recursal/Fanatic-Fandom huggingface dataset:
Iberomesornis

Iberomesornis is an iberomesornithid bird from the Early Cretaceous of Spain. It was named in 1992 by Jose Luis Sanz and Jose Bonaparte. It is considered to be one of the many avian intermediates that exist, being a transition from the primitive proto-birds of the Jurassic to the modern birds that can be seen flying through the skies today.

## Physiology

Iberomesornis looked a lot like modern birds; it had a small, sleek body, moderately long legs, a short, feathery tail, long wings, and a presumably long head. However, it also had a few major differences; for example, the fingers on its hands were not joined in a fleshy mitt and ended in claws, and its mouth was adorned with small teeth. Most of its body (excluding its snout and legs) would have been covered in long, vaned feathers.

## Diet

Iberomesornis was a predator, feeding on insects and other small arthropods. Although what kind of teeth it had is still up to debate, it can be certain that it was used for grabbing onto insect prey.

## Ecology

Iberomesornis was an evolutionary step-up from early birds such as Archaeopteryx, as it had features that more resembled those of later birds. For example, it had a short tail that ended in a pygostyle (a set of vertebra combined into one single bone that supported the tail feathers), and its shoulders were aligned in a way so that its wings could raise themselves above horizontal position (allowing it to fly much more efficiently); along with this, its feet had prehensile toes along with an opposable hallux (first toe), which shows that it was one of the first birds to make a transition from climbing trees to perching on branches. In terms of how it lived, due to the lack of a known head, it is currently unknown what Iberomesornis ate and how it hunted; however, like any other Mesozoic bird at the time, it can be assumed that insects, perhaps the most viable small prey item at the time, served as prey for it. Due to the fact that its habitat was a lake surrounded by dense forests, it can be assumed that Iberomesornis probably lived near the lakeshore, snatching insects out of the air and near the water's surface.

## In popular culture

Iberomesornis was featured in the 4th episode of the 1999 documentary *Walking with Dinosaurs*, where an entire flock attack an unsuspecting Tropeognathus in order to protect their eggs. As well as this, it is mentioned that birds like it have evolved from dinosaurs, with the narrator going on to explain that they lost their scaly skin in exchange for feathers (which was a prevalent idea at the time).
Smilosuchus

Smilosuchus is a phytosaurid phytosaurian reptile from the Late Triassic of the United States of America. It was officially named in 1995 by R. A. Long and P. A. Murry. It was one of the biggest phytosaurs to exist, and its remains were thought to be those of another phytosaur, right before it was discovered that those remains were different enough to be their own genus.

## Physiology

Like any other phytosaur, Smilosuchus resembled a crocodile, with a bulky body, 4 semi-erect legs, a long, muscular tail, a large head with massive jaws, and eyes on the top of its head. However, it had a few major differences, like nostrils situated near its eyes, a slightly downturned snout, and serrated teeth; there was even some differences between species, as *Smilosuchus gregorii* had a deeper and broader snout and big, fang-like teeth, while *Smilosuchus adamanensis* had a shallower and thinner snout and small, conical teeth. Its body would have been covered in scaly skin, with a row of osteoderms running down its back and tail.

## Diet

Smilosuchus was a predator; specific diet depends on the species. Due to its deeper snout and more robust teeth, the aforementioned *S.gregorii* would have been able to prey on small dinosaurs, small-midsized paracrocodylomorphs, and large anomodonts; the aforementioned *S.adamanensis*, on the other hand, would have preyed on fish, using its small, thin teeth and its slender snout to catch them.

## Ecology

Smilosuchus had a semi-aquatic lifestyle, being at home both in the water and on the land; despite its crocodilian physiology and tendency to spend 50% of its time in the water, it was a competent terrestrial animal as well, and was able to perform a "high walk" similar to those of modern crocodiles. Unlike modern crocodiles, however, its teeth were serrated, and were able to slice the flesh of prey items; due to this, it may not have been able to perform the dismembering spin that modern crocodiles were able to do when ripping prey apart, and may have used another type of movement in order to rip apart its food. In fact, only the larger species, *S.gregorii* would have been able to attack large terrestrial animals to sustain itself, due to its big teeth and deep snout; the smaller *S.adamanensis* would have preferred to prey on small aquatic animals, using its slender snout and small teeth to snag any small fish that swam by. An interesting thing to note is that Smilosuchus may have been superprecocial (requiring very little to no parental care), and adults may have laid their eggs in a safe place before abandoning them; newly-hatched Smilosuchus would have had to fend for themselves, possibly hiding in vegetation in order to hide from predators such as the large amphibian Anaschisma, the small dinosaur Coelophysis, and the large paracrocodylomorphs Poposaurus and Postosuchus.
Yutyrannus

Yutyrannus is a theropod dinosaur from the Early Cretaceous of China. It was named in 2012 by Xu Xing and his associates. It was the largest confirmed feathered non-avian dinosaur to exist, and, for a small while, had brought in the possibility of larger theropods (specifically Tyrannosaurus, its relatively close cousin) being covered in feathers.

## Physiology

Yutyrannus resembled a typical large theropod such as Allosaurus or Megalosaurus; it had a stout body, moderately long legs, a long tail, long arms with 3 fingers on each hand, a big head with large jaws, and a pair of horn-like crests atop its head. As well as this, it had a small, wavy crest atop its snout. Most of its body (excluding some of its legs, all of its snout, and possibly some of its head) would have been covered in short, fuzz-like feathers.

## Diet

Yutyrannus was a predator, preying on ornithopods, mid-sized sauropods, small pterosaurs, and smaller theropods. Its teeth had knife-like serrations from front to back, and were used to cut into the hides of large prey.

## Ecology

Yutyrannus is notable for being one of the largest theropods to be covered in feathers; it is regularly theorized that those feathers would have been for insulation (due to how relatively cold its environment was), but if the longest feathers were on the arms, they, along with the crests atop its head, would have been used for display. Since it was a tyrannosauroid like like Tyrannosaurus, it was previously presumed that the latter would have been covered in similar feathers, both for insulation and for display; however, so far, only scale impressions have been found from Tyrannosaurus and its close relatives (at least those more related to it than to Yutyrannus), meaning that the tyrannosaurids may have evolved scaly skin secondarily. In terms of how it lived, it is said that, due to alleged discoveries of a massive bonebed containing three individuals, it can be theorized that Yutyrannus hunted in packs (or at least in small family units, seeing as two of the individuals were juveniles); based on the alleged presence of sauropod bones from the same quarry, it is often speculated that sauropods would have been part of its diet as well (although how exactly it incorporated them into its diet is up for debate). Due to how primitive it was compared to Tyrannosaurus, it had long arms with 3 fingers on each hand (possibly for grasping onto prey); as well as this, even though its leg proportions would have allowed for swift movement, it had a short foot not adapted for running or even the stamina-efficient movement that Tyrannosaurus would have been capable of.
Nanosaurus

Nanosaurus is a dinosaur from the Late Jurassic of the United States of America. It was officially named in 1877 by Othniel Charles Marsh. It was commonly shown as a "tiny dinosaur" in literature (leading to the conception that it was even remotely well-known), and many of its fossils were once known under the names "*Othnielia*", "*Drinker*", and "*Othnielosaurus*".

## Physiology

Nanosaurus was an ornithischian that came to resemble the many ornithopods more advanced than it. It had a slender body, long legs, a long tail, semi-short arms, a small beak in front of its mouth, and large, eagle-like brows near the top of its eyes. Its body would have been covered in scaly skin.

## Diet

Nanosaurus was an herbivore, feeding on plants low to the ground. Its big beak was used for shredding leaves, while the many cheek teeth in the back of its mouth were used for chewing on plants.

## Ecology

So far, all we know about Nanosaurus is that its long legs allowed it to run at swift speeds, and it relied on speed and agility to evade predators such as Allosaurus and Torvosaurus.

## In popular culture

Nanosaurus was featured in a special episode of the documentary *Walking with Dinosaurs*, *The Ballad of Big Al*. There, it was just featured as a background animal.
Belemnites

The belemnites are a diverse order of widespread cephalopod mollusks from the Late Triassic-Late Cretaceous of the entire world. They, as a whole, were named in 1895 by Karl Alfred von Zittel. They were very similar to modern squid and cuttlefish; however, they also had some unique traits.

## Physiology

Belemnites were very similar to modern squid, with mid-sized tentacles, large eyes, a small, keratinous beak hiding between their circular rows of tentacles, and a long, finned body held together by a large mantle (or guard, in this case). However, they did have a few differences; they lacked the specialized arms present in modern squid, having hooks on their tentacles instead. Their bodies would have been covered in smooth skin.

## Diet

Belemnites were predators, feeding on fish and crustaceans. Their tentacles would have been used to get a hold of struggling prey, while their beaks would have been used to crush them and tear them into pieces.

## Other Attributes

### Diet

Carnivore

Belemnotheutis is a belemnotheutid belemnite from the Middle-Late Jurassic of the United Kingdom, Poland, and Germany. It was named in 1842 by Joseph Chaning Pearce. It lived the generic belemnite lifestyle, swimming around in large groups and catching fish with their hooked tentacles; as well as this, it often serves as an index fossil for the Jurassic, similar to Perisphinctes.

## Other Attributes

### Diet

Carnivore

Acanthoteuthis is a belemnotheutid belemnite from the Late Jurassic-Early Cretaceous of Germany. It was named in 1839 by Richard Wagner and Georg zu Munster. Due to having cartilaginous and muscular support systems that strengthened the connection between the head and the mantle, it would have been a very fast swimmer.

## Other Attributes

### Location

United States of America, Germany, Netherlands, Belgium, Russia, Sweden, Denmark, Bulgaria

### Diet

Carnivore

Belemnitella is a belemnitellid belemnite from the Late Cretaceous of the United States of America, Germany, the Netherlands, Belgium, Russia, Sweden, Denmark, and Bulgaria. It was named in 1840 by Alcide d'Orbigny. It was one of the latest surviving belemnites (since the belemnites started to decline after the Early Cretaceous); as well as this, it lived the generic belemnite lifestyle.
Hypsilophodon

Hypsilophodon is an ornithopod dinosaur from the Early Cretaceous of the United Kingdom. It was named in 1869 by Thomas Henry Huxley. It was one of the first small dinosaurs to be discovered, and it was once thought to be a juvenile Iguanodon right before it was discovered to be a unique dinosaur.

## Physiology

Hypsilophodon resembled the generic ornithopod. It was an ornithischian with a bulky body, long legs, a long tail, semi-short arms, a small beak in front of its mouth, and large, eagle-like brows near the top of its eyes. Its body would have been covered in scaly skin.

## Diet

Hypsilophodon was an herbivore, feeding on plants low to the ground. Its big, toothy beak was used for stripping branches of their leaves, while the many cheek teeth in the back of its mouth were used for shredding plants.

## Ecology

For a long time, there was a few major misconceptions about Hypsilophodon, which included the notions that it was able to climb trees, it was able to crawl like a lizard, and it was covered in armor plates. Further research done on Hypsilophodon indicates that it neither had an opposable fourth toe nor sharp, curving claws, which made it poorly adapted for an arboreal lifestyle; as well as this, it indicates that it was a fast runner with long legs and a bird-like posture, rather than the lizard-like creeper everyone was familiar with for a while, and its "armor plates" were actually special bones that helped the ribcage move as a single unit when the dinosaur was breathing. As well as this, like most small ornithopods, it would have fed on vegetation low to the ground, pulling leaves off of branches and shearing them with its back teeth; however, unlike many ornithopods, it had teeth on its beak, which probably meant that it specialized in eating certain plants. Finally, it had an opposable fifth finger on each hand; what exactly that finger was used for is yet unknown.

## In popular culture

It is unknown when Hypsilophodon was first introduced to the general public, but it has appeared in many major pieces of media like *Fantasia* and *The Land Before Time*, the latter of which depicts it as a tree-climber (as it was believed to be back then).
Tapejara

Tapejara is a tapejarid pterosaurian reptile from the Early Cretaceous of Brazil. It was named in 1989 by Alexander Kellner. It was one of the most unique pterosaurs, as it was very different from others that lived alongside it.

## Physiology

Tupandactylus was a pterosaur with with 4 legs (2 of which served as wings), 3 regular fingers on each hand (joined by an elongated 4th finger which supports the wing membrane), a small body, a short tail, and a short, toothless beak. Perhaps the most defining trait of Tapejara was the large, rounded crest atop its head; as well as this, it had larger claws than most other pterosaurs did. Most of its body (excluding its beak, crest, and wings) would have been covered in a fur-like covering called pycnofibers.

## Diet

Tapejara was an omnivore, feeding mainly on fruits and seeds, but also sometimes snacking on small arthropods, lizards and amphibians. Its blunt and thickly-built beak was similar to that of a parrot, and so, it is presumed that it ate in a similar manner to the modern bird, using its beak to crush food.

## Ecology

Tapejara had a large, semi-circular crest atop its head which was likely used for display, with exact functions unknown; while its crest wasn't as large as that of the earlier Tupandactylus, it still would have likely been large and colorful enough to gather attention onto itself (and also would have been relatively standard for its kind, as other tapejarids had crests similar in size and shape). As well as this, similarly to many other pterosaurs, Tapejara was once thought to be a coastal piscivore, soaring near the shoreline and catching fish from the water; however, due to how its beak was shaped, it is more likely that it fed on seeds from early flowering plants, and it is not impossible that it would have preyed small animals from time to time. In fact, remains of a juvenile Tapejara show that it had larger claws than many other pterosaurs did, indicating that it spent more time on the ground than the anhanguerids it shared its habitat with; it may have used its claws for climbing up steep slopes, as its habitat was a coastal rift valley consisting of various wetlands. A comparison of its sclerotic rings to those of modern reptiles and birds indicates that it was cathemeral.

## In popular culture

Tapejara was featured in the 4th episode of the 1999 documentary *Walking with Dinosaurs*, where it is portrayed with the skull of *Tupandactylus navigans*; this was understandable at the time, as *T.navigans* was once a species of Tapejara before becoming a species of Tupandactylus (however, this error could potentially become a bit more jarring, as it is possible that *T.navigans* may very well be its own genus). In the episode itself, a flock of the pterosaurs fly around the coastal cliffs and engage in mating rituals during the breeding season, right before a (considerably oversized) Tropeognathus (referred to as an "Ornithocheirus") flies nearby.
Sinoceratops

Sinoceratops is a ceratopsid ceratopsian marginocephalian dinosaur from the Late Cretaceous of China. It was named in 2010 by Xu Xing and his crew. It was an incredible find, as it is the only ceratopsid known from anywhere outside of North America.

## Physiology

Sinoceratops had the standard centrosaurine ceratopsid body plan, with a bulky body, 4 erect legs, a moderately short tail held low to the ground, a large head with a beaked mouth, and a shield-like, bony frill right on the back of its head, and a conical horn on its nose. Its body would have been covered in scaly skin.

## Diet

Sinoceratops was an herbivore, feeding on plants low to the ground. Its pointed beak was used to grab pieces of vegetation and pluck them, while the many teeth in the back of its mouth would process the vegetation.

## Ecology

So far, all we know about Sinoceratops is that its horn and frill were used for display, and males could have possibly engaged in flank-butting contests during the mating season.

## In popular culture

Sinoceratops was featured in the 2018 science fiction movie *Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom*, where it is simply featured as an ambient animal for most of the time; its biggest moment in the movie features it getting in a fight with a Carnotaurus, and knocking the belligerent abelisaur to the ground before running off. Originally, it was supposed to appear as a Pachyrhinosaurus; however, due to public outcry on how the *Jurassic World* design bore no resemblance to the real dinosaur, the dinosaur's name was changed to Sinoceratops.
Thrinacodus

### Location

Russia, Morocco, United States of America, Poland, France, Iran, Ireland, Armenia, United Kingdom

### Diet

Carnivore

Thrinacodus is a thrinacodontid phoebodontiform cartilaginous fish from the Late Devonian-Mississippian of the United States of America, Russia, Morocco, Poland, France, Iran, Ireland, Armenia, and the United Kingdom. It was named in 1875 by Orestes Hawley St. John and Amos Henry Worthen. It was one of the many bizzare sharks that swam around in the waters of the Carboniferous period, as well as one of the more widespread.

## Physiology

Thrinacodus more resembled an eel than the typical shark. It was a cartilaginous fish with a long, slender body, rounded pectoral fins that bore a trailing edge, a lack of any dorsal fins, a long, vaguely tadpole-like caudal fin, and a small head with a long snout. Its body would have been covered in scaly skin.

## Diet

Thrinacodus was a predator, preying on smaller fish and crustaceans. Its teeth were small but each bore three prongs, and were used for getting a hold of struggling prey.

## Ecology

Thrinacodus' long, serpentine body suggests that it was not a very active swimmer, often lurking between the vaguely tree-like sponges in its habitat and only swimming for short periods of time. Combined with how long its snout was as well as the fact that its gill arches were spaced widely apart and placed behind its head, it likely would have lunged towards prey with its mouth open in order to generate a vacuum that sucked them into its jaws, with its enlarged jaw bones providing ample muscle attachment for a quick and powerful bite; since its snout was so thin, it would have likely have been able to snag food with a sideways swipe of its head without experiencing drag, similarly to gars. Stomach contents from two specimens of *Thrinacodus gracia* (once considered to be its own genus, "*Thrinacoselache*" [1]) reveal that it was mainly a piscivore that fed on smaller cartilaginous fish like Falcatus, with another specimen having chitin plates likely attributable to shrimp. Due to the lack of any features that would indicate sensory organs on its snout, it is unlikely that Thrinacodus would have used those to detect prey, using its eyesight or sense of smell to do so instead.[2]

## References

1. Ginter, M., & Turner, S. (2010). THE MIDDLE PALEOZOIC SELACHIAN GENUS THRINACODUS. In Source: Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology (Vol. 30, Issue 6).
2. Grogan, E. D., & Lund, R. (2008). A basal elasmobranch, Thrinacoselache gracia n. gen & sp., (Thrinacodontidae, new family) from the Bear Gulch Limestone, Serpukhovian of Montana, USA. Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology, 28(4), 970–988. https://doi.org/10.1671/0272-4634-28.4.970
Anomalocaris

Anomalocaris is an anomalocaridid radiodont dinocaridid arthropod from the Cambrian Series 2-3 of Canada and the United States of America. It was named in in 1892 by Joseph Frederick Whiteaves. It was the world's first superpredator, and its separated body parts were confused for being a shrimp, a jellyfish, and a sponge, right before they were combined to form an arthropod.

## Physiology

Anomalocaris was a unique arthropod. It had a long body, long, fin-like lobes running down the sides of its body, a rounded head with big eyes, spiny arms, and a disk-like mouth, and a round carapace sitting atop its head. Its body would have been covered in a semi-hard, chitinous exoskeleton.

## Diet

Anomalocaris was a predator, preying on small invertebrates. In one species, *Anomalocaris canadensis*, the arm spines were short and stout, and may have been used for rupturing the exoskeletons of trilobites, while in another Anomalocaris species, *Anomalocaris magnabasis*, the arm spines were long and thin, and were used for getting a hold of softer-bodied prey.

## Ecology

Anomalocaris had the most complex eyes of any Cambrian arthropod, and by extension, the most complex eyes of any arthropod in general (only beaten by dragonflies). As well as this, it had a unique swimming style, propelling itself through the water by undulating the fin-like lobes on its body. One species of Anomalocaris, the aforementioned *Anomalocaris canadensis*, was able to feed on hard-shelled trilobites due to its short and robust arm spines, and often did so by grabbing them by one end and shaking the other end back and forth, exploiting the weaknesses of their cuticle, and cracking their exoskeleton and allowing it to suck up their innards. This distinguished it from other radiodonts (and even another Anomalocaris species, *Anomalocaris magnabasis*), which had long and weakly-built arm spines, and thus were more adapted towards feeding on soft-bodied prey like worms.

## In popular culture

Anomalocaris has appeared in documentaries like *Earth: Making of a Planet* and *Australia: The Time Traveller's Guide*, where it commonly introduced by swimming out of the blue and eating a trilobite. So far, one of its biggest public appearances was in the first episode of the 2005 documentary, *Walking with Monsters*, where a former Chinese ribbon-tailed species, *Anomalocaris saron* (now classified as an different genus of radiodont), is featured as a predator of the trilobite genus Redlichia (despite not being adapted towards this diet in real life), and shown as fighting rival males for no visible reason. Another of its biggest public appearances was in the second episode of the 2010 documentary, *First Life*, where the most well-known species, *Anomalocaris canadensis*, is shown as a ruthless predator, ready to take a bite out of anything it would come across.
Parasaurolophus

Parasaurolophus is a hadrosaurid ornithopod dinosaur from the Late Cretaceous of Canada, the United States of America, and China. It was named in 1922 by William Parks. It is a decently famous ornithopod dinosaur, noted for its large head crest.

## Physiology

Parasaurolophus was a semi-quadrupedal dinosaur with a bulky body, long forelimbs ending in hoof-like hands, long, muscular hindlimbs, a moderately long tail, a thick neck, and a short head with a duck-like beak. Perhaps the most defining trait of Parasaurolophus was the long, curved crest on the top of its head. Its body would have been covered in scaly skin, with a row of crocodile-like scutes running down its back.

## Diet

Parasaurolophus was an herbivore, feeding on leaves, twigs, pinecones, and pine needles. Its wide beak was used to clamp on branches and strip off all their leaves, while the many teeth in the back of its mouth would grind together, processing the leaves.

## Ecology

The use of the large crest atop Parasaurolophus' head has been open to debate for a long time, with many theories that emerged including being used as a snorkel for breathing underwater, as well as an air reservoir (also for breathing underwater), a horn used for intraspecific combat, a storage of salt glands, and a guard for holding up branches while it grazed; today, the most widely accepted theory is that it was used as a resonating chamber used for amplifying its calls. This theory became fact when a team of scientists used a Parasaurolophus skull, a hospital CT scan, and a computerized model to find what sounds the hadrosaur made; these scientists found out that it emitted a low-pitched, resonating bellow, not unlike the deep, powerful sound a trombone produces whenever it is blown. As well as this, Parasaurolophus regularly walked on all four legs, but was able to stand and quickly run on two legs when it needed to; this allowed it to feed at different heights, as well as to quickly escape from predators such as tyrannosaurs. In terms of the former, it had a shorter snout than other hadrosaurs like Edmontosaurus, which allowed it to browse more selectively.

## In popular culture

Parasaurolophus was first introduced to the public in the *Rite of Spring* segment of the 1940 Disney musical movie, *Fantasia*. Since then, it has gained a decent amount of popularity, and has appeared in many pieces of media such as *The Land Before Time*, *Jurassic Park*, and Disney's *Dinosaur*. With the very former being the exception, all of those pieces of media show it in one of two ways; as a background animal used to improve the atmosphere, or as an extremely passive, mobile hunk of meat that every carnivore, like the imposing Tyrannosaurus, the powerful Deinosuchus, and even the lowly Velociraptor, can easily kill and eat.
Anaschisma

Anaschisma is a metoposaurid temnospondyl amphibian from the Late Triassic of the United States of America. It was officially named in 1929 by Edward B. Branson and Maurice G. Mehl. It was one of the most common amphibians of Triassic North America, and it was once called "*Buettneria*" (right before being renamed to Anaschisma due to "Buettneria" already being occupied by a now-defunct genus of katydid).

## Physiology

Anaschisma resembled the generic temnospondyl, with 4 legs, a long tail similar to that of a tadpole, a bulky body, a big, semi-flat head with big jaws, and eyes on the top of its head. However, it had one difference; its eyes were situated near the tip of its snout, giving it a frog-like appearance (unlike those of other temnospondyl amphibians, which were placed in a more normal position). Its body would have been covered in smooth skin.

## Diet

Anaschisma was a predator, preying on fish, crustaceans, small reptiles, and smaller amphibians. Its sharp teeth were used for piercing flesh, getting a hold of struggling prey, and cracking bone.

## Ecology

Unlike most other amphibians (which were capable of moving around on land), Anaschisma was almost fully aquatic, using its limbs to navigate around dense weeds and underwater obstacles a great deal of the time. This comes from the fact that its limbs were somewhat weak, although they still capable of performing rudimentary dragging on land (unlike those of the fully aquatic Mastodonsaurus); as well as this, it had a lateral line that was able to detect changes in water pressure (usually made from the movements of swimming animals), allowing it to home in on prey detected from the slightest movements. Another discovery that confirms this is the massive bone beds that have shown that Anaschisma individuals died en masse when pools dried up during deadly droughts and the amphibians gathered together, waiting for the water to be replenished. As well as this, Anaschisma would have been an ambush hunter, lurking near underwater plants and waiting for prey to come by; once they did, it would use its tail to burst out of the underwater vegetation and swallow them whole with its large jaws.
Cyclotosaurus

Cyclotosaurus is a mastodonsaurid temnospondyl amphibian from the Late Triassic of Germany, the United Kingdom, Greenland, Poland, Russia, and Thailand. It was named in 1889 by Eberhard Fraas. It was one of the largest amphibians of the Triassic, and the genus includes 7 species.

## Physiology

Like its cousin, Mastodonsaurus, Cyclotosaurus resembled a mix between a frog, a salamander, and a crocodile. It had 4 legs, a long tail similar to that of a tadpole, a bulky body, a big, semi-flat head with big jaws, and eyes on the top of its head. Its body would have been covered in smooth skin.

## Diet

Cyclotosaurus was a predator, preying mainly on fish, but also snacking on small reptiles and smaller amphibians from time to time. It had a flattened jaw that contained sharp teeth, including a few elongated teeth at the beginning of the lower jaw.

## Ecology

Like Mastodonsaurus, Cyclotosaurus was a front-heavy amphibian that spent all of its time in the water. Cyclotosaurus was dominantly piscivorous in its dietary habits, and would snack on small fish that came near it; however, larger species were also capable of ambushing small archosaurs that stood near the water's edge. In many places, Cyclotosaurus lived with phytosaurs, unique reptiles that bore a great resemblance to modern crocodiles. In fact, it is sometimes thought that phytosaurs were outcompeting large stereospondyls like Cyclotosaurus, due to the former being more advanced.
Mesozoic

Although not as long as the Paleozoic Era, the Mesozoic Era is the most popular era to have ever taken place. After surviving a mass extinction, the synapsids and the reptiles had eventually evolved into mammals and dinosaurs respectively. Both species started out small, but later in the Mesozoic, the dinosaurs had soon grown to large sizes, and started to show uniqueness in themselves. As well as this, a branch of small dinosaurs had soon evolved into birds. The mammals, on the other hand, stayed small for all of the period. After a golden age of land domination, a meteor had struck the Earth, causing another calamitous mass extinction and killing off most of the dinosaurs, leaving the mammals to rule the Earth.

## Major Periods

* Triassic
* Jurassic
* Cretaceous
Ancient Animals Wiki

## Welcome to the Ancient Animals Wiki

The Earth has been around for millions of years. During these years, creatures of many sizes and shapes ruled the Earth. Due to finds of these fossils, we now know a lot about these creatures. Prepare for a long journey ahead!

## Major Eras

* Paleozoic
* Mesozoic
* Cenozoic

## Latest activity

Photos and videos are a great way to add visuals to your wiki. Find videos about your topic by exploring Wikia's Video Library.

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Eusthenopteron

Eusthenopteron is a tristichopterid lobe-finned bony fish from the Middle Devonian of Canada. It was named in 1881 by Joseph Frederick Whiteaves. It was the ancestor of amphibious lobe-finned fish like Tiktaalik as well as amphibians like Ichthyostega, and was the earliest known animal with bone marrow.

## Physiology

Eusthenopteron resembled the generic lobe-finned fish. It was a coelacanth-like fish with a bulky body, fleshy, lobe-like fins, and a big head with semi-small jaws. Its body would have been covered in scaly skin.

## Diet

Eusthenopteron was a predator, preying on smaller fish. Its teeth were small yet sharp, and were used to get a hold of struggling prey as the lobe-finned fish swallowed them whole.

## Ecology

Eusthenopteron had a body plan somewhat similar to tetrapods; its fin bones were very comparable to tetrapod leg bones, which would mean that primitive legs had evolved in creatures that were still primarily aquatic, like Tiktaalik. As well as this, its head was very similar to those of amphibians, having jaws capped with teeth with infolded dentin and enamel, as well as internal nostrils. For a while, it has been suspected that Eusthenopteron could crawl out of the water and onto dry land; however, scientists now agree that it was limited to the water. As well as this, it was the biggest vertebrate predator in Middle Devonian Canada, often grabbing smaller fish in its jaws and swallowing them whole.
Edmontosaurus

Edmontosaurus is a hadosaurid ornithopod dinosaur from the Late Cretaceous of Canada and the United States of America. It was named in 1917 by Lawrence Lambe. It is one of the most studied ornithopods, and it was also a wastebasket taxon, as 3 formerly distinct dinosaurs, Anatotitan, Anatosaurus, and Trachodon, have become species directly related to this genus.

## Physiology

Edmontosaurus represented the generic hadrosaur, an ornithopod with a bulky body, long forelimbs ending in hoof-like hands, long, muscular hindlimbs, a moderately long tail, a thick neck, and a large head with a duck-like beak. However, unlike hadrosaurs closely related to it, one species, *Edmontosaurus regalis*, did not have a bony crest, but rather a fleshy comb of skin and scales; the other species, *Edmontosaurus annectens*, bore no crest at all. Its body would have been covered in scaly skin, with a row of crocodile-like scutes running down its back.

## Diet

Edmontosaurus was an herbivore, feeding on leaves, twigs, pinecones, and pine needles. Its wide beak was used to clamp on branches and strip off all their leaves, while the many teeth in the back of its mouth would grind together, processing the leaves.

## Ecology

Edmontosaurus regularly walked on all four limbs, but when needed, it would stand on its 2 legs to run at swift speeds or to feed at different heights. As well as this, it would have lived in herds (mainly for protection against predators), and would have migrated from place to place if food was low. As a large herbivore, it would have been frequently attacked by large predators such as tyrannosaurs; an interesting thing to note is that after an Edmontosaurus survived an attack from a Tyrannosaurus, the bone around the damaged area started to heal, proving that the theropod was a predator and not an obligate scavenger like it was assumed to be for more than a decade. Some individuals were able to grow to large sizes and were generally safe from the theropod's jaws; however, this was rare, as the ornithopods had somewhat frequently fell victim to predator attacks, changes in environment, and disease.

## In popular culture

Edmontosaurus was first introduced to the public in the 1925 movie, *The Lost World*. Since then, it has appeared in movies like *Fantasia* and *The Land Before Time* and documentaries like *Walking with Dinosaurs* , where it is shown as a harmless, skittish ornithopod that could easily fall prey to theropods such as Allosaurus and Tyrannosaurus. Despite this, it is commonly overshadowed in other pieces of media by its long-crested relative, Parasaurolophus.
Postosuchus

Postosuchus is a rauisuchid reptile from the Late Triassic of the United States of America. It was named in 1985 by Sankar Chatterjee. It was one of the biggest predatory reptiles to roam Triassic North America; as well as this, it was very unique, due to its posture.

## Physiology

Postosuchus was a reptile with a bulky body, long hindlegs, moderately-sized arms, a long tail, and a big head with large jaws. Its body would have been covered in scaly skin, with crocodile-like scutes running down its back.

## Diet

Postosuchus was a predator, preying on large anomodonts, cynodonts, small crocodylomorphs, and small dinosaurs. Its teeth had knife-like serrations from back to back, and were designed for crushing bone.

## Ecology

Being the terrestrial apex predator of the Triassic North American deserts, Postosuchus would have been able to eat anything that lived alongside it; the only animals it had to be careful around were other Postosuchus, as well as the large phytosaur Smilosuchus. One of its prey items, the large aetosaur Desmatosuchus, would have traveled in large herds; however, this behavior would have been futile when trying to defend against predators, as one fossil site in the Southern United States would tell us that Postosuchus also hunted in groups. Like its somewhat close relative, Batrachotomus, Postosuchus was believed to be quadrupedal; however, recent skeletal analyses have showed that its forelimbs were too short for it to properly walk in a quadrupedal posture, and that its vertebra had a similar articulation to those of large theropod dinosaurs such as Tyrannosaurus and Allosaurus. Due to this, people were able to confirm that it walked bipedally.

## In popular culture

Postosuchus was featured in the first episode of the 1999 documentary *Walking with Dinosaurs*, where it was oversized to 6 meters long and depicted as walking with a quadrupedal gait. As well as this, despite the narrator mentioning it to be the biggest, most fearsome land predator of the Triassic, it walked at an extremely slow pace, roared every so often, and became paralyzed from a paltry wound caused by a Placerias tusk.
Shastasaurus

Shastasaurus is a shastasaurid ichthyosaurian reptile from the Late Triassic of the United States of America and Canada. It was named in 1895 by John Campbell Merriam. It was the biggest ichthyosaur to swim the prehistoric seas, and by extension, the biggest marine reptile of all time.

## Physiology

Shastasaurus was relatively unique for an ichthyosaur. It had an elongated and streamlined body, 4 flippers, a long tail with a fluke on its end, and a conical head with large, toothless jaws. Its body would have been covered in scaly skin.

## Diet

Shastasaurus was a predator, preying on fish and cephalopods. Its teeth were small yet sharp, and were used to get a hold of slippery prey.

## Ecology

Unlike other Triassic ichthyosaurs (like Cymbospondylus), Shastasaurus did not have any teeth on its jaws; in fact, even the juveniles had toothless jaws. However, it made up for this with its hunting strategy: it lunged at large schools of small fish or cephalopods with its mouth open, creating a small vacuum that sucked water particles and prey items into its mouth; this would have been useful when dealing with cephalopods, as they are able to propel themselves forward with jets of water. One species of Shastasaurus, *Shastasaurus sikanniensis*, reached 19.6 meters in length and weighed 30.9 tonnes, and would have been impervious to predation. As well as this, due to its increased dimensions, it would have been able to collect more air than other marine reptiles, as well as hold its breath for a longer time; therefore, it would have been able to dive deeper into the depths of the Triassic oceans.
Megapnosaurus

Megapnosaurus is a coelophysid theropod dinosaur from the Early Jurassic of Zimbabwe and South Africa. It was officially named in 2001 by Michael A. Ivie, Stanisław A. Slipinski, and Piotr Wegrzynowicz. It was once called "*Syntarsus*" (which was occupied by a cylindrical bark beetle), and a trio of entomologists renamed it in an incredibly derogatory manner (angering many paleontologists); as well as this, it was considered to be a synonym of Coelophysis for a long time, but it may be considered to be a different genus due to skeletal differences.

## Physiology

Megapnosaurus was a small theropod with a slender body, a long tail, long arms with three fingers on each hand, a moderately long neck, a long, conical head with large jaws, and two small crests atop its head. Most of its body would have been covered in short, fuzz-like feathers.

## Diet

Megapnosaurus was a predator, preying on small crocodylomorphs, small cynodonts, pterosaurs, fish, and smaller theropods. Its teeth had knife-like serrations from front to back, and were used to cut into the hides of large prey.

## Ecology

So far, all we know about Megapnosaurus is that it might have hunted in packs a la Coelophysis.
Inostrancevia

Inostrancevia is a gorgonopsid therapsid synapsid from the Guadalupian-Lopingian of Russia. It was named in 1922 by Vladmir P. Amalitsky. It was the biggest gorgonopsian; however, it was only one of the biggest therapsid synapsids, beaten in size by the earlier Anteosaurus.

## Physiology

Inostrancevia resembled the generic gorgonopsian, a therapsid with 4 erect legs, a somewhat slender body, and a big head with a mouth containing large canines in the front and smaller teeth in the back. Like all other gorgonopsians, and unlike most other therapsids, its legs were erect. Its body would have been covered in smooth skin.

## Diet

Inostrancevia was a predator, preying on pareiasaurs and dicynodonts. Near the curves of its jaws, it had a pair of large canines, which were used for penetrating through tough hide.

## Ecology

One of Inostrancevia's key features was its legs. Unlike other therapsids, which assumed a sprawling gait, Inostrancevia assumed an erect gait, which bore weight more efficiently; this allowed it to gallop at high speeds for a long time. Another, more well-known feature was its large canines; these were used for slicing into any type flesh, from the tough hides of pareiasaurs such as Scutosaurus to the soft flesh of dicynodonts. Since they were so big, the gorgonopsian's lower jaw grew in a notched manner so the teeth could be easily hidden; other saber-toothed predators such as Thylacosmilus had this feature.

## In popular culture

Inostrancevia was featured in the 3rd episode of the 2005 documentary *Walking with Monsters*, where it is shown as evolving from Dimetrodon over a course of 26 million years. As well as this, it is shown as the apex predator of the Lopingian deserts; despite this, it falls victim to horrible events such as ravenous Scutosaurus herds and deadly sandstorms, dying at the end of the segment.
Synapsid

The synapsids were the greatest evolutionary link between reptiles and mammals. They were animals with both reptilian and mammalian features. In fact, they started out as reptilian, but soon evolved to look more mammalian. Having started out in the Carboniferous period, the synapsids had flourished during the Permian period, and even started to show uniqueness in themselves. In the early Permian, there were reptilian pelycosaur synapsids, while in the late Permian, there were mammalian therapsid synapsids. Soon, in the Jurassic period, the synapsids would soon evolve into a new type of animal: the mammals.

## Synapsids Throughout Time (note that those are not all the ones that exist)

### Carboniferous Synapsids

* Archaeothyris
* Edaphosaurus

### Permian Synapsids

* Dimetrodon
* Lycaenops
* Anteosaurus
* Tapinocephalus
* Moschops
* Gorgonops
* Diictodon
* Cistecephalus
* Inostrancevia
* Moschorhinus
* Euchambersia
* Lystrosaurus
* Dicynodon

### Triassic Synapsids (excluding mammals)

* Thrinaxodon
* Cynognathus
* Placerias
Concavenator

Concavenator is a carcharodontosaurid theropod dinosaur from the Late Cretaceous of Spain. It was named in 2010 by Francisco Ortega,‭ ‬Fernando Escaso,‭ and ‬José Luis Sanz. It was one of the most unique carcharodontosaurs to live, notable for its mysterious hump.

## Physiology

Concavenator had a body plan similar to other carcharodontosaurs; it was a theropod with a semi-bulky body, moderately long legs, moderately long arms, a long tail, a moderately long neck, a large head with a mouth containing lots of big teeth. However, what set it apart from other carcharodontosaurs was the large, triangular, fin-like hump on its back. Its body would have been covered in scaly skin.

## Diet

Concavenator was a predator, preying on small mammals and smaller theropods. Its teeth had knife-like serrations from back to back, and were used to slice off pieces of flesh from the bodies of large prey.

## Ecology

So far, all we know about Concavenator is that while it was the apex predator of the forested environment it lived in, and while it did have sharp, serrated teeth, it probably might not have bitten large chunks of flesh off the bodies of prey, as everything in its environment was either small enough to have been swiftly subdued with a bite (like Pelecanimimus) or simply too big to hunt (like Iguanodon); as well as this, the large, fin-like hump on its back may have served a similar purpose to that of the crests on top of the heads of many other theropods, with that specific purpose being display.
Harpactognathus

Harpactognathus is a rhamphorhynchid pterosaurian reptile from the Late Jurassic of the United States of America. It was named in 2003 by Kenneth Carpenter, David A. Unwin, Karen Cloward, Clifford Miles, and Clark Miles. It was the biggest confirmed primitive long-tailed pterosaur to have ever existed; however, it was not the biggest pterosaur of all, as many Cretaceous pterodactyloids like Tupandactylus, Pteranodon, Tropeognathus, and Quetzalcoatlus would prove to be bigger.

## Physiology

Harpactognathus somewhat resembled its semi-close cousin, Scaphognathus. It was a primitive pterosaur with 4 legs (two of which served as wings), 4 fingers on each hand (one of which was elongated and supported the wing membrane), a small body, a long tail with a diamond-shaped vane on its end, a mid-sized head with a blunt, toothy beak, and a crest atop its head. Most of its body (excluding its beak, crest, and wings) would have been covered in a fur-like covering called pycnofibers.

## Diet

Harpactognathus was an omnivore, feeding mainly on insects, lizards, mammals, and small dinosaurs, but also feeding on ferns, horsetails, and leaves. Its teeth were large and pointy, and were used to get a hold of struggling prey, but were also good at processing plant matter.

## Ecology

So far, all we know about Harpactognathus is that it was good at both pouncing on small prey and grinding up plant matter, and it had a large crest atop its head, used for display; whether the crest was used for attracting mates or for recognition by other members of its species is unknown.
Eurypterus

### Location

United States of America, Canada, Norway, Sweden, Ukraine, Estonia (possibly United Kingdom)

### Diet

Carnivore

Eurypterus is a eurypterid eurypterid merostomate arthropod from the Wenlock-Early Devonian of the United States of America, Canada, Norway, Sweden, Ukraine, Estonia, and possibly the United Kingdom. It was named in 1825 by James Ellsworth De Kay. It was the most common eurypterid during the Silurian, and was confused for either being a catfish or a branchiopod, right before people discovered that it was a eurypterid.

## Physiology

Eurypterus had a build very similar to generic eurypterids, with a rounded cephalothorax, large eyes, 4 pairs of walking legs, a pair of paddles for swimming, and a long tail ending in a spear-like telson. However, it had a few major differences; for example, the 1st 3 pairs of walking legs were short, while the 4th pair was long, and it had very small claws, something very different from the long arms of Megalograptus and Pterygotus. Its body would have been covered in a hard, chitinous exoskeleton.

## Diet

Eurypterus was a predator, preying on small invertebrates. Its small claws were used to get a hold of prey, as well as tear them into pieces.

## Ecology

Eurypterus had a very interesting swimming style, mainly known as ¨subaqueous flight¨. Its paddles would row back and forth, with their broad side facing forwards as they went forward and downwards as they went backwards, leaving it capable at swimming slightly faster than a turtle or otter. Smaller individuals would have flailed their paddles at a faster rate (similarly to swimming crabs and water beetles), propelling themselves through the water at higher speeds. As well as this, Eurypterus would be able to step out of the sea to mate and lay eggs, similar to horseshoe crabs.