recursal/Fanatic-Fandom huggingface dataset:
Dannychaeta

Credit: Robert Nicholls.

*Dannychaeta* is an extinct genus of polychaete worm that lived in China during the Early Cambrian.

## Description

—Dr. Xiaoya Ma
*Dannychaeta* fossils were preserved in organic burrows, originally carved from loose sediment, but is now rock. *Dannychaeta* heads have spade-shaped prostomium with abnormally elongated ventrolateral palps. *Dannychaeta* have wide and stout thorax's, an elongated abdomen, and the parapodia are biramous, with parapodial lamellae. These characteristics are shared with modern magelonidae, and further research suggests *Dannychaeta* is a Palaeoannelida.

## Classification

*Dannychaeta* appears to be one of the earliest polychaete worms, and is the first known bristle worm discovered. It is a Palaeoannelida. *Dannychaeta* unambiguously is a crown annelid, showing how annelids like it evolved into extant polychaetes.

## Paleoecology

*Dannychaeta* lived in thin burrows in the sediment, snatching unlucky prey that swam just low enough to be attacked.

## References

* https://www.nature.com/articles/s41586-020-2384-8#disqus\_thread
* http://www.ox.ac.uk/news/2020-06-11-oldest-relative-ragworms-and-earthworms-discovered
Calamospondylus

Credit: JemDarpole.

*Calamospondylus* is an extinct genus of theropod dinosaur that lived in the Isle of Wight during the Early Cretaceous.

## Classification

*C. oweni* was named by William D. Fox (1866) based on a sacrum and pelvis, meaning "quill vertebrae". Authors such as Woodward and Sherborn (1890), Swinton (1936) and Steel (1970) regard *C. oweni* as a nomen nudum based on the same remains as the holotype of *Aristosuchus*. Naish (2002) notes, based on discrepancies between the specimens and letters between Richard Owen and William Fox, that they are named from different specimens.

## References

1. ↑ https://www.nhbs.com/encyclopedia-of-paleoherpetology-part-17a-pelycosauria-book
2. ↑ https://www.researchgate.net/publication/229293026\_The\_historical\_taxonomy\_of\_the\_Lower\_Cretaceous\_theropods\_Dinosauria\_Calamospondylus\_and\_Aristosuchus\_from\_the\_Isle\_of\_Wight
3. ↑ https://citeseerx.ist.psu.edu/viewdoc/download?doi=10.1.1.394.8883&rep=rep1&type=pdf
4. ↑ https://www.researchgate.net/publication/309725903\_English\_Wealden\_Fossils
Dalianraptor

Credit: José Carlos Cortés.

*Dalianraptor* is a supposedly chimeric genus of bird that lived in China during the Early Cretaceous.

## Description

Researchers note *Dalianraptor* is very similar to *Jeholornis*, having a longer digit I and shorter forelimbs. Initially, this made authors think *Dalianraptor* was flightless. However, it is currently thought *Dalianraptor* is a product of the fossil trade, with dealers mashing the arms of an indeterminate theropod with a *Jeholornis* specimen.

## References

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dalianraptor
Dravidosaurus

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

## Dravidosaurus

Dravidosaurus as a stegosaur (left) and a plesiosaur (right).

## Statistics

### Diet

Needing evaluation (carnivorous?/herbivorous?)

*Dravidosaurus* is an extinct genus of reptile that lived in India during the Late Cretaceous.

## Description

*Dravidosaurus* is estimated to 3 meters (10 feet) long, but it is unknown what the animal actually was. *Dravidosaurus* was first identified as a stegosaur, consisting of a single plate, but has since been classified as a plesiosaur. Some, however, disagree with this saying *Dravidosaurus* is a sort of basal reptile. The remains aren't particularly dinosaurian, but have traits of a plesiosaur flipper. If *Dravidosaurus* is, in fact, a stegosaur, our understanding of stegosaur range will be tested. *Dravidosaurus* was dated to the Late Cretaceous, meaning it would be a Late Cretaceous stegosaur, a group that died out during the Late Jurassic.

## References

https://alchetron.com/Dravidosaurus

https://prehistorico.fandom.com/es/wiki/Dravidosaurus
Cristatusaurus

Credit: PaleoGeek on the Wikimedia Commons.

*Cristatusaurus* is an extinct genus of theropod spinosaurid dinosaur that lived in Africa during the Early Cretaceous.

## Description

*Cristatusaurus* is known from several sets of premaxillae and several vertebrae, which due to the underdeveloped bones, was determined a juvenile. The specimens show many similarities to that of *Suchomimus*, and the animal may have either resembles *Suchomimus*, or been identical to it.

Studies on the minimal vertebrae collected showed that they were not raised, nor did they extend up like that of *Spinosaurus* or *Oxalaia*. *Cristatusaurus* had long, curved claws on each hand. The recent study assigned *Cristatusaurus* as a valid genus and placed it within Spinosauridae, just outside Baryonychidae.

Thus showing further variety of Spinosauridae, as well as adding more examples of different spinosaurids coexisting within same habitat.

## Paleoecology

The habitat in Niger that *Cristatusaurus* inhabited was tropical. Though it had a dry season, Early Cretaceous Niger had large lakes, and fast flowing rivers. It also coexisted and likely competed with other theropods such as *Kryptops* and Eocarcharia, albeit those theropods were either smaller or equivalent to *Cristatusaurus* in size. *Cristatusaurus* likely ate a variety of prey items whether terrestrial and/or aquatic; for capturing aquatic prey, it likely wait on bodies of water for larger fish and other marine animals; such as crocodylimorphs, to pass, to which it would snatch and eat.

## References

1. ↑ https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S1251805098800542
2. ↑ https://www.researchgate.net/publication/321406300\_Spinosaurid\_Dinosaurs\_from\_the\_Early\_Cretaceous\_of\_North\_Africa\_and\_Europe\_Fossil\_Record\_Biogeography\_and\_Extinction
3. ↑ https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/08912963.2021.2000974?journalCode=ghbi20
CMN 8804

Credit: AcroSauroTaurus on DeviantArt.

CM 8804 is an unnamed genus of Centrosaur that lived in Alberta during the Cretaceous.

## Description

The specimen is known from a partial parietal, squamosal, post-orbital, including a post-orbital horn, a quadrotojugual, a partial lacrimal, a partial rostral, and premaxilla.

## Classification

This phylogeny was recovered by Dalman et al. (2021) during their description of *Menefeeceratops*.

## References

* https://blogs.scientificamerican.com/laelaps/paleo-profile-the-northern-nasutoceratopsian/
* Dalman, Sebastian G.; Lucas, Spencer G.; Jasinki, Steven G.; Lichtig, Asher J.; Dodson, Peter (2021). "The oldest centrosaurine: a new ceratopsid dinosaur (Dinosauria: Ceratopsidae) from the Allison Member of the Menefee Formation (Upper Cretaceous, early Campanian), northwestern New Mexico, USA". PalZ. 95 (2): 291–335. doi:10.1007/s12542-021-00555-w. S2CID 234351502.
Coprinites

*Coprinites* is a genus of extinct gilled fungus in the modern family Agaricaceae that lived in the Dominican Republic during the Early Miocene.

## Description

*Coprinites* was found in Dominican Amber dating to the Burdigalian. The holotype (AF-9-11) specimen consists of an isolated fruiting body, cap and partial stipe. The shape of the cap is slightly convex, with a small dimple in the center. The color the specimen displays appears to be a brownish-pink in color. There are 15 gills and 13 short gills on the specimen.

## References

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coprinites
Changmiania

Credit: Joschua Knüppe.

*Changmiania* is an extinct genus of basal ornithopod that lived in China during the Early Cretaceous.

## Description

*Changmiania* is known by two incredibly preserved articulated fossils, both found in the Yixian Formation. The fossils exhibit many traits interpreted to basal ornithopods and active burrowers. The upper jaw had a spade-like protrusion, which would have helped the animal dig small burrows in life. The neck is supported by 6 vertebrae, making it incredibly short, and its shoulder blades are fused and robust. All these traits, alongside the evidence that the animals suffocated in their burrows, are evidence of basal burrowing ornithopods in Liaoning, China.

When analyzed, *Changmiania* was proven to have been one of the most basal ornithopods.

## Paleoecology

The animals were found in burrows, in lifelike positions. The current theory is that the animals were initially surprised by volcanic activity, which caused their dens to collapse onto them, and their inevitable suffocation.

## Notable Specimens

* PMOL AD00114: The holotype specimen, recovered in a lifelike sleeping position in a deep burrow.
* PMOL LFV022: The referred specimen, recovered in similar conditions as the holotype.

## References

1. https://peerj.com/articles/9832/ Yang Y, Wu W, Dieudonné P, Godefroit P. 2020. A new basal ornithopod dinosaur from the Lower Cretaceous of China. PeerJ 8:e9832 https://doi.org/10.7717/peerj.9832
2. https://www.nieuwsblad.be/cnt/dmf20200908\_94418795
3. https://twitter.com/RBINSmuseum/status/1303294215808528390/photo/1
4. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Changmiania
Chinatichampsus

*Chinatichampsus* is an extinct genus of caiman that lived in Texas during the Eocene.

## Description

*Chinatichampsus* is known from the most complete skull material from Paleogene material outside the Western Interior. The genus is mainly distinguished from other caimans from notched falling laminae on the pterygoids posterior in position to the choanae and the elongate exoccipitals that descend, which also contact the basioccipital tubera. Unlike *Eocaiman cavernensis*, the anterior palatine process rounds, rather than being quadrangular. The classification and ago of *Chinatichampsus* support the modern caiman distribution, and likely moved with warm humid climate.
Edaphosaurus

E. colohistion.

*Edaphosaurus* is an extinct genus of synapsid that lived in North America and Europe during the Late Carboniferous to the Early Permian periods.

## History

*Edaphosaurus* is Greek for 'pavement lizard', occasionally mistranslated as 'earth lizard' or 'ground lizard'.

## Description

*Edaphosaurus* lived roughly 300 to 280 million years ago and first described and named in 1882 by the American paleontologist Edward Drinker Cope. Similarly to the closely related *Dimetrodon*, the animal possessed a large sail-like structure protruding from it's back, held up by various elongated neural spines (the exact purpose of has been an active subject of debate, though scientists theorize that it may have been used as to attract a female during the mating season or potentially a temperature regulation device).

## Classification

Similarly to *Dimetrodon*, *Edaphosaurus* is often mistaken for being a dinosaur. However, *Edaphosaurus* in actuality belongs to a group of synapsids known as pelycosaurs, which were driven to extinction approximately 50 million years before the first true dinosaurians appeared. A feature that distinguishes *Edaphosaurus* from the dinosaurs is it's splay-footed crocodilian-like posture, unlike the upright vertical stance of the much later bipedal and quadrupedal dinosaurs.

## Notable Specimens

* "Romeo and Juliet": Two specimens discovered on February 13, 2022 during prospecting. Romeo is known from spines, is much smaller than Clear Fork specimens and is not from the Wichita group. They are held by the Whiteside Museum.

## Species

* *E. boanerges*
* *E. colohistion*
* *E. cruciger*
* *E. novomexicanus*
* *E. pogonias*

## References

* https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edaphosaurus
* https://twitter.com/WhitesideMuseum/status/1495053220850319364
* https://twitter.com/Hollycheyenne98/status/1493315781274255364
* https://twitter.com/WhitesideMuseum/status/1493046140488536064
* https://twitter.com/WhitesideMuseum/status/1493360231744782338
EK troodontid

Credit: Barsbold, Osmólska and Kurzanov.

The "EK troodontid" is an unnamed genus of troodontid theropod dinosaur that lived in Mongolia during the Early Cretaceous.

## Description

The EK taxon is represented by SPS 100/44 (including braincase, the posterior of the mandible, a maxillary fragment and teeth, partial remains of 5 cervicals, articulate right manus and partial semilunate, the left manus phalanx I-1, the distal of the left femur, and fragments of the left and right pedes) during the 1979 Soviet-Mongolian Paleontological Expedition at Khamareen Us; Rinchen Barsbold et al. (1987) described it. It is smaller and was recovered from older sediment. Features in the skull suggest it may have been a juvenile; however, fusion in the skull and strange foot morphology indicate otherwise. Barsbold decided not to name the EK taxon due to incomplete remains and uncertainty about its maturity. The manus shows no signs of an opposable third digit, suggested by Russell and Seguin (1982) for *Troodon*. Turner et al. (2007) found it to be distinct and basal, fitting in a polytomy with *Jinfengopteryx* and a derived clade.

## References

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List\_of\_informally\_named\_dinosaurs
Cephalaspis

Credit: Esther Van Hulsen.

*Cephalaspis* is an extinct genus of jawless fish that lived worldwide during the Devonian.

## Description

*Cephalaspis* has a large head shield, two eyes, and a jaw underneath. The tail tilted the head down as it sucked in food on the river, sea, or lake floor.

## References

Dorling Kindersley Encyclopedia of Dinosaurs and Prehistoric Life, p. 39
Burgessomedusa

Credit: Christian McCall.

Burgessomedusa phasmiformis was a species and genus of Ancient Jellyfish belonging to cnidaria; animalia; that existed within Middle Cambrian period; throughout the Northern hemisphere of Earth. Their fossils are recovered from Canada; specifically Cambrian Burgess Shale.

## Description

This genus of aquatic animals presumed to be the Oldest known Jellyfishes known to science! Additionally these highly ancient Medusozoa species are speculated to be Macropredatory apex carnivores ( similar to modern Box Jellyfishes of Australia; which they feature; a truly high degree of Similarities ) that consumed Trilobites as whole.

## Sources

* https://www.science.org/content/article/world-s-oldest-jellyfish-might-have-swallowed-prey-whole
* https://edition.cnn.com/2023/08/02/world/oldest-swimming-jellyfish-fossils-scn/index.html
* https://allthatsinteresting.com/oldest-jellyfish
* https://www.bbc.co.uk/newsround/66397282
* https://royalsocietypublishing.org/doi/10.1098/rspb.2022.2490
* https://www.sci.news/paleontology/burgessomedusa-phasmiformis-12147.html
* https://scitechdaily.com/landmark-discovery-of-the-oldest-known-swimming-jellyfish-505-million-years-old/
* https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bsnl0j3YWh4
Burmese Theropod

## Gigantonauthus

Credit: Chung-tat Cheung.

Gigantonauthus is an extinct, large genus of theropod dinosaur that lived during the Middle Cretaceous in Burma.

## History

While at an amber jewelry store, paleontologist Lida Xing bought the shined amber, leading to a total price of a brand new SUV. The specimen was studied, and published in scientific journals.

## Description

This theropod is known from a single tail found trapped in amber, preserving muscles, bone, tendons, and feathers. X-ray analysis of the tail show that the feathers barbed out of the bone. The tail was entrapped alongside plant matter and several ants. The dinosaur is perceived to be a juvenile.

## Paleoecology

The juvenile likely scavenged alongside the floor and got entrapped in dripping tree sap. The Gigantonauthus wasn't able to escape, and over time the tail, alongside with the other debris, was fossilized in amber.

## References

* https://www.popularmechanics.com/science/a20926328/scientists-discover-feathered-dinosaur-tail-preserved-amber/
* https://www.nationalgeographic.co.uk/history-and-civilisation/2017/11/first-dinosaur-tail-found-preserved-amber
* https://phys.org/news/2016-12-amber-specimen-rare-glimpse-feathered.html
* https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/amber-fossil-adds-new-dimensions-tale-dinosaur-feathers-180961355/
Ectopocynus

Holotypes of (from top-to-bottom) E. antiquus (F:AM 54090), E. intermedius (F:AM 27580) and E. simplicidens (F:AM 25431)

## Statistics

### Species

*E. antiquus
E. intermedius
E. simplicidens*

### Diet

Carnivorous

*Ectopocynus* is an extinct genus of canid that lived during the Oligocene in North America.

## Description

*Ectopocynus*'s remains had blunt, massive premolars and the diet was thought to be hypercarnivorous or mesocarnivorous like its ancestor, *Enhydrocyon*.

## References

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ectopocynus
CMN 59667

CMN 59667 is an indeterminate genus of ankylosaur that lived in British Columbia during the Late Cretaceous.

## Description

CMN 59667 was collected in 1930 from Pine River, and is the second dinosaur of the Cenomanian Dunvegan Formation and the first of British Columbian Dunvegan outcrops. This material is too fragmentary to assign Ankylosauridae or Nodosauridae, but nodosaur footprints are common ichnofossils of the formation. The Cenomanian is one of the major terrestrial faunal transitions of North America, and many are known from the United States. Thus, CMN 59667 and other fossils the Dunvegan may produce herald great importance and data. CMN 59667 consists of the dorsal half of the dorsal vertebrae centrum, as well as a near-complete neural arch and two fragmentary dorsal ridges. They were found closely in one block of sandstone, and are likely to be one individual, despite disarticulation.

## References

https://fr.copernicus.org/articles/23/179/2020/
Crocodile

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

## Statistics

### Diet

Carnivorous

A crocodile (typically in *Crocodylus*) is a genus that lives in Africa, Asia, the Americas and Australia since the Late Miocene.

## Classification

Between 9 million and 16 million years ago, crocodiles originated from an ancestor in the Indo-Pacific region. Between 8 and 12 million years ago, they radiated to Africa. Following this, 5-6 million years ago, they dispersed through the oceans to the Americas. The name was proposed by Josephus Nicolaus Laurenti in 1768.

## Species

* *C. acutus* (American crocodile)
* *C. halli* (Hall's/Hall's New Guinea crocodile)
* *C. intermedius* (Orinoco crocodile)
* *C. johnstoni* (freshwater crocodile)
* *C. mindorensis* (Philippine crocodile)
* *C. moreletii* (Morelet's/Mexican crocodile)
* *C. niloticus* (Nile/African crocodile)
	+ *C. n. madagascariensis* (black crocodile)
* *C. novaeguineae* (New Guinea crocodile)
* *C. palustris* (mugger/marsh/Indian crocodile)
* *C. porosus* (saltwater/estuarine crocodile)
* *C. rhombifer* (Cuban crocodile)
* *C. siamensis* (Siamese crocodile)
* *C. suchus* (West African/desert crocodile)
* *C. raninus* (=C. porosus?; Borneo crocodile)
* †*C. anthropophagus*
* †*C. checchiai*
* †*C. falconensis*
* †*C. palaeindicus*
* †*C. thorbjarnarsoni* (Thorbjarnarson's crocodile)

### Reassigned

* †*"C." affinis*
* †*"C." depressifrons*
* †*"C." acer*
* †*"C." megarhinus*
* †*"C." gariepensis*
* †*"C." pigotti*
* †*"C." robustus*
* †*"C." bugtiensis*
* *"C." cataphractus*
* †*"C." vorax*
* †*"C." lloydi*
* †*"C." cultridens*

## References

* https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crocodylus
* Paleobiology Database
Cartorhynchus

Credit: Julio Lacerda.

*Cartorhynchus* is an extinct genus of small Ichthyosauriform that lived in China during the Early Triassic.

## Description

*Cartorhynchus* was a very small ichthyosauriform that has a lizard-like bauplan and a short torso. It probably swam slowly and similarly to an eel. The bones were very cartilaginous, and allowed flexibility that may have allowed movement on land. It's snout is short and constricted, with multiple rows of molar-like teeth on the outside surface of the jaw. It is known from Chaohu, Anhui Province of China. In 2014, Ryosuke Motani et al. named it as a new genus.

## References

* https://www.nationalgeographic.com/science/article/141105-ichthyosaurs-sea-monsters-dinosaurs-science-fossils
* https://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-8300251/250-million-year-old-marine-reptile-evolved-pebble-shaped-teeth-crush-prey.html
* http://www.sci-news.com/paleontology/science-amphibious-ichthyosaur-cartorhynchus-lenticarpus-02257.html
* http://novataxa.blogspot.com/2016/05/cartorhynchus.html
Citipati

Credit: PaleoNeolitic.

*Citipati* is an extinct genus of Oviraptorid theropod dinosaur that lived in Mongolia during the Late Cretaceous.

## History

Numerous fossils of *Citipati* were discovered in the 1990s by the joint expeditions of the American Museum of Natural History and the Mongolian Academy of Sciences at the Ukhaa Tolgod locality in the Djadochta formation. These were initially referred to *Oviraptor*, but described as a new genus *Citipati* by Clark et al in 2001.

The genus name *Citipati* is named after Citipati, a deity in Tibetan Buddhism which protects cemeteries. Citipati is one of the forms of the deity Mahakala, after which a Halszkaraptorine is named. The specific epithet *osmolskae* honors Polish paleontologist Halszka Osmólska, who extensively studied Mongolian dinosaurs.

## Description

*Citipati* was a medium-sized theropod with a toothless beak and feathers.

## References

1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Citipati
2. ↑ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Citipati\_(Buddhism)
DENA 13313

This article was suggested to be merged with *Pteraichnus*. If you oppose this idea, it can be discussed here.

## Statistics

### Diet

Carnivorous

DENA 13313 is an unnamed ichnogenus of Azhdarchoid Pterosaur that lived in Alaska during the Cretaceous.

## Description

DENA 13313 and smaller tracks represent a new, more robust, record of Pterosaur tracks. In a 2015 study, larger tracks, DENA 13313, and smaller tracks were described. DENA 13313 is 18 centimeters long and 6 centimeters wide. It is a manus impression from Denali National Park. They are very similar to *Pteraichnus*, and was very large (close in size to *Quetzalcoatlus* and *Hatzegopteryx*). Since the first track was found, another, similar in size, was found at Sable Mountain. It is 100s of meters from DENA 13313's locality.

## References

https://www.researchgate.net/publication/273642486\_Pterosaur\_tracks\_from\_the\_Lower\_Cantwell\_Formation\_Campanian-Maastrichtian\_of\_Denali\_National\_Park\_Alaska\_USA\_with\_comments\_about\_landscape\_heterogeneity\_and\_habit\_preferences
CDM 002

The elasmosaur confronting Kourisodon. Credit: @fishboy86164577 on Twitter.

CDM 002 is an unnamed genus of elasmosaurid that lived in Canada during the Late Cretaceous.

## Description

This plesiosaur was very large in size, and is known from the Nanaimo Group on Vancouver Island. It is known from a mandible, skull fragments, 28 isolated teeth, 66 vertebral centra from various parts of the column, ribs, pubes, a fragmented coracoid, 4 propoidals, 3 epipoidals and several gastroliths. The specimen is poorly preserved and exhibits many bites. The bone surface is heavily eroded and pitted, showing the carcass lay on the seabed for a while and was subject to predation and dissolution. It was found by Mike and Heather Trask at the southern bank of Puntledge River 400 meters downstream at 49°41′07′ ′N, 125°02′50′ ′W in the Pender Formation (Late Santonian).

## References

* https://citeseerx.ist.psu.edu/viewdoc/download?doi=10.1.1.845.4785&rep=rep1&type=pdf
Dos Santos Baurusuchid

Scan of the skull

The Dos Santos Baurusuchid is an unnamed genus of Mesoeucrocodylian that probably lived in Brazil during the late Cretaceous.

## Description

The taxon is currently being described by Daniel Martins dos Santos. The taxon is either a juvenile or a sub-adult, known from a well perserved skull and a "fairly complete postcrania". The taxon died during the process of replacing its teeth, so this specimen may give insights on the specific processes that extinct suchians underwent when replacing teeth and how/if they differ from their extant relatives.

## References

* https://twitter.com/ArminReindl/status/1484640519624003588
* https://twitter.com/palaeodaniel/status/1484924681731911685
* Daniel Martins dos Santos, Rodrigo Miloni Santucci, Carlos Eduardo Maia de Oliveira & Marco Brandalise de Andrade (2021): A baurusuchid yearling (Mesoeucrocodylia, Crocodyliformes), from the Adamantina Formation, Bauru Group, Upper Cretaceous of Brazil, Historical Biology, DOI: 10.1080/08912963.2021.2001807
Coelopleurus

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

## Statistics

### Diet

Omnivorous

*Coelopleurus* is a genus of sea urchin that has lived in Europe and North America since the Eocene.

## Description

*Coelopleurus* is known to have surprisingly bright patterns on their bodies. Even their skeletons adorn bright markings, which is a trait that sometimes preserves in fossil specimens. *Coelopleurus* are usually red and white

## Species

* *C. australis*
* *†C. carolinensis*
* *†C. castroi*
* *C. exquisitus*
* *C. floridanus*
* *C. granulatus*
* *C. interruptus*
* *C. longicollis*
* *C. maculatus*
* *C. maillardi*
* *†C. melitensis*
* *C. singularis*
* *C. undulatus*
* *C. vittatus*
* *†C. elegans*

## References

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coelopleurus
Cedar Mountain Velociraptorine

Cedar Mountain Velociraptorine alongside other fauna from the Cedar Mountain Formation.

## Statistics

### Diet

Carnivorous

The Cedar Mountain Velociraptorine is an unnamed genus of Dromeosaurid Dinosaur that lived in Utah during the Early Cretaceous.

## Description

This taxon is known from the Lower Yellow Cat member of the Cedar Mountain Formation.
Callichimaera

Credit: Franz Anthony.

*Callichimaera* is an extinct genus of small crabs that lived in the United Sates and Colombia from the Middle Cretaceous.

## Description

The generic name *Callichimaera* is derived from the Ancient Greek word: "calli", meaning beautiful, and "chimaera" a mythological animal hybrid, a reference to the bizarre mix of forms and characteristics of this species. The specific name is derived from the Latin "perplexus"; translating to perplexing, referencing the complex affinities this species displays.

Because it possesses many strange anatomical features, *Callichimaera* was dubbed the "platypus of crabs". The presence of certain features in this species, like large claws and swimming limbs, confirm that features known from modern crabs were present in the lineage nearly 95 million years ago. The genus evolved in the Cretaceous, accompanied by many other diversifying lineages, known as the Cretaceous Crab Revolution.

*Callichimaera* has massive paddle-like legs, indicating an active swimmer. This is opposed to crabs that mainly live on the seafloor. *Callichimaera* lacks the typical crab-like shape, something thatis noted in multiple species from the Cretaceous. Individual variation measures from a few millimeters up to two centimeters, suggesting both juveniles and adults are present in the same area, indicating possible group or social behaviour.

*Callichimaera* lived in a tropical environment, it's fossils rarely preserved in tropical settings in comparison to other parts of the world, making fossils of this genus an even more unusual discovery. *Callichimaera* was discovered in deposits containing comma shrimp and caridean shrimp fossils.

## References

1. ↑ https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6482010/
2. ↑ https://news.yale.edu/2019/04/24/meet-callichimaera-perplexa-platypus-crabs
3. ↑ https://www.nationalgeographic.com/science/article/how-did-crabs-evolve-crabbiness-complicated
4. ↑ https://www.researchgate.net/figure/Dorsal-frontal-and-ocular-features-in-Callichimaera-perplexa-n-gen-n-sp-from-the\_fig2\_332670286
5. ↑ https://www.theglobeandmail.com/canada/article-enigmatic-swimming-crab-fossil-offers-lessons-on-evolutions/
6. ↑ http://www.sci-news.com/paleontology/callichimaera-perplexa-07128.html
7. ↑ https://www.newsweek.com/callichimaera-perplexa-platypus-crab-world-95-million-years-1404530
Cadoceras

*Cadoceras* is an extinct genus of ammonite that lived in Europe and North America during the Middle Jurassic.

## Description

*Cadoceras'* shell is ribbed strongly, subglobular, has defined whorls and has with a venter that is rounded broadly. The shell also has deep umbilicals, and a crescent-shaped/smile-like aperture. The ribs originate at the umbilical shoulder, bifurcating midway across the flank and up to the venter. Species vary in rib patterns, overall roundness on the umbilical shoulder.
Dodo

## Raphus

Credit: Julio Lacerda.

*Raphus*, or Dodo, is an extinct genus of flightless bird that lived on the Island of Mauritius and went extinct in the 17th century.

## Description

Dodos are large flightless birds, with large hooked beaks and small tails. Scientists think that Dodos were not what 17th century artists depict them to be. Scientists think that Dodos were not as fat as depicted; having stored fat in other areas in the body, not limited to the chest. Dodos had long legs, that are scaly, minus the pads of the feet. Dodos stood on four toes; three clawed ones pointing forward, and another pointing backwards.

Dodos may have been a mixture of colors, having black thighs, beiges and browns on the torso, black on the upper neck, a blueish face, with a stronger hue of blue on the lower jaw panel. Dodos had a white iris and a black pupil. The face was naked, and the edge between feathers and smooth skin had a plated-like boundary. The tip of the beak was strongly hooked; and may have been mottled with green tint.

Dodos had narrow, compact wings which hung down from their upper torso, colored a light brown, with pennaceous feathers. Transverse scutes covered the toes, as in any other ave. The distal end of the tibia was unfeathered, and the upper thigh was covered in a light layer of feathers. The lower torso was rotund, and capped off with a tiny featherless to nonexistent tail. It is unknown if the tail poked out the body, or was not visible. The tail may have had a tuft of white plumes seasonally, but nothing has been confirmed.

Most depictions of Dodos may have been very different to the animal itself, and it seems many artistic liberties were taken.

## Extinction

When sailors found the Madagascar island, they described the birds as fat, clumsy and stupid. Dodos had no
natural predators and ate plants and seeds on their island. Dodo and the Rodrigues Solitaire make up the group Raphinae, both birds are extinct, however. Shortly after the discovery of the island, the Dodo was over hunted and went extinct.

## References

* https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dodo
* http://tetzoo.com/blog/2020/7/11/dodo-in-life
CDM 025

CDM 025 is an unnamed genus of mosasaur that lived on Vancouver Island during the Late Cretaceous.

## History

CDM 025 was found by Rick Ross approximately 1 kilometer from Dove Creek Road and New Island Highway at the base of Mount Washington Road intersection. While the horizon is unknown, it was discovered at 49°44′15′ ′N, 125°06′30′ ′W of the Uppermost Haslam Formation, Nanaimo Group (Late Santonian)

## Description

CDM 025, a mandible, teeth and possibly a skull, belongs to a large block of unprepared matrix. The mandibular symphysis and several anterior teeth are exposed. These remains belonged to a very large mosasaur. The height of the crown is also exposed. Each anterior tooth is roughly 27.2 millimeters long, and are somewhat compressed, lacking a posterior carina. No serrations are on the carina, and both the labial and lingual sides are equal. Judging by appearance, there does not seem to be an edentulous prow anterior. CDM 025 is differentiated from *Kourisodon* based on the teeth morphology, including the lack of an anterior edentulous prow in the dentary.

## References

https://citeseerx.ist.psu.edu/viewdoc/download?doi=10.1.1.845.4785&rep=rep1&type=pdf
Bush dog

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

## Statistics

### Species

†*Speothos pacivorus**Speothos venaticus*

### Diet

Carnivorous

*Speothos*, also called bush dogs, is a genus of canid that lives in South America from the Pleistocene to present day.

## History

Named by Peter Wilhelm from Brazilian cave fossils, *Speothos* was originally presumed extinct. Later, however, it was found to still be extant.

## Description

*S. venaticus* (modern bush dog) is the only living member of this genus and is currently critically endangered. *S. pacivorus* is extinct bush dog that lived in the Pleistocene in Central and South America.
Dysganus

Credit: Teratophoneus on DeviantArt.

*Dysganus* is a dubious genus of Ceratopsian that lived in Montana during the Late Cretaceous.

## Description

*Dysganus* is known from teeth, and four species; all of which being known from 1-8 teeth, all detached. *Dysganus* was originally classified in Trachodontidae, now considered dubious with Hadrosauridae. *Dysganus* was later considered dubious, and a Ceratopsid in 1907.

## Paleoecology

*Dysganus* lived in the Judith River Formation, alongside these dubious genera: *Palaeoscincus, Ceratops, Diclonius, Pteropelyx, Zapsalis, Deinodon, Aublysodon, Trachodon* and *Monoclonius*.
Deinodryinus

*Deinodryinus* is an extinct genus of wasp that lived during the Early-Middle Eocene in Europe.

## Description

This wasp is known from several specimens, all of which preserved in amber in the Baltic Region. *Deinodryinus* was likely predatory, because of the specialized teeth, mandibles and stinger. Some of the aspects are covered in white mold.

## References

* https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Deinodryinus\_areolatus
* https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Deinodryinus\_velteni
Daliansaurus

*Daliansaurus* is an extinct genus of troodontid theropod dinosaur that lived in China during the Early Cretaceous.

## Description

*Daliansaurus* was small, lightly-built, and very likely feathered. It was ~1 meter (3 feet 3 inches) long, which is similar in to *Sinovenator* and *Sinusonasus*.

## References

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Daliansaurus
Deinodon

Credit: Teratophoneus on DeviantArt.

*Deinodon* is an extinct, dubious genus of tyrannosaur that lived in North America during the Late Cretaceous.

## Description

*Deinodon* is known from several teeth, and possibly several phalanges, metatarsals and bone fragments could belong to the genus. Twenty species were named, but all but one are considered valid; *D. horridus*. *Deinodon* and its type specimen are both considered dubious, and cannot be supported as valid.

## Species

* *D. horridus*
* *D. amplus*
* *D. lateralis*
* *D. cristatus*

## References

* https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Deinodon
* https://paleobiodb.org/classic/basicTaxonInfo?taxon\_no=58837, and species listing.
DMNH 21183

Credit: Andrey Atuchin.

DMNH 21183 is an unnamed genus of saurornitholestinae dromaeosaur that lived in Alaska during the Late Cretaceous.

## Description

DMNH 21183 is known from a fragmented jaw, with the affinity of a juvenile individual. They are thought to have been year-long resident of the geographic formation, and not seasonal migratory animals like *Pachyrhinosaurus* or *Edmontosaurus*.

## Discovery

The dentary fragment was found near the microsite Colville River, along with other specimens in 2020.

## References

* https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371%2Fjournal.pone.0235078
Diochus

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

## Statistics

### Diet

Omnivorous

*Diochus* is a genus of rove beetle that has lived worldwide since the Middle Eocene.

## Description

*Diochus* are staphylinid rove beetles, which have a cosmopolitan distribution. "More [undescribed. unnamed] species" of this genus have been noted to exist.

## Species

* *D. adisi*
* *D. amazonensis*
* *D. ampullaceus*
* *D. angustiformis*
* *D. antennalis*
* *D. antennatus*
* *D. apicipennis*
* *D. argentinae*
* *D. ashei*
* *D. astutus*
* *D. bicolor*
* *D. bicoloripennis*
* *D. bisegmentatus*
* *D. borneensis*
* *D. brooksi*
* *D. brunneus*
* *D. brunniventris*
* *D. caudapiscis*
* *D. cleidecostae*
* *D. communis*
* *D. conicollis*
* *D. cristobalensis*
* *D. curtipennis*
* *D. debilis*
* *D. divisus*
* *D. dundoensis*
* *D. ecuadoriensis*
* *†D. electrus*
* *D. flandrianus*
* *D. formicetorum*
* *D. franzi*
* *D. gabonicus*
* *D. guianensis*
* *D. guizhouensis*
* *D. hanagarthi*
* *D. hatayus*
* *D. hermani*
* *D. hibbsi*
* *D. inornatus*
* *D. isabelae*
* *D. japonicus*
* *D. libanoticus*
* *D. longicornis*
* *D. longus*
* *D. machadoi*
* *D. maculicollis*
* *D. membranaceus*
* *D. mexicanus*
* *D. montguilloni*
* *D. nanus*
* *D. newtoni*
* *D. novus*
* *D. ochraceus*
* *D. octavii*
* *D. panamaensis*
* *D. papuanus*
* *D. parvulus*
* *D. perplexus*
* *D. peruvianus*
* *D. petilus*
* *D. plaumanni*
* *D. proximus*
* *D. pubiventris*
* *D. pulchellus*
* *D. pumilio*
* *D. punctipennis*
* *D. santacatarinae*
* *D. santiagus*
* *D. schaumii*
* *D. schuelkei*
* *D. senegalensis*
* *D. staudingeri*
* *D. sulcatus*
* *D. tahitiensis*
* *D. tarsalis*
* *D. testaceus*
* *D. tricolor*
* *D. unicolor*
* *D. ventralis*
* *D. verhaaghi*
* *D. vicinus*

## References

* https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diochus\_electrus
* https://species.wikimedia.org/wiki/Diochus
* https://pensoft.net/J\_FILES/1/articles/1896/1896-G-3-layout.pdf
* https://resjournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1111/syen.12305
Deinocroton

*Deinocroton* is an extinct genus of tick that lived in Myanmar during the Middle Cretaceous.

## Description

*Deinocroton* was found fossilized in amber with several dismembered beetles and entangled themselves in dinosaur feathers. The chunk of amber preserved a site near a dinosaur nest, meaning ticks invaded nests in hopes of hitching a ride on juvenile dinosaurs and smaller animals. The *Deinocroton* were clung to at least one full dinosaur feather, which likely meant the ticks were searching for the animals soft flesh to feed from. The two adult males were gorged on dinosaur blood. This means that ticks likely started out drawing blood from non-avian dinosaurs, and transitioned to modern birds. The theropod the feather belonged to is indeterminate, but is certainly not a typical bird feather.

## References

https://www.theguardian.com/science/2017/dec/12/meet-dracula-the-bloodsucking-tick-who-feasted-on-dinosaurs-99m-years-ago
Doelling's Bowl Polacanthid

Images of the taxon clockwise: comparison of vertebra, block in field , osteoderm comparison, and comparison of the pelvic region.

## Statistics

### Diet

Herbivorous

The Doelling's Bowl Polacanthid is an unnamed genus of Nodosaurid Ankylosaur that lived in Utah during the Early Cretaceous.

## Description

This taxon is remarkably similar to Ankylosaurs from the Morrison formation and other late Jurassic taxa. It is at least known from Pelvic material and many osteoderms, the later of which is noted as being really distinctive. This taxon probably represents one of the last of the Jurassic style Ankylosaurs in North America.

## Phylogyny

This Cladogram was Modified from Yang et al. (2013)

## References

* https://youtu.be/Thhb6Jy-Acw?t=1515
* https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cedar\_Mountain\_Formation
* https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Polacanthinae
Cancer nancei

Credit: Thomas R. Holtz Jr. on Twitter.

Nance's crab (*Cancer nancei*) is an extinct species of crab that lived in the United States during the Miocene.

## Description

The crab was named by Bahman, Feldmann and Schweitzer in 2020, named after previous Calvert Marine Museum student John Nance. The fossils were found in St. Marys.

## References

* https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2020\_in\_arthropod\_paleontology
* https://twitter.com/TomHoltzPaleo/status/1263815470081335297
Dire wolf

This article was suggested to be merged with Aenocyon. If you oppose this idea, it can be discussed here.

## Aenocyon dirus

Dire wolf pack defending bison carcass from grey wolves. Credit: Mauricio Anton.

## Statistics

### Species

*Aenocyon dirus
Aenocyon dirus dirus
Aenocyon dirus guildayi*

### Diet

Carnivorous

Dire wolf (*Aenocyon dirus*) is an extinct species of Canid that lived in North America in the early Holocene epochs, 125,000-9,500 years ago.

## Description

Dire wolf is an exceptionally popular Cenozoic animal. Dire Wolves inhabited most of North America and often got stuck in tar pits while trying to kill stuck, injured prey.

## Synonyms

* *Canis primaevus*
* *Canis dirus*
* *Canis indianensis*
* *Canis mississippiensis*
* *Canis ayersi*
* *"Aenocyon dirus nebrascensis"*

## Paleobiology

### Distribution

Dire Wolf has a very large collection of well preserved fossils from La Brea tar pits. The dire wolf lived across the Americas. Fossils of the dire wolf have been discovered as far north as Northern Canada, where a single jaw has been collected.

## Paleoecology

Dire wolves would have preyed on large mammals such as bison and sometimes young Mammoths. They competed against Smilodons for food. Dire wolves lived in packs and prowled the land in search of suitable prey.

## Classification

Roughly 40 million years ago, it is though Canidae diverged in North America, with canines splitting 16 million years ago, some canines emigrating to the Old World, others staying in the New World, either staying in North America, or migrating south. Dire wolves likely were New World oriented, diverging from closely-related canines roughly 5.7 million years ago. This probably occurred after Cerdocyonina but before Canina. Dire wolves most likely evolved from Armbruster's wolf, another large, extinct wolf. In 2021, *Canis "dirus"* was reevaluated to *Aenocyon* .

## References

1. ↑ https://twitter.com/TaliaMLM/status/1317104264066572288/photo/1
2. ↑ https://www.nature.com/articles/s41586-020-03082-x
3. ↑ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dire\_wolf
Collinsovermis

*Collinsovermis* is an extinct genus of Lobopodian that lived in Canada during the Middle Cambrian.

## Description

It was first discovered in 1983 on Mount Stephen, Yoho National Park, British Columbia dating to Wuliuan stage of the Cambrian Period 509-504 million years ago. *Collinsovermis* is plump, but shows filter feeding characteristics. *Collinsovermis* has 14 pairs of Lobopods, lacking space in between, 6 anterior pairs are elongated, and barbed with spines. The pairs are end in a pair of thin claws, covered in spines and setae on the dorsal surface. 8 posterial lobopod pairs are are smooth and stout, and each ended with a single curved claw. The head is small, and adorns a terminal mouth and a pair of antennae-like growths. The back is lined in curved claws.

## Classification

*Collinsovermis* highlights phylogenic relationships between Luolishaniids.

## References

* https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1111/pala.12499
* https://www.x-mol.com/paper/1281718651518107648
* https://twitter.com/ThePalAss/status/1281626823663783937/photo/1
Discoserra

*Discoserra* is an extinct genus of fish that lived in Montana during the Early Carboniferous.

## Description

*Discoserra* has a round body and a mixture of modern and primitive features in it's skull. Authors in 2006 hypothesized *Discoserra* was a basal neopterygian.

## References

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Discoserra\_pectinodon
Cryptotyrannus

The Merchantville Tyrannosaur, set to be named *"Cryptotyrannus"* in an earlier draft, is an unnamed genus or species of Tyrannosauroid Dinosaur that lived in Delaware during the Late Cretaceous.

## Description

The Merchantville Tyrannosaur is known from two specimens, the holotype YPM VPPU.021795 and the paratype YPM VPPU.022416 (although similar coloration and weathering indicate that these are probably the same individual). These consist of a partial foot bone as well as one caudal vertebrae, according to the skeletal one hand claw also exists. The foot morphology is consistent with Tyrannosaurs and not Ornithomimosaurs or Oviraptorosaurs, specifically it is extremely similar to the morphology of **Dryptosaurus aquilunguis**. The only things that differentiate it from the species is that its metatarsal IV is far more gracile, IV in proximal view also has a triangular, instead of subrectangular outline. *Dryptosaurus* also possesses unique hemicondyles morphology on the IVth metatarsal that the Merchantville Tyrannosaur does not. The holotype was once tentatively assigned to *Coelosaurus*.

### Taphonomy

The Merchantville Tyrannosaur shows potential shark bite marks on it's foot. weather these were made from an attack or scavenging is unclear, but It is likely why the specimen is so fragmentary.

## Classification

The Merchantville Tyrannosaur was recovered as the sister taxon to *Dryptosaurus*, reinstating Dryptosauridae:

Brownstein (2020) had slated to name this tyrannosaur "*Cryptotyrannus*" in an earlier draft with YPM VPPU.021795 as the holotype. However, Brownstein decided to take a conservative approach by instead labeling it as "Dryptosauridae n. gen." and resurrecting the group. It and *Atlantohadros* were leaked in figure 9 of the paper after publication, thus leaking the names before being mended.

## References

* https://royalsocietypublishing.org/doi/10.1098/rsos.210127
* https://www.theropoddatabase.com/Tyrannosauroidea.html
Cyclura sp.

## Cyclura n. sp.

Credit: Joschua Knüppe.

*Cyclura sp.* is an unnamed species of rock iguana that lived in Cuba during the Quaternary.

## Description

*Cyclura sp.* is known from 3 Quaternary deposits of Cuba. This giant species coexisted with *C. nubila*. This unnamed species may help conserve living *Cyclura*. It was mentioned in the 2017 SVP abstracts.

## References

https://www.lulu.com/en/ca/shop/society-of-vertebrate-paleontology/svp-2017-program-and-abstracts/paperback/product-1p7ydk5e.html?page=1&pageSize=4
CPC 278

CPC 278 is an unnamed genus of chasmosaurine ceratopsian dinosaur that lived in Mexico during the Late Cretaceous.

## Description

CPC 278, a left orbit with supraorbital horncore and dorsal vertebra, was discovered near town Presa San Antonio, Parras de la Fuente, Coahuila. It was described by Lund et al. (2007), Loewen et al. (2010) and Ramírez-Velasco (2012).

## References

http://revistas.igme.es/Boletin/2015/126\_1/8-Articulo%204.pdf
Echioceras

E. raricostatoides. Credit: Hectonichnus on the Wikimedia Commons.

*Echioceras* is an extinct genus of ammonite that lived during the Jurassic worldwide.

## Description

*Echioceras*’ head, like many other ammonites, poked out of its shell. Between the tentacles, lay a beaked mouth.

## Paleoecology

*Echioceras* swam in shallow seas worldwide during the Jurassic. *Echioceras* likely swam over the seabed and snatched anything edible. Paleontologists believe that this ammonite was a scavenger, rather than an active hunter.

## Species

* *E. delicatum*
* *E. intermedium*
* *E. microdiscus*
* *E. natrix*
* *E. quenstedti*
* *E. raricostatoides*

## Reference

* Dorling Kindersley Encyclopedia of Dinosaurs and Prehistoric Life, p. 30
* https://paleobiodb.org/classic/basicTaxonInfo?taxon\_no=14807
Carcharodon leptodon

*Carcharodon leptodon* is an extinct species of mackerel shark that lived in South Carolina during the Eocene.

## Description

It is known from Orangeburg, South Carolina in Eocene deposits, originally identified by R.W. Gibbes (1849) soon after he had recognized the teeth as distinct. It is described as similar to *Otodus angustidens* (then considered a member of *Carcharodon*), though it is thinner and bears a shaper point. The lateral denticles are absent and the slenderness of the tooth diagnose the species. Gibbes also notes that the serrations appear to be finer.

## References

https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/item/110628#page/310/mode/1up
Chenanisaurus

*Chenanisaurus* is an extinct genus of abelisaurid that lived in Morocco during the Late Cretaceous.

## Description

*Chenanisaurus barbaricus* persisted until the K-PG boundary. Worn teeth suggest wear was generated through biting bone. This would indicate that *Chenanisaurus* was a powerful predator. *Chenanisaurus* looks like a typical abelisaur.

## References

* https://indianexpress.com/article/technology/science/last-african-dinosaur-discovered-in-morocco-4643803/
* https://news.sky.com/story/life-finds-a-way-unusual-fossil-found-in-morocco-is-new-species-of-dinosaur-12415509
* https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2017/05/170503213550.htm
* https://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-58657862