In Depth This tyrannosaur is one of the earliest known and the fact that it hails from Western Europe means that the origins of the tyrannosaurs need to be carefully considered. Given that the largest and last of the group are known mostly from North America, and the smallest and earliest are known from Asia, … Read more
In Depth Streptospondylus could have become the first dinosaur to be scientifically recognised. Starting in 1770 vertebrae and limb remains were steadily recovered and over the course of the following years many fossils for separate locations were collected before being sent to the Museum National d’Histoire Naturelle in Paris, France in 1800. These fossils were … Read more
In Depth There is a lot of mystery surrounding Iliosuchus as the genus is only based upon the description of three ilia. These parts are not diagnostic enough to clearly identify what kind of theropod dinosaur Iliosuchus was, though in England during the Mid Jurassic the dominant theropod dinosaurs were the megalosaurs. A similarity to … Read more
In Depth Epidexipteryx was a very special find as not only is it one of the earliest ‘dino-birds’ it also had highly ornate tail feathers. These feathers are thought to have been similar to those of a peacock, and as display feathers, possibly only present in the males for the purpose of attracting females. This … Read more
In Depth Tugulusaurus is a little known genus of theropod dinosaur that lived in China during the early Cretaceous. Sometimes considered to be a dubious genus, Tugulusaurus has been re-affirmed as valid as recently as the early twenty-first century. Tugulusaurus is usually attributed as a coelurosaurian theropod, though the original describer Dong Zhiming speculated that … Read more
In Depth Harpymimus was a primitive member of the Ornithomimosauria and although geographically separated by several thousand miles, similar to Pelecanimimus. Harpymimus seems to display a change in dietary focus from meat to plants, something which is indicated in the upper jaw being toothless, while the only teeth remaining in the lower jaw being small … Read more
In Depth The type fossils of Ostromia were originally identified as belongs to a pterosaur and then eventually a species of Archaeopteryx before finally being re-identified as a distinct genus and a kind of anchiornithine dinosaur. Ostromia would have likely been a small predator, possibly more of a hunter of insects. Further Reading - Re-evaluation … Read more
In Depth Known from the late Cretaceous period of Europe, Betasuchus was originally known as a species of Megalosaurus, the first genus of dinosaur, and theropod to be named which saw it being treated as a ‘wastebasket’ for all future theropod remains until more in depth study into dinosaurs began to be conducted. This classification … Read more
In Depth Imperobator is a genus of possible dromaeosaurid dinosaur that lived in Antarctica during the late Cretaceous. Further reading - Phylogeny of a new gigantic paravian (Theropoda; Coelurosauria; Maniraptora) from the Upper Cretaceous of James Ross Island, Antarctica. - Cretaceous Research 101:1-16. - R. C. Ely & J. A. Case - 2019.
In Depth Microraptor was first presented to the world as part of the composite fossil called Archaeoraptor, where the tail of a Microraptor was added to the upper body of a Yanornis. Archaeoraptor was a scandalous fake that made headlines around the world, but in the aftermath of this, Microraptor would become known to science. … Read more