Othnielia rex was a small ornithopod dinosaur found in the Morrison Formation, a famous geological formation spanning a large chunk of the western United States which is dated to the late Jurassic Period, 155-145 million years ago. It is here… Read More ›

Morrison Formation
Morrolepis
The Morrison Formation of the western United States is one of the most famous deposits of late Jurassic strata anywhere in the world. It is here that dinosaur fossils from famous species like Allosaurus, Stegosaurus, Apatosaurus, and others were discovered… Read More ›
Harpactognathus
This is Harpactognathus, a rhamphorhynchid pterosaur from the Morrison Formation of the late Jurassic Period. It was one of the largest, if not THE largest, pterosaurs that called the Morrison Formation home. Although it is only known from fragmentary remains,… Read More ›
Coelurus
This is a little-known theropod from the Morrison Formation named Coelurus. You don’t see Coelurus very often in Jurassic paleo-art, but I think it’s an interesting creature. It had a much thinner build than its Morrison coelurosaurid counterpart, Ornitholestes, and… Read More ›
Megalneusaurus, Before and After
Back in 2013, I posted a picture of the 25 foot long pliosaur known as Megalneusaurus, which swam in a shallow sea that once covered the central part of North America during the middle and late Jurassic Period. The illustration… Read More ›
Head-Butting, Face-Biting, and Tail-Whacking: Dinosaur Intra-Species Combat
The image of Nature “red in tooth and claw” is a compelling vision which appeals to the popular imagination. Time and again, paleo-art illustrations depict dinosaurs and other prehistoric animals actively engaged in fighting, hunting, and killing. It’s a well-known… Read More ›
Ornitholestes with feathers
Greetings all. Every child with a rough grasp of what life was like in Late Jurassic North America probably knows the Morrison Formation’s main characters. If such a child were to be asked to name the meat-eaters from that formation,… Read More ›
Torvosaurus: The Grizzly Bear of the Jurassic
NOTE: The original article concerning Torvosaurus was published on August 8, 2015. It was completely overhauled and re-published on December 9, 2020, with more information and new artwork. Introduction The Morrison Formation of western North America, dated to the late… Read More ›
Camarasaurus
Camarasaurus, “the chambered lizard”, was a sauropod dinosaur from the Morrison Formation of western North America, dated to the late Jurassic Period about 155 to 145 million years ago. The animal gets its name from the numerous openings within its… Read More ›
News: Jurassic megalosaur from Portugal officially described
Hot off the presses! A new carnivorous dinosaur from Portugal has been officially named – Torvosaurus gurneyi. The fact that Torvosaurus came from Portugal isn’t a revelation – it was, after all, featured prominently in an episode of the Discovery Channel… Read More ›