recursal/Fanatic-Fandom huggingface dataset:
Rhomaleopakhus

*Rhomaleopakhus* is an extinct genus of mamenchisaurid sauropod dinosaur that lived in China during the Late Jurassic.

## Description

 File:Thing.png
The generic name means "strong forearm", after the robust forelimb that Upchurch et al. note convergently evolved alongside the "Core *Mamenchisaurus*-like taxa" (CMTs), titanosaurs and ceratopsids.

They find a correlation with a flexed orientation of the forearm, an enhanced role of the forearm in feeding, and an anteriormost center of mass shift. The CMTs and titanosaurs may have specialized in a feeding strategy that involved efficient locomotion between sparsely-located food sources.

## History

The holotype is IVPP-V11121-1, a forelimb containing the humerus, ulna, radius, one carpa, and a virtually complete manus. This was originally assigned to *Hudiesaurus*. In a 2021 reassessment of the latter, the forelimb was separated from its hypodigm and made the holotype of *Rhomaleopakhus turpanensis*; the specific name after the Turpan Basinz where the specimen was collected

## References

1. ↑ https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/02724634.2021.1994414
2. ↑ https://www.nhm.ac.uk/discover/news/2021/december/new-species-of-chunky-sauropod-with-large-funny-bone-from-china.html
3. ↑ https://www.researchgate.net/publication/287912481\_Evolution\_of\_the\_titanosaur\_metacarpus
Stegopodus

*Stegopodus* is an extinct ichnogenus of stegosaur that lived in Utah during the Late Jurassic.

## Description

Fossils are known from Arches National Park and the Morrison Formation. The genus was erected in 1998 by Lockley, Hunt and Foster. The trackway from Arches National Park preserved the forefeet, while Morrison trackways do not. Due to fossil evidence, scientists were able to predict what stegosaur feet looked like six years in advance. Since the initial discovery, more trackways were found, none preserving the front feet and nearby stegosaur remains are rare.
Plesiopharos

Credit: Simaomateus on the Wikimedia Commons.

*Plesiopharos* is an extinct plesiosaur that lived in Portugal during the Early Jurassic.

## Description

*Plesiopharos* was discovered in São Pedro de Moel, Marinha Grande, from which the type species' binomial name, *Plesiopharos moelensis*, derives from.  At the time of its publication - 2021, this plesiosaur was the most complete and oldest known from the Iberian Peninsula. The Species were large carnivorous plesiosaurs. The fossils have officially and formally announced at 2021; however the fossils were found by two collectors, António Silva at 1999 and Vítor Teixeira at 2012; who donated them to the Lourinhã Museum in 2017 and were completely prepared in the Dino Parque laboratory. The holotype, ML 2302, is a humerus, radius, femur, pubis, ilium, pelvis, vertebrae, ribs, gastralia and cervical vertebrae. It is classified as a basal plesiosauroid.

## References

* https://www.researchgate.net/publication/266226350\_A\_New\_Plesiosauroid\_from\_the\_Toarcian\_Lower\_Jurassic\_of\_Alhadas\_Portugal
* https://www.fct.unl.pt/en/news/2021/06/plesiopharos-moelensis-new-portuguese-plesiosaur-and-oldest-and-most-complete-iberian-peninsula
RTMP Pantodont

The RTMP Pantodont is an unnamed genus of mammal that lived in Alberta during the Paleocene.

## Description

The taxon (RTMP coll.) was collected near Red Deer, Alberta, within the rocks of the Paskapoo Formation. It is known from a complete skull, an articulated left arm and hand, 4 partially articulated cervical vertebrae, and a tibia. Currently the fossils are on display in the Royal Tyrrell Museum.

## References

* https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pantodonta
* https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Predatory\_mammal\_fossil.jpg
* https://twitter.com/RoyalTyrrell/status/1499777575782174724?s=20&t=U2KRVVrm0NmyE9WVcgkAog
* https://twitter.com/RoyalTyrrell/status/1503405320248303617
* https://twitter.com/RoyalTyrrell/status/1503743877202784266?t=Be1rnwpjMgJK0GFw6jKTqQ&s=19
Serpentisuchops

Credit: SpinoDragon145 on the Wikimedia Commons.

*Serpentisuchops* is an extinct genus of polycotyline plesiosaur that lived in Wyoming during the Late Cretaceous

## History

Persons, Street and Kelley named *S. pfisterae* in 2022, meaning "serpent-snake-crocodile face" and a specific epithet after Anna Pfister, landowner of the holotype locality. The holotype is GPM5001, known from Old Woman Anticline in the upper Pierre Shale, discovered in 1995 and brought to the Paleon Museum collection. This area dates to the lower Maastrichtian of the Late Cretaceous. It is a partial skull, mandible, vertebral column, left ilium and pubis. The Mace Brown Museum of Natural History and the South Carolina Aquarium announced on September 22, 2022 that the following Monday at 1:00, the new genus would be officially unveiled after a public conference and question and answer session.

## Description

It was a medium-sized plesiosaur, reaching over 7 meters (23 feet) long. It is unusual among derived forms for having an elongate rostrum and neck, unlike the shortened rostra and elongate necks of elasmosaurids and microcleidids and the short neck and elongate rostra of many pliosaurids and polycotylids, the latter of which houses *Serpentisuchops*. This may be due to the exploitation of niche partitioning, allowing for greater flexibility in the neck and effective prey catching while striking from side-to-side.

## Classification

Persons, Street and Kelley (2022) recovered it as a polycotyline sister to *Trinacromerum*, *Georgiasaurus* and *Dolichorhynchus*. The long snout was likely ancestral, while the long neck was probably secondarily evolved and convergent with other plesiosaurs such as ancestrals, elasmosaurids and more basal Polycotylinae. They find:

## References

* https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Serpentisuchops
* https://twitter.com/CofCNatHistory/status/1572969100917309441?t=mwXZd3SqhHePiQpEIHbWeg&s=19
Sefapanosaurus

Credit: Chris Masnaghetti.

*Sefapanosaurus* is an extinct genus of early sauropodomorph dinosaur that lived in Zastron during the Triassic or Early Jurassic.

## History

This dinosaur is differentiated by the cross-shaped astragalus. The generic name derives from the Sesotho sefapano, meaning "cross" and the Greek saurus, meaning "lizard". The specific name refers to Zastron, the type locality, where it was found. It was named on June 23, 2015 in an issue of Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society[*citation needed*].

## Description

A partial left foot alongside four partial skeletons (including fragmented spines and limbs) were recovered from the Elliot Formation in the late 1930s, Zastron district, ~39 kilometers (19 miles) from the border of Lesotho, South Africa. These formed part of the large fossil collection curated by the Evolutionary Studies Institute (ESI) at Wits University recently. When studied, they were thought to be of *Aardonyx*. However, further study pinned the remains as a new dinosaur intermediate of early bipedal sauropodomorphs and later giant quadruped sauropods. This adds to the list of transitional sauropodomorphs from Argentina and South Africa, further clarifying their diversification in the known fossil record.

Sauropodomorphs were the dominant terrestrial herbivores throughout much of the Mesozoic, originating during the Middle Triassic (~230 million years ago) until the K-PG impactor at the Latest Cretaceous (~66 million years ago).

## References

1. ↑ https://www.nationalgeographic.com/science/article/paleo-profile-sefapanosaurus-zastronensis
2. ↑ https://www.mindat.org/taxon-8703152.html
3. ↑ http://www.sci-news.com/paleontology/science-sefapanosaurus-dinosaur-south-africa-02963.html
4. ↑ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sefapanosaurus
Southern Sumatran orangutan

## Pongo palaeosumatrensis

The Southern Sumatran orangutan (*Pongo palaeosumatrensis* or *Pongo abelii*/*pygmaeus palaeosumatrensis*) is an extinct species of hominid that lived in Sumatra during the Late Pleistocene.

## Description

This species is slightly smaller than *P. dubioisi*, but is known from the younger Sibrambang deposits. These two likely represent time-successive members of the *P. abelii* lineage, possibly of an even older lineage distributed around Sundaland and are sister to *P. pygmaeus* and *P. abelii*.

## References

* https://nyuscholars.nyu.edu/en/publications/fossil-pongo-from-the-early-pleistocene-gigantopithecus-fauna-of-
* https://digitallibrary.amnh.org/bitstream/handle/2246/259/A076a00.pdf?sequence=1
Proavis

Proavis is a hypothetical reptile possibly from the Middle Jurassic. There is no evidence that it actually existed, although it is plausible, seeing that it is supposed to represent a gliding, feathered reptile, probably a small theropod dinosaur, and there were some primitive, gliding theropods at the time.
Pseudogarypus

*Pseudogarypus* is an extinct genus of pseudoscorpion that lived in Europe and Russia during the Middle Eocene.

## Species

* *P. extensus*
* *P. hemprichii*
* *P. minor*
* *P. pangaea*
* *P. synchrotron*

## Description

The specimens recovered show that *Pseudogarypus* was at a basal place on the Pseudogarypidae family tree. One of the male specimens; *P. synchrotron*, has large pincers and a tear-shaped thorax. The pincers have 24 teeth on the inside and 33 on the outside. At the end of its thorax, the insect has two small horns, surrounded by several larger horns. Its is nearly impossible to tell the colours of *Pseudogarypus* because of the yellow amber.

## References

http://fossilworks.org/bridge.pl?a=taxonInfo&taxon\_no=271428

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pseudogarypus\_synchrotron
Raccoon dog

This page is about a genus that contains extinct and extant species; species marked with † are extinct.

## Nyctereutes

Credit: 663highland on the Wikimedia Commons.

## Statistics

### Diet

Omnivorous

*Nyctereutes* is a genus of canid that has lived in Eurasia since the Miocene.

## Classification

*Nyctereutes* is one of the earliest canines in the Old World and all species except *N. procyonoides* went extinct before the Pleistocene Epoch begun.

## Species

* †*N. abdeslami*
* †*N. donnezani*
* †*N. megamastoides*
* *N. procyonoides* (racoon dog)
* †*N. sinensis*
* †*N. terblanchei*
* †*N. tingi*

## References

* https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nyctereutes
* https://paleobiodb.org/classic/basicTaxonInfo?taxon\_no=41225
Scapanorhynchus

*Scapanorhynchus* is an extinct genus of goblin shark that lived in North America from the Early Cretaceous to the Miocene.

## Description

*Scapanorhynchus* is thought to be so similar in form to the goblin shark, *Mitsukurina owstoni*, that scientists once considered moving the modern shark to *Scapanorhynchus owstoni*. However, some species in both the *Scapanorhynchus* and *Mitsukurina* are now considered synonymous with the goblin shark. Most scientists consider the two genera distinct enough to be different. *Scapanorhynchus* had a long, but flat rostrum with awl-shaped teeth adapted for capturing fish or tearing chunks of flesh from prey. Most species are around 65 centimeters long, though *S. texanus* was around 3 meters long. The largest teeth from this genus are from the anterior angle of *S. texanus*, being 7 centimeters long.

## Species

* *S. lewisii*
* *S. texanus*
* *S. rapax*
* *S. raphiodon*

## References

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scapanorhynchus
Pterodactylus

Credit: Matthew Martyniuk.

*Pterodactylus* is an extinct genus of pterodactyloid pterosaur from the Late Jurassic of Germany.

## Description

*Pterodactylus* had a wingspan of about 1.04 meters, and lived by lagoons and beaches. *Pterodactylus* ate fish and small animals. *Pterodactylus* had conical teeth for holding onto slippery prey.

## Paleoecology

*Pterodactylus* was likely a seaside fisher in Late Jurassic, Germany. The animal likely went out to sea to fish and returned to the beach to rest until the next fishing trip. *Pterodactylus* was abundant in its ecosystem.

## Synonyms

* *Ornithocephalus*
* *Pterotherium*
* *Macrotrachelus*
* *Diopecephalus*?

## References

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pterodactylus
Sharovipteryx

Credit: Julio Lacerda.

*Sharovipteryx* is an extinct genus of protorosaur that lived in Asia during from the Middle to the Late Triassic.

## Description

*Sharovipteryx* is known from a skeleton preserved from the dorsal view, lying down, with articulated bones and trace integuments. Part of the pectoral girdle is missing, and another part is still entombed in matrix. The patagium did not extend down to the forelimbs. *Sharovipteryx* could have glided with its uropatagium, adjusting its "flight" pattern by adjusting its limbs or swinging its tail to produce drag. The membrane stretched between its elongate hindlimbs, tail and toes, and functioned very much like a delta wing aircraft. If the forelimbs bore a membrane, it would have been efficient for controlling pitch. Without a forewing, gliding would have been difficult. The area preserving the forelimbs were prepared away, destroying any possible traces of a forewing.

## References

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sharovipteryx
Sphaerotholus

Credit: Jack Wood.

*Sphaerotholus* is an extinct genus of pachycephalosaurid dinosaur that lived in western United States and Canada during the Late Cretaceous.

## History

*Sphaerotholus* derives from the Greek sphaira, "ball", and thlos, "dome", referencing the shape of pachycephalosaurid domes. This taxon spanned ~7-8 million years from the New Mexican Campanian to the Late Maastrichtian of Montana, which also proves a wide distribution. Williamson and Carr, who named *Sphaerotholus* in 2002, differentiate it based on a parietosquamosal bar that lowers in depth laterally when viewed in the caudal view, bordered by one row of nodes and having one lateroventral corner node. *Sphaerotholus* is considered highly derived.

## Description

*Sphaerotholus goodwini* is the type, and the holotype is NMMNH P-27403, a partial skull without the facial and palatal elements. S. goodwini is distinguished based on the parietosquamosal bar reducing at the lateral less than *S. buchholtzae* and the parietal reducing to a thin slip between the squamosals. It is named after Mark Goodwin, after his pachycephalosaurian research.

*S. buchholtzae* is known from TMP 87.113.3, the holotype, consisting of n incomplete skull. It was differentiated for having a parietal that widely exposes between the squamosals, wide enough to be adorned with parietosquamosal nodes, alongside having a shallow caudal margin (of the parietosquamosal shelf), a reduced lateral corner node above the ventral margin (of the parietosquamosl bar) and nodes in the lateral margin (of the parietosquamosal shelf) reducing at the squamosal and coalescing into a ridge that sits on the postorbital. It was named after Emily A. Buchhotz after her extensive pachycephalosaur research. However, Sullivan (2003) atrributed the remains to *Prenocephale*/*Sphaerotholus edmontonensis*, but Mallon et al. (2015) noted the two were distinct while describing a new Frenchman Formation specimen, based on comparative morphology and morphometrics.

Brown and Schlaikjer (1943) named *Troodon edmontonensis*, based on three domes from the Horseshow Canyon Formation. Williamson and Carr thought it may have been invalid, but Nicholas Longrich et al. (2010) named *S. edmontonensis*, who distinguished it from *S. goodwini* based on the paired hornlets at the back of the dome. It was differentiated from *S. buchholtzae* based on elongated parietals.

## References

* https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sphaerotholus
* https://dinoanimals.com/dinosaurdatabase/troodon-edmontonensis/
Sauropod blood parasite

A diagram representing the paleopathologies of the titanosaur, the third representing the blood parasites.

## Statistics

### Location

South America

The sauropod blood parasite is a species of parasitic microorganism that lived in Brazil during the Late Cretaceous.

## Description

The parasite was found in the vascular canals of a fibula, likely of a saltasaurid. They were soft-bodied, being the first parasite discovered in fossil bone tissue. Though only found in one specimen from Brazil, blood parasites like this were probably more widespread. They were found alongside severe osteomyelitis.

## References

http://www.sci-news.com/paleontology/cretaceous-titanosaur-blood-parasites-osteomyelitis-09108.html
Silutitan

Silutitan (left) and Hamititan (right) surrounded by contemporary fauna.

*Silutitan* is an extinct genus of sauropod dinosaur that lived in China during the Early Cretaceous.

## Description

   *Silutitan* is represented by IVPP V27874, 6 cervical vertebrae with intact neural spines. The name refers to Silk Road, silu in Chinese, combined with titan. The species name refers to China. Wang et al. (2021) place it as a Euhelopodidae sister to *Euhelopus*, and was named alongside *Hamititan*. This classification does not change when both are combined into a single unit.

## Paleoecology

*Silutitan* was contemporaneous with *Hamipterus*, an unnamed theropod and *Hamititan*.

## References

* https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-021-94273-7
* https://www.npr.org/2021/08/13/1027455413/scientists-discover-not-1-but-2-new-dinosaur-species-in-chinahttps://www.opb.org/article/2021/08/13/scientists-discover-2-new-dinosaur-species-in-china/
* https://edition.cnn.com/2021/08/12/china/china-new-dinosaur-species-intl-hnk-scli-scn/index.html
Pombal Brachiosaurid

Credit: Instituto Dom Luiz (Faculty of Sciences of the University of Lisbon)

The Pombal Brachiosaurid is an unnamed genus of Sauropod that lived in Portugal during the Tithonian.

## Description

In 2017 a homeowner noticed bits of fossilized bone that were exposed, and contacted scientists to investigate. The team uncovered a well preserved articulated skeleton of a novel sauropod. Work is ongoing, but much of the axial skeleton has been collected, including ribs and vertebrae. This specimen possibly represents the largest Dinosaur found in Europe to date.

## References

* https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/portuguese-man-accidentally-finds-82-foot-long-dinosaur-in-his-backyard-180980672/#:~:text=Portuguese%20Man%20Accidentally%20Finds%2082%2DFoot%2DLong%20Dinosaur%20in%20His%20Backyard,-Scientists%20say%20this&text=A%20Portuguese%20man%20accidentally%20discovered,bone%20fragments%20in%20his%20yard.
* https://youtube.com/shorts/PCGW5fR021U?feature=share
* https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lourinh%C3%A3\_Formation
TMP 95.87.01

TMP 95.87.01 is an unnamed genus of Polycotylid Plesiosaur that lived in Alberta during the Early Cretaceous.

## Description

TMP 95.87.01 was discovered Wabiskaw Member of the Clearwater formation, dating to the early Albian, by Syncrude Canada Ltd. TMP 95.87.01 is a articulated skeleton known from mostly complete postcranial material. This taxon represents the Oldest Polycotylid in North America.

## Classification

This phylogeny was simplified from Patrick S. Druckenmiller and Anthony P. Russell (2009). This taxonomy, however, has been shown to be outdated, so the actual relationships may be different.

## References

* Druckenmiller, Patrick S., and Anthony P. Russell. “Earliest North American Occurrence of Polycotylidae (Sauropterygia: Plesiosauria) from the Lower Cretaceous (Albian) Clearwater Formation, Alberta, Canada.” *Journal of Paleontology*, vol. 83, no. 6, [SEPM Society for Sedimentary Geology, Paleontological Society], 2009, pp. 981–89, http://www.jstor.org/stable/20627683.
* https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Clearwater\_Formation
* https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Polycotylidae
Pneumodesmus

*Pneumodesmus* is an extinct genus of millipede that lived in Scotland during the Paleozoic.

## Description

*Pneumodesmus* is only known from several body segments found in siltstone, with multiple legs. The body armour preserved the small ridges and bumps on the exoskeleton. The rest of the bodies form is unknown. *Pneumodesmus* is the first land-breathing organism, and was herbivorous. *Pneumodesmus* lived during the Paleozoic, sometime during the Late Silurian or the Early Devonian.

## Notable Specimens

* NMS G. 2001.109.1: The holotype, and only specimen of *Pneumodesmus*, consisting of several body segments and legs.

## References

* https://www.researchgate.net/figure/Pneumodesmus-newmani-n-gen-and-sp-holotype-NMS-G-20011091-Mid-Silurian-late\_fig1\_250070300
* https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pneumodesmus
Lophius

This page is about a genus that contains extinct and extant species; species marked with † are extinct.

## Statistics

### Diet

Carnivorous

*Lophius* is a genus of anglerfish that lives worldwide since the Eocene.

## Description

*Lophius* anglerfish have long, fleshy light poles on their heads, flat bodies, and wide mouths (hence the nickname frog-fish).

## Ecology

*Lophius* lives in moderately to deep waters, and use their fleshy light poles to attract prey.

## Species

* *L. americanus* (American angler)
* *L. budegassa* (blackbellied angler)
* *L. gastrophysus* (blackfin goosefish)
* *L. litulon* (yellow goosefish)
* *L. piscatorius* (angler)
* *L. vaillanti* (shortspine African angler)
* *L. vomerinus* (devil anglerfish)
* †*L. brachysomus*

## References

* https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lophius\_brachysomus
* https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lophius
* https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anglerfish
Sulaimanisaurus

"Sulaimanisaurus" is a genus of titanosaur sauropod dinosaur that lived in Pakistan during the Late Cretaceous.

## Description

"Sulaimanisaurus" is known from seven caudal vertebrae, discovered in strata from the Vitakri Formation. Referred fossils consist of a flattened tibia, fibula and metatarsal. Its tibia are slender and flattened, with broad distal ends, though less broad than "Pakisaurus". The humeri lack a radial condyle.

## References

* Malkani, M. Sadiq. (2021). Formal description of poripuchian titanosaurs, theropods, mesoeucrocodiles, pterosaur, snake and bird from the latest Maastrichtian Vitakri Formation of Pakistan. Open Journal of Geology. 11. 275-318.
Supersaurus

Credit: Sean Fox/Fossil Crates.

*Supersaurus* is an extinct genus of diplodocid dinosaur that lived in North America during the Late Jurassic.

## Description

Several well-preserved specimens are known, and it is similar to most diplodocids. It likely ate a lot of food to keep from starvation, but other ecological roles seem unclear. It may have been a sociable animal that did not fear most theropods, since they were some of the largest in their ecosystem. Juveniles and subadults, however, were threatened by smaller predators. It is unknown if *Supersaurus* adults were good predators or if it herded with individuals of different ages, since these traits vary between species. It was able to crush opponent under it's immense size and may have used its tail as a weapon (or maybe even to communicate).

## References

* https://www.nhm.ac.uk/discover/dino-directory/supersaurus.html
* https://vertpaleo.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/SVP\_2021\_VirtualBook\_final.pdf#page91
* https://www.livescience.com/supersaurus-longest-dinosaur-on-record
* https://www.businessinsider.com/supersaurus-worlds-longest-dinosaur-paleontology-2021-11
* https://www.independent.co.uk/news/science/supersaurus-fossil-longest-ever-dinosaur-b1958344.html
* https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/readersblog/yuvaanashish/what-is-supersaurus-39112/
* https://www.bbc.co.uk/newsround/59371472
* https://theswaddle.com/supersaurus-is-the-longest-dinosaur-known-to-ever-exist-scientists-find/
* https://svpow.com/2019/06/15/supersaurus-ultrasaurus-and-dystylosaurus-in-2019-part-2-what-we-found-in-utah/
* https://geektech.me/supersaurus-scientists-have-found-the-longest-dinosaur-in-the-entire-history-of-the-earth/
Santanmantis

Credit: Emily Stepp.

*Santanmantis* is an extinct genus of mantis that lived in Brazil during the Early Cretaceous.

## Classification

*Santanmantis* is the sole member of Santanmantidae; with the only species being *S. axelrodi*.

## References

* https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Santanmantis

* https://paleobiodb.org/classic/checkTaxonInfo?taxon\_no=220340&is\_real\_user=1
Pontolis

Credit: Roman Uchytel.

*Pontolis* is an extinct genus of walrus that lived in The United States from the Miocene to the Pliocene.

## Paleoecology

*Pontolis* was a large amphibious carnivore, that lived in coastal waters in California and Oregon. *Pontolis* lived between 11.608 and 5.332 years ago.

In 2020, *P. barroni* and *P. kohnoi* were described based on a new collection of fossil walruses.

## References

* https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pontolis
* https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/02724634.2020.1833896
Pygmy cassowary

Credit: Scott Reid.

The pygmy or small  cassowary (*Casuarius lydekkeri*) is an extinct species of cassowary that lived in New South Wales and Papua New Guinea during the Pleistocene.

## Description

Fossils of the pygmy cassowary are found in cave deposits near Wellington, far southern of today's species range. Sediments containing pygmy cassowaries also occur on the central highlands of Papua New Guinea . Fossils are tiny and fragmentary, and adults may span 75 centimeters long . Pygmy cassowaries may feature extensive differences from their modern-day counterparts, however, remains are too rare and fragmentary to prove whether the pygmy species differ greatly or slightly from closely-related birds. Also, the partial remains that exist show extensive autapomorphies from cassowary material. New material will have to be found and published on .

## Discovery

In 1891, Richard Lydekker was notified of tiny cassowary from the Pleistocene by a cast received by the British Museum lent by the Australian Museum. The remains surfaced 20 years later, alongside many fossils from the Mining Museum in Sydney, later transferred to the Australian Museum and given identification MF 1268. The specimen traveled, disappearing and later resurfacing in different collections and occasions. From 1954 to 1960, the item was collected and study began, under a different code, compared with B 10394. The latter specimen preserves blood vessels and similar details, with some lost while the cast was made. The bones were analyzed for distinctness. It is noted the MF specimen is not the holotype of *Casuarius lydekkeri* .

## References

1. ↑ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cassowary#Taxonomy,\_systematics,\_and\_evolution
2. ↑ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Casuarius\_lydekkeri
3. ↑ https://a-dinosaur-a-day.com/post/182772045500/casuarius
4. ↑ https://research.monash.edu/en/publications/a-pygmy-cassowary-casuarius-lydekkeri-from-late-pleistocene-bog-d
5. ↑ https://pdfs.semanticscholar.org/bb3c/09e7ba2ee048942bd1b74f1914cc9d84fad1.pdf
Sauroniops

*Sauroniops* is an extinct genus of basal carcharodontosaurid theropod dinosaur that lived in North Africa and Morocco during the Late Cretaceou.

## Naming and History

*Sauroniops* is after the Eye of Sauron, a powerful villainary force from J.R.R. Tolkien's "The Lord of the Rings" series, with ops meaning "eye". The specific name is from the Greek παχύς (pachys), meaning "thick", and θόλος (tholos), meaning "round building with conical roof; this is referencing the thick, vaulted skull roof.

The specimen was donated by a fossil collector in the early 2000s to the Museo Paleontologico di Montevarchi. These were found from a Moroccan fossil dealer, who had then acquired the remains through Taouz fossil hunters. Therefore, the stratigraphy of the specimen is largely unknown.

Andrea Cau, Fabio Marco Dalla Vecchia and Matteo Fabbri (2012) coined the name S. pachytholus after another 2012 publication suggested it was a new genus and species. MPM 2594 is the holotype, probably from the Kem Kem, consiting of a left frontal. A 2020 publication suggested Sauroniops should be merged into *Carcharodontosaurus saharicus*. Cau criticized this. In 2022, Paterna and Cau found that the reasons for synonymy stemmed from misinterpretations about the holotype and thus rejected this.

## Description

Apparently, *Sauroniops* is distinguished through: a nasal with a 40% contact length with the frontal, the left corner of the frontal bears a thick vault and a distinct bump on the forehead. It may have been 12 meters long.

The holotype was originally interpreted as a derived Carcharodontosauridae, with more extensive cladistic analysis (present in the naming) finds a basal position in the same group. Here it is recovered as the sister taxon to *Eocarcharia*. Abelisaurid-like characters are convergently evolved.

## References

1. ↑ https://www.app.pan.pl/article/item/app20110043.html
2. ↑ https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0195667112001395?via%3Dihub
3. ↑ http://novataxa.blogspot.com/2012/11/2012-sauroniops-pachytholus.html
4. ↑ https://theweek.com/articles/470550/sauroniops-tyrannosaurussized-dinosaur-named-after-thelord-rings-villain
5. ↑ https://www.researchgate.net/figure/Holotype-specimen-of-Sauroniops-pachytholus-gen-et-sp-nov-MPM-2594-in-A-dorsal-view\_fig1\_256079839
6. ↑ https://zookeys.pensoft.net/article/47517/
7. ↑ https://theropoda.blogspot.com/2020/10/sauroniops-non-e-carcharodontosaurus.html
8. ↑ https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/08912963.2022.2131406?journalCode=ghbi20
9. ↑ https://www.nationalgeographic.com/animals/article/121106-sauron-new-dinosaur-lord-of-the-rings-science-t-rex
10. ↑ https://blog.everythingdinosaur.co.uk/blog/\_archives/2012/11/03/new-super-predator-emerges-out-of-the-kem-kem-formation.html
11. ↑ https://www.huffpost.com/entry/sauroniops-pachytholus-t-\_n\_2088637
12. ↑ https://www.icp.cat/index.php/en/press-room/noticies-icp/item/986-sauroniops-a-new-giant-predatory-dinosaur
Saraikimasoom

Saraikimasoom is a naked genus of titanosaur that lived in Pakistan during the Late Cretaceous.

## Description

Saraikimasoom was originally named by M. Sadiq Malkani in 2015, which also coined Gspsaurus, Nicksaurus and Maojandino among others. However, the genera named did not follow standards set by the ICZN, and was considered a nomen nudum. In 2021, it was formally named.

## References

https://www.researchgate.net/publication/353701905\_Formal\_description\_of\_poripuchian\_titanosaurs\_theropods\_mesoeucrocodiles\_pterosaur\_snake\_and\_bird\_from\_the\_latest\_Maastrichtian\_Vitakri\_Formation\_of\_Pakistan
Pseudolarus

Credit: Jack Wood.

*Pseudolarus* is an extinct genus of terror bird that lived in Argentina from the Late Oligocene to the Early Miocene.

## Description

*Pseudolarus* was likely a look-alike (or at least very similar looking) to the the genus of terror birds *Psilopterus*. Although, it was likely much larger than *Psilopterus*.

## References

https://a-dinosaur-a-day.com/post/171365109335/pseudolarus-guaraniticus
Macrourites

*Macrourites* is a dubious genus of arthropod that lived during the Mesozoic.

## Description

*Macrourites* was once made of fossil prawn and lobster remains, but has now been split and synonymized. *Macrourites* was one of the 3 times an *Eryon* species was renamed[*citation needed*].

## References

* https://paleobiodb.org/classic/basicTaxonInfo?taxon\_no=235196
* https://paleobiodb.org/classic/basicTaxonInfo?taxon\_no=211276
* https://paleobiodb.org/classic/basicTaxonInfo?taxon\_no=391189
Shanag

Credit: Gabriel Ugueto.

*Shanag* is an extinct genus of microraptorian dromaeosaurid dinosaur that lived in Mongolia during the Early Cretaceous.

## History

*Shanag* was described in 2007 by Alan Turner, Sunny Hwang, and Mark Norell, who identified it as a dromaeosaurid (raptor), noting it was similar to *Microraptor* and *Sinornithosaurus*. It was named after the black-hatted dancers in the Buddhist Cham dance. The species epithet refers to the old name of the Öösh, the Ashile Formation, which was used by Henry Fairfield Osborn.

## Description

   *S. ashile* was recovered from the Öösh Formation, where It is known from one specimen, IGM 100/1119, a partial skull and jaw. The exact stratification is unknown, but it was likely Berriasian-Barremian. It was tentatively dated to 130 million years old, where it lived in the Jehol Biota, roughly contemporaneous with the Yixian Formation, of the Early Cretaceous. The holotype is ~6 centimeters long, with both jaws (a near-complete maxilla bearing teeth, a right dentary bearing teeth and a partial splenial that is attached) remaining uncompressed. In 2010, Gregory S. Paul estimated it was 1.5 meters long and 5 kilograms heavy. *Shanag* has a mosaic of troodontid and basal avialan traits.

## Classification

Later analysis by Longrich and Currie showed that it was indeed a member of the Microraptoria clade:

Brum et al. (2021), however, place *S. ashile* just outside of Microraptoria:

## References

1. ↑ https://archive.org/details/g.s.paul2016theprincetonfieldguidetodinosaurs/page/n87/mode/2up
2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2664043/
3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 https://www.pnas.org/content/106/13/5002
4. ↑ Paul, G.S., 2010, *The Princeton Field Guide to Dinosaurs*, Princeton University Press p. 133
Saurodon

Credit: Brian Engh.

*Saurodon* is an extinct genus of ichthyodectid fish that lived in North America during the Late Cretaceous.

## Description

*Saurodon* is a large predatory fish, but unlike most Ichthyodectidae, had a spear-like jaw with small teeth, and not the bulldog-like jaw of *Xiphactinus* with long curved sharp teeth.
SGDS 768

Credit: Marsh et al., 2019.

SGDS 768 is an unnamed genus of non-averostran neotheropodan dinosaur that lived in Utah during the Early Jurassic.

## Description

SGDS 768 is an anterior trunk vertebrae. It is non-coelophysoid and non-averostran in nature, and was referred to neotheropoda indet. upon description in 2021. It is from the Uppermost Whitmore Point Member, collected by D. Freeman and excavated and prepared by the St. George Dinosaur Discovery Site. It is Hettangian in age. The vertebral laminae and pneumatic fossae are prominent and both the anterior and posterior "shoulders" are comparable to *Dilophosaurus wetherilli*. However, it is up to 15 million years older than the latter, is is known from the Arizona Kayenta Formation rather than the Moenave Formation

## Paleoecology

The Moenave Formation is virtually void of any theropods, minus two coelophysoid pelves (from somewhere in the Dinosaur Canyon Member) and many trace ichnogenera. Contemporaneous ichnogenera are *Grallator*, *Eubrontes* and *Characichnos*, who all inhabited Whitmore Point, and made tracks on the shores of Lake Whitmore. This vertebrae coincides with the appearance of *Eubrontes*, which indicates that not all contemporaneous theropod traces were created by coelophysoids.

## References

https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/02724634.2021.1897604?journalCode=ujvp20
Plioplatecarpus

Credit: Emi Nakasuka on ArtStation.

*Plioplatecarpus* is an extinct genus of mosasaur that lived during the Late Cretaceous in North America and Europe.

## Description

*Plioplatecarpus*' skull was relatively short and its eyes were large due to low light conditions in deep water. *Plioplatecarpus*' teeth, though few, were curved for hooking in prey. *Plioplatecarpus* may have snatched smaller prey with precision. The broad distribution of *Plioplatecarpus* means that the genus was relatively successful, but died out to unknown circumstances. Yet another species is known, but unnamed. It is represented by a fragmentary fossil skull which is wide and robust. This shape appears more like monitor lizards and snakes, *Plioplatecarpus*' closest ancestors. This skull was restored by Triebold Paleontology Inc., and is 61 centimeters (2 feet) long, and the original fossils were found in the Demopolis Chalk.

## Paleoecology

*Plioplatecarpus* lived in the open ocean, and may have lived in deeper water due to its massive eyes. *Plioplatecarpus* swam the depths, snatching small prey quickly.

## Species

* *P. marshi*
* *P. depressus*
* *P. primaevus*
* *P. houzeaui*
* *P. peckensis*

## References

* https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Plioplatecarpus
* https://trieboldpaleontology.com/plioplatecarpus.html
Sivaonyx

Credit: Jorge Morales.

*Sivaonyx* is an extinct genus of otter that lived in Africa during the Early Pliocene.

## Description

*Sivaonyx* is known from fragmented mandibles found in South Africa. *Sivaonyx* and *Enhyriodon* are the largest African otter genera.

## References

http://novataxa.blogspot.com/2020/06/langebaanweg-mustelids.html
Prehistoric Wiki

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Suarez Sisters nodosaurid

The Suarez Sisters taxon compared to the vertebrae of the smaller Gastonia.

The Suarez Sisters nodosaurid, nicknamed "Gamera", is an unnamed genus of nodosaurid that lived in Utah during the Late Cretaceous

## Description

This taxon is known from massive material, CEUM 73676, CEUM 81513, CEUM 5249, CEUM 1491, CEUM 73619, CEUM 82603, CEUM 78267, CEUM 53271, CEUM 73707, CEUM 52779 and CEUM 1522; two vertebrae, a sacral shield, 3 osteoderms and a chevron. They are much larger than other recovered nodosaurid vertebrae from the Cedar Mountain Formation, including the contemporaneous *Gastonia*. Unlike the latter, it lacks a narrow ventral groove on the middle caudals. They were collected at the ?Berriasian of the Suarez Sisters locality, Yellow Cat Member, Cedar Mountain Formation on November 9, 2006. It is ~5 million years older than *Gastonia*. It has distinct armour.

Caudals, dorsals, ribs and osteoderms tentatively referred to *Sauropelta* from the Poison Strip Member, representing a large, distinct polacanthine may be related to this taxon[*citation needed*].

## References

1. ↑ https://twitter.com/Paleojim/status/1438186591822831617
2. ↑ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cedar\_Mountain\_Formation
3. ↑ https://twitter.com/Paleojim/status/1506064482451173376
4. ↑ https://twitter.com/Paleojim/status/1506083951219150851
RTMP 86.207.17

RTMP 86.207.17 is an indeterminate genus of caenagnathid that lived in Alberta during the Late Cretaceous.

## Description

Ryan and Russel (2001) list a therizinosaur (segnosaurid) cervical vertebra from the Scollard Formation, catalogued as RTMP 86.207.17. It is one of the most recent therizinosaurs, as it is from the Uppermost Maastrichtian. However, more recent analyses suggest that it aligns closer with caenagnathids, making it an oviraptorosaurian rather than a therizinosaurian. Some suggest that it is a possible new species.

## References

* http://theropoddatabase.blogspot.com/2014/11/
* https://books.google.ca/books?id=5m-KDwAAQBAJ&dq=RTMP+86.207.17&source=gbs\_navlinks\_s
* http://www.paleofile.com/Dinosaurs/Theropods/Segnosaurincertae.asp
* https://theropoddatabase.com/Oviraptorosauria.htm
* https://www.academia.edu/24570644/A\_Census\_of\_Canadian\_Dinosaurs\_more\_than\_a\_century\_of\_discovery
* Cullen, Larson, Zanno, Currie and Evans, 2020. Theropod biodiversity patterns in the Dinosaur Park Formation (Late Cretaceous: Campanian) of Alberta revealed through morphometrics and biostratigraphy. The Society of Vertebrate Paleontology 80th Annual Meeting, Conference Program. 115.
Regnosaurus

Credit: Jose Carlos Cortes.

*Regnosaurus* is a genus of stegosaur which lived in the Early Cretaceous in what is now southern England.

## Description

Very little is known about it due to limited fossil material, with only parts of its jaw known. It is a part of the Huayangosauridae, a family of primitive stegosaurs primarily found in China and includes genera such as *Huayangosaurus* and *Chungkingosaurus*. Due to the sheer scarcity of the remains, even this classification is questionable and *Regnosaurus* is now regarded as a dubious genus.

## Discovery

The partial jaw of *Regnosaurus* was found in 1839 by Gideon Mantell. Initially it was believed to have belong to *Iguanodon*, but further studies showed it belonged to a different genus. In 1848 it was named *Regnosaurus*, after the Celtic Regni tribe which once inhabited Sussex.

In 1874, another genus of stegosaur from the same area was named *Craterosaurus*. Known only from a single vertebrae, it is possibly a synonym of *Craterosaurus*. However, currently both genera are classed as dubious.

## References

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Regnosaurus
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Craterosaurus
Romualdo Thalassodromine

The Romualdo Thalassodromine is an unnamed genus of Thallasodromine Azhdarchoid Pterosaur that lived in Brazil during the Early Cretaceous.

## Description

The Romualdo Thalassodromine is known a mostly complete, semi-articulated skeleton. The only pieces missing are part of the neck, as well has part of the left wing and a small fragment of the leg, these were most likely preserved, but were lost by the poachers digging out the specimen. It is known from the Early Albian Romualdo Formation, and was illegally acquired by the Karlsruhe Natural History Museum where it is held along with other illegally acquired Brazilian fauna, such as *Ubirajara*, *Unwindia* and *Susisuchus*.

## References

* https://twitter.com/FeliPinheir/status/1441364932423938052?s=20
* https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Romualdo\_Formation
* https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/State\_Museum\_of\_Natural\_History\_Karlsruhe
Prohesperocyon

*Prohesperocyon* is an extinct genus of canid, often dubbed the first, that lived during the Late Eocene in North America.

## Description

An enlarged bony bulla and lack of a third upper molar indicate that *Prohesperocyon* was a canid. It is estimated that its limbs were slightly more elongated than its predecessors, and that its toes were compact and in-line rather than splayed.

## References

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prohesperocyon
Stethacanthus

This article does not meet the standards set by the Prehistoric wiki Manual of Style. Please edit it.

## Statistics

### Species

*S. concavus
S. gansuensis
S. neilsoni
S. praecursor
S. resistens
S. thomasi
S. productus*

### Diet

Carnivorous

*Stethacanthus* is an genus of shark that lived during the Late Devonian to Late Carboniferous worldwide.

## Description

Male *Stethacanthus* had a barbed tower on its back, covered in spines. Another spiny patch grew on top of its head. The spiny patches may have resembled jaws, or been part of a mating practice

## References

Dorling Kindersley Encyclopedia of Dinosaurs and Prehistoric Life, p. 45
Stellasaurus

Credit: Andrey Atuchin.

*Stellasaurus* is an extinct genus of ceratopsian dinosaur that lived in Montana during the Late Cretaceous.

## History

*Stellasaurus* means "star lizard", a reference to the song 'Starman' by David Bowie, because of the shape of the holotype frill.

## Description

When the animal was first uncovered in 2010, Jack Horner thought the right side of the frill was preserved. When the animal was described in journals, however, the frill was reversed, and the left side was fossilized. Scientists thought that the P3 was outward facing, while Horner thought it was more inward facing. Many traits of the holotype were mistaken between experts. Many think *Stellasaurus* had osteoderms on its skin like *Styracosaurus* and others.

The ceratopsian had a sharp parrot-like beak, with a horn curving towards the animals eyes. *Stellasaurus* adorned small eye and nose crests. *Stellasaurus*' frill was lined with nobs; eight on each side, with two large at the frills peak and a small dip adorned with nobs in the center of the frill. *Stellasaurus* had the body plan of any normal ceratopsian, bulky legs, raised back and short, thick tail.

## Notable Specimens

* MOR 492: A partial frill, the holotype of *Stellasaurus*, as well as the only fossil representing the genus. The frill consists of two edges, with multiple horns. The outer-frill edges both have three smaller knobs, growing in size to one larger knob. The frill has two very large horns facing upwards at the peak of the frill, where the bony frill joins together.

## Classfication

*Stellasaurus* is a key factor to early centrosaurian evolution, as characterized by its unique skeletal traits. Parts of the frill ornamentation differ from others like it. *Stellasaurus* as very closely related to *Styracosaurus*.

## References

* https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stellasaurus
Pontoleon

USNM 3792, holotype of Pontolis magnus.

*Pontoleon* is a dubious genus of walrus that lived in Oregon during the Late Miocene.

## History

The genus, now called *Pontolis magnus*, was incorrectly assumed to be preoccupied by another genus, *Pontoleo*, now a synonym of *Otaria*. Unnoticing that it only differed in the final letter, it was falsely amended to *Pontolis*. Researchers at the time considered either potentially valid, as preoccupation with a synonymous taxon is "[un]likely to be led astray." Since 1905, *Pontolis* has been widely used and as such is taxonomically preferred.

## References

1. ↑ https://paleobiodb.org/classic/basicTaxonInfo?taxon\_no=69095
2. ↑ https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/partpdf/144758
Seeleyosaurus

Credit: Connor Ashbridge on the Wikimedia Commons.

*Seeleyosaurus* is an extinct genus of plesiosaur that lived in Germany during the Early Jurassic.

## Description

The holotype of *Seeleyosaurus* was destroyed in 1945, during a WWII bombing. Only holotype casts remain of Seeleyosaurus. *Seeleyosaurus* may have had a flap of skin on its flippers.

## References

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Seeleyosaurus
Prothomo

Skull from Pampa el Pajón.

*Prothomo* is a dubious genus of hominid that lived in Mexico during the Early Holocene.

## History

A series of skulls were found from Pampa el Pajón near the brook of La Tigra accidentally discovered in 1888 and allocated to *H. pampaeus* by Ameghino from Chiapas, Mexico. Ameghino was inclined to call these ancestral to modern humans due to a low receding forehead. Although they were originally called part of the Pliocene in a series of 4 evolutionary steps, they are now recognized as modern *Homo sapiens* from the Early Holocene with skull modifications.

## References

* https://www.journals.uchicago.edu/doi/pdf/10.1086/212216
* https://books.google.ca/books?id=UbRBAAAAQBAJ&pg=PA103&lpg=PA103&dq=homo+pampaeus&source=bl&ots=go0e64H2oZ&sig=ACfU3U3eBWD29gb2AjYkx8zGMZ0rp6c6qg&hl=en&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwiA9Nu\_4fP5AhXopIkEHZWxCBcQ6AF6BAgTEAM#v=onepage&q=homo%20pampaeus&f=false
* https://www.researchgate.net/publication/299683261\_Emulating\_Olmec\_Gods\_Through\_Head\_Form\_Origins\_and\_the\_Preclassic\_Period
Sazavis

Credit: Scott Reid.

*Sazavis* is an extinct genus of enantiornithine bird that lived in Uzbekistan during the Late Cretaceous.

## Description

Little material is attached to *Sazavis*, but the animal in life was likely around 18.5 centimeters long minus the tail.

## Paleoecology

Given Sazavis was an enantiornithine, the bird probably lived high off the ground in tree canopies. Sazavis lived in the Bissekty Formation about 92 million years ago. The animal lived alongside the dinosaurs: *Bissektipelta*, *Cionodon*, *Gilmoreosaurus*, *Levnesovia*, *Turanoceratops*, *Caenagnathasia*, *Euronychodon*, *Itemirus*, *Kszholia*, *Timurlengia*, *Urbacodon*, *Zhyraornis*, *Abavornis*, *Catenoleimus*, *Explorornis*, *Incolornis*, *Kizylkumavis*, *Kuszholia*, *Lenesornis* and *Zhyraornis*.

## References

* https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sazavis
* https://a-dinosaur-a-day.com/post/165097254590/sazavis-prisca