. Like other spinosaurids, Siamosaurus was … Read more
In Depth Vallibonavenatrix is a genus of spinosaurid dinosaur that lived in Spain during the early Cretaceous. As a spinosaurid, Vallibonavenatrix is expected to have been a predatory dinosaur, primarily hunting for aquatic creatures in the water systems of the time. Further Reading - A new spinosaurid theropod (Dinosauria: Megalosauroidea) from the late Barremian of … Read more
In Depth Sigilmassasaurus has had a turbulent taxonomic history, at times being valid, other times being synonymous with other genera, to being valid again. It all began in 1996 when Dale Russel described a series of cervical vertebrae that were noted for being fairly short, hence the type species name S. brevicollis which mans ‘short … Read more
In Depth Irritator is proof that palaeontologists do have a sense of humour even if it is a dry one. The holotype specimen of Irritator was a skull that had been artificially elongated by illegal fossil collectors in the hope of increasing its monetary value (plainly speaking, to get more money for the fossil). Before … Read more
In Depth The discovery of Suchomimus helped towards the more accurate reconstruction of its potentially much larger relative Spinosaurus. Combined with knowledge from the discovery of Baryonyx and new partial skull material attributed to Spinosaurus remains resulted in Spinosaurus finally being given a crocodile-like skull instead that of the more typical theropod skull style. These … Read more
In Depth In 1983 a fossil hunter named William Walker discovered a large fossilised claw in a clay pit. Retrieval of this claw also resulted in the recovery of associated bones that revealed a new and previously unknown type of theropod dinosaur. Alan Charig and Angela Milner described and formerly named the new dinosaur Baryonyx … Read more
In Depth Although still only known from a few bones, Ichthyovenator remains a very exciting discovery as at the time of its discovery it was still the most complete spinosaurid dinosaur known from Asia, and still more complete than other spinosaurid genera such as the South American Oxalaia. Ichthyovenator is also the first known spinosaurid … Read more
In Depth Although only currently known from partial snout remains, it is still enough material to declare Oxalaia a spinosaurid due to the unique nature of the snout. Spinosaurid teeth were also known from the fossil site before the current material was discovered, and may have belonged to Oxalaia in life. With its total length … Read more