“Deceptive thief” The “deceptive thief”, Apatoraptor pennatus, was an approximately 2.5 meter long, bird-like dinosaur from the Upper Cretaceous of what is now Canada. It was characterized by a prominent head crest, long tail feathers and feathered, well-muscled arms called pennibrachia. These features were probably for sexual display rather than flight. Appearance and characteristics of Apatoraptor Body structure and…
The Chicken from Hell Anzu wyliei is a strange bird-like creature. He has an exceptionally high and thin bony ridge on his skull. This dinosaur has a huge beak with sharp edges and no teeth. The anatomy of the jaw joint is also extraordinary. The lower jaw can be moved forwards and backwards in a sliding movement,…
“Swift Robber” Historical Background The discovery of the velociraptor is closely linked to the early 20th century expeditions to Mongolia's Gobi Desert. In 1922, an American Museum of Natural History expedition led by Henry Fairfield Osborn led to an important discovery. On August 11, 1923, Peter Kaisen found the first known fossils during this expedition...
The large lizard Megalosaurus means something like big lizard in German. But he could also have the name “the first”. It was the first dinosaur fossil ever discovered. It was also the first dinosaur genus ever to be scientifically named. And in February 2020, Britain's Royal Mint released the first of three 50p coins,…
Beautiful Feathered Tyrant Yutyrannus is a mix of Latin and Mandarin and means something like “beautiful feathered tyrant”. This dinosaur is a carnivorous theropod and an early relative of Tyrannosaurus Rex. In the Chinese province of Liaoning, 3 specimens, one large and two small, almost completely preserved fossils were unearthed. They are 125 million years…
The bird mimic Avimimus was a bird-like dinosaur. Its name means something like: “bird impersonator”. It was a very fast, lightweight dinosaur that belongs to the group Theropoda. Its legs were extremely long and slender, suggesting that Avimimus was a highly specialized runner. His shins were long compared to his thighs, a feature that...