Paleontology Database

Reconstruction of Psittacosaurus mongoliensis（Image source：Connor Ashbridge， CC BY 4.0 ） Age Cretaceous（Aptian-Albian） 121.4-100.5 Ma Taxonomy Kingdom: Animalia Phylum: Chordata Class: Sauropsida Superorder: Dinosauria Order: Ornithischia Clade: Ceratopsia Family: Psittacosauridae Genus: Psittacosaurus Species: Psittacosaurus mongoliensis Morphological description Psittacosaurus mongoliensis was a small- to medium-sized ceratopsian dinosaur characterized by a short, deep skul

Reconstruction of Yutyrannus huali（Image source：TotalDino， CC BY 4.0 ） Age Cretaceous（Barremian） 125 Ma Taxonomy Kingdom: Animalia Phylum: Chordata Class: Sauropsida Superorder: Dinosauria Order: Saurischia Suborder: Theropoda Superfamily: Tyrannosauroidea Family: Proceratosauridae Genus: Yutyrannus Species: Yutyrannus huali Morphological description Yutyrannus huali was a gigantic basal tyrannosauroid dinosaur, with a femoral length of approximately 85 cm and an estimated bo

Reconstruction of Guanlong wucaii（Image source：TotalDino， CC BY 4.0 ） Age Jurassic（Oxfordian） 161.5-154.8 Ma Taxonomy Kingdom: Animalia Phylum: Chordata Class: Sauropsida Superorder: Dinosauria Order: Saurischia Suborder: Theropoda Family: Proceratosauridae Genus: Guanlong Species: Guanlong wucaii Morphological description Guanlong wucaii was an early-diverging tyrannosauroid dinosaur. The holotype, IVPP V14531, had a total body length of approximately 3 m. It possessed sever

Reconstruction of Dimorphodon macronyx（Image source：Dmitry Bogdanov， CC BY 3.0 ） Age Jurassic（Hettangian） 201.4-199.5 Ma Taxonomy Kingdom: Animalia Phylum: Chordata Class: Sauropsida Order: Pterosauria Family: Dimorphodontidae Genus: Dimorphodon Species: Dimorphodon macronyx Morphological description Mature individuals of Dimorphodon macronyx had a wingspan of approximately 1.5 m. The skull was elongate and deep, measuring about 20–22 cm in adult specimens and approaching one

Reconstruction of Confuciusornis sanctus（Image source：Matt Martyniuk， CC BY-SA 3.0 ） Age Cretaceous（Barremian） 125-120 Ma Taxonomy Kingdom: Animalia Phylum: Chordata Class: Sauropsida Order: Confuciusornithiformes Family: Confuciusornithidae Genus: Confuciusornis Species: Confuciusornis sanctus Morphological description Confuciusornis sanctus was an early bird with a keratinous beak and completely edentulous jaws. The skull retained two distinct temporal fenestrae. The orbit

Reconstruction of Caudipteryx zoui（Image source：TotalDino， CC BY-SA 4.0 ） Age Cretaceous（Late Barremian） 125.6-124.6 Ma Taxonomy Kingdom: Animalia Phylum: Chordata Class: Sauropsida Superorder: Dinosauria Order: Saurischia Suborder: Theropoda Clade: Oviraptorosauria Family: Caudipteridae Genus: Caudipteryx Species: Caudipteryx zoui Morphological description Caudipteryx zoui was a small, feather-covered theropod dinosaur. The holotype, NGMC 97-4-A, described in the original st

Reconstruction of Giganotosaurus carolinii（Image source：Durbed， CC BY-SA 3.0 ） Age Cretaceous（Albian-Cenomanian） 112-110 Ma Taxonomy Kingdom: Animalia Phylum: Chordata Class: Sauropsida Superorder: Dinosauria Order: Saurischia Suborder: Theropoda Family: Carcharodontosauridae Genus: Giganotosaurus Species: Giganotosaurus carolinii Morphological description Giganotosaurus carolinii was an extremely large theropod dinosaur characterized by a proportionally low and elongate skul

Reconstruction of Carcharodontosaurus saharicus（Image source：Fred Wierum， CC BY-SA 4.0 ） Age Cretaceous（Cenomanian） 100.5-93.9 Ma Taxonomy Kingdom: Animalia Phylum: Chordata Class: Sauropsida Superorder: Dinosauria Order: Saurischia Suborder: Theropoda Family: Carcharodontosauridae Genus: Carcharodontosaurus Species: Carcharodontosaurus saharicus Morphological description The anatomy of Carcharodontosaurus saharicus is currently based primarily on the Moroccan neotype, SGM-Di

Reconstruction of Anchiornis huxleyi (courtesy of HKU MOOC / Julius T. Csotonyi / Michael Pittman) Age Jurassic（Oxfordian） 160.89-160.25 Ma Taxonomy Kingdom: Animalia Phylum: Chordata Class: Sauropsida Superorder: Dinosauria Order: Saurischia Suborder: Theropoda Family: Anchiornithidae Genus: Anchiornis Species: Anchiornis huxleyi Morphological description Anchiornis huxleyi was a small, fully feathered paravian theropod dinosaur. In lateral view, the skull is roughly triangu

Reconstruction of Pliosaurus westburyensis (AI-generated reconstruction, manually reviewed to ensure consistency with currently accepted reconstructions) Age Jurassic（Kimmeridgian） 151 Ma Taxonomy Kingdom: Animalia Phylum: Chordata Class: Sauropsida Order: Plesiosauria Family: Pliosauridae Genus: Pliosaurus Species: Pliosaurus westburyensis Morphological description Pliosaurus westburyensis had a relatively narrow, gracile snout, with only slight lateral expansion of the cani

Reconstruction of Pliosaurus kevani (AI-generated and manually reviewed to ensure consistency with currently accepted reconstructions) Age Jurassic（Kimmeridgian） 155-154 Ma Taxonomy Kingdom: Animalia Phylum: Chordata Class: Sauropsida Order: Plesiosauria Family: Pliosauridae Genus: Pliosaurus Species: Pliosaurus kevan Morphological description The holotype of Pliosaurus kevani, DORCM G.13,675, consists of a nearly complete, large skull. The skull measures approximately 200 cm

Reconstruction of Pliosaurus funkei（Image source：ДиБгд， CC BY-SA 4.0 ） Age Jurassic（Tithonian） 146 Ma Taxonomy Kingdom: Animalia Phylum: Chordata Class: Sauropsida Order: Plesiosauria Family: Pliosauridae Genus: Pliosaurus Species: Pliosaurus funkei Morphological description Pliosaurus funkei was established on the basis of two specimens, PMO 214.135 (the holotype) and PMO 214.136. Its most diagnostic combination of characters includes a massive mandibular retroarticular proc

Reconstruction of Pliosaurus carpenteri (AI-generated reconstruction, manually reviewed for consistency with currently accepted reconstructions) Age Jurassic（Kimmeridgian） 152-151 Ma Taxonomy Kingdom: Animalia Phylum: Chordata Class: Sauropsida Order: Plesiosauria Family: Pliosauridae Genus: Pliosaurus Species: Pliosaurus carpenteri Morphological description Pliosaurus carpenteri was a giant pliosaurid known from a specimen with a skull and mandible approximately 1.8 m long.

Reconstruction of Pliosaurus almanzaensis (AI-generated reconstruction, manually reviewed for consistency with current mainstream reconstructions) Age Jurassic（Tithonian） 144 Ma Taxonomy Kingdom: Animalia Phylum: Chordata Class: Sauropsida Order: Plesiosauria Family: Pliosauridae Genus: Pliosaurus Species: Pliosaurus almanzaensis Morphological description The holotype of Pliosaurus almanzaensis, MOZ 3728P, preserves an almost complete mandible, the palate, basicranium, hyoid

Life reconstruction of Pliosaurus brachydeirus（Image source：Dmitry Bogdanov， CC BY-SA 3.0 ） Age Jurassic（Kimmeridgian） 157.3-152.1 Ma Taxonomy Kingdom: Animalia Phylum: Chordata Class: Sauropsida Order: Plesiosauria Family: Pliosauridae Genus: Pliosaurus Species: Pliosaurus brachydeirus Morphological description Pliosaurus brachydeirus is currently known with confidence only from the holotype, OXFUM/OUMNH J.9245, and its associated material, which includes portions of the sku

Reconstruction of Tanystropheus conspicuus（Image source：Mark Witton， CC BY-SA 4.0 ） Age Triassic（Anisian-Ladinian） 245-228 Ma Taxonomy Kingdom: Animalia Phylum: Chordata Class: Sauropsida Order: Protorosauria Family: Tanystropheidae Genus: Tanystropheus Species: Tanystropheus conspicuus Morphological description The cervical vertebrae of Tanystropheus conspicuus are extremely elongate. The mid-cervical vertebrae can be more than ten times longer than they are tall, and in lar

Ferromirum oukherbouchi（Image source：Frey, L et al. (2020).， CC BY 4.0 。） Age Devonian（Famennian） 370 Ma Taxonomy Kingdom：Animalia Phylum：Chordata Class：Chondrichthyes Order：Symmoriiformes Genus：Ferromirum Species：Ferromirum oukherbouchi Morphological description Ferromirum oukherbouchi was a small chondrichthyan that lived during the Late Devonian, with an estimated body length of approximately 33 cm. Ferromirum oukherbouchi specimen（Image source：Frey, L et al. (2020).， CC B

Bulongosteus liui（Image source：Entelognathus， CC BY-SA 4.0 。） Age Devonian (Famennian) 371 Ma Taxonomy Kingdom：Animalia Phylum：Chordata Class：Placodermi Order：Arthrodira Family：Selenosteidae Genus：Bulongosteus Species：Bulongosteus liui Morphological description Bulongosteus liui is characterized by a triangular median nuchal plate, with a convex anterior margin, a distinctly concave posterior margin, and slightly concave lateral margins. The posterior end of the paranuchal pl

Staurikosaurus pricei（Image source：JohnnyMingau， CC BY-SA 4.0 。） Age Late Triassic (Carnian) 233 Ma Taxonomy Kingdom：Animalia Phylum：Chordata Class：Reptilia Order：Saurischia Family：Herrerasauridae Genus：Staurikosaurus Species：Staurikosaurus pricei Morphological description Staurikosaurus pricei was a relatively small and agile carnivorous animal, estimated to have reached about 2.2 m in length and weighed approximately 12 kg. Its limbs were relatively long and slender. Skelet

Gnathovorax cabreirai（Image source：CaetaMS， CC BY-SA 4.0 。） Age Triassic (Carnian) 233 Ma Taxonomy Kingdom：Animalia Phylum：Chordata Class：Reptilia Order：Saurischia Family：Herrerasauridae Genus：Gnathovorax Species：Gnathovorax cabreirai Morphological description Gnathovorax cabreirai is estimated to have reached nearly 3 metres in length and weighed around 100 kilograms, although some estimates suggest a body mass closer to 60 kilograms. Skull of Gnathovorax cabreirai（Image sou