Introduction When one hears the word “dinosaur”, one often imagines the sauropods – the large long-necked long-tailed plant-eaters which came to dominate Earth’s landmasses during the Jurassic Period. The sauropods died out in North America at the end of the… Read More ›
Nannopterygius, meaning “tiny fin”, was a genus of ichthyosaur which lived around Europe from the late Jurassic to the early Cretaceous Period approximately 152-140 million years ago. There are currently six species assigned to this genus: Nannopterygius saveljeviensis. © Jason… Read More ›
Brachypterygius, meaning “short fin”, was an ichthyosaur which lived around England during the late Jurassic Period 155-150 million years ago. Fossils of this animal were found at Smallmouth Sands near the seaside town of Weymouth, Dorset, England within the rock… Read More ›
Undorosaurus was a medium-sized ichthyosaur which lived in northern Europe during the late Jurassic Period 150-145 million years ago. Fossils of this animal have been found in Norway, Poland, and western Russia. In fact, it was named after the village… Read More ›
Onchopristis was a 4 meter (13 foot) long sawfish which lived during the middle Cretaceous Period approximately 105-95 million years ago. Onchopristis belonged to the sub-order Sclerorhynchoidei of the order Rajiformes, “ray-shaped”. Despite a superficial resemblance to a modern-day sawfish,… Read More ›
There are many iconic predators of the Seven Seas: the Great White Shark, the Killer Whale, the Giant Squid, and others. In prehistoric times, the list of “epic marine killers” was much longer. One of those who definitely deserves a… Read More ›
Concavotectum was a 6 foot long fish which lived in Morocco during the middle Cretaceous Period 100 million years ago. Concavotectum, which was named in 2008 from a single skull, belonged to the family Plethodidae. The plethodids first appeared during… Read More ›
Cladocyclus was a 4 foot long saltwater fish which lived around South America and Australia during the middle Cretaceous Period 110-100 million years ago. The famous Swiss ichthyologist Louis Agassiz coined the name Cladocyclus in 1841. The name, which means… Read More ›
Anhanguera was a pterosaur which lived in Brazil during the middle Cretaceous Period 98-92 million years ago. Fossils have been found within the Romualdo Formation of Brazil’s Araripe Basin. Anhanguera is the namesake member of the pterosaur family Anhangueridae, which… Read More ›
Polyptychodon was a 23 foot long pliosaur which lived around North America, South America, and Europe during the middle Cretaceous Period 100-90 million years ago. The name Polyptychodon means “many-folded tooth” and refers to the ribbed surface on the teeth’s… Read More ›
DINOSAURS AND BARBARIANS 