Hady George
@houdzgeorge.bsky.social
PhD student in the Bristol Palaeobiology Group, working on the evolution of jaw function across the fish-tetrapod transition, broadly interested in the evolution of vertebrate form and function, he/him, 🇱🇧🇵🇸
It's also been misspelt every single time it's appeared in the literature as well
September 16, 2026 at 12:42 PM
It's also been misspelt every single time it's appeared in the literature as well
Thanks! Triassic Gondwana is pretty cool
We need to resurrect Ruhuhuungualasaurus haha, maybe a modified version of it with more Us can be the next species one of us names
We need to resurrect Ruhuhuungualasaurus haha, maybe a modified version of it with more Us can be the next species one of us names
September 16, 2026 at 8:45 AM
Thanks! Triassic Gondwana is pretty cool
We need to resurrect Ruhuhuungualasaurus haha, maybe a modified version of it with more Us can be the next species one of us names
We need to resurrect Ruhuhuungualasaurus haha, maybe a modified version of it with more Us can be the next species one of us names
Thanks for sharing!
September 16, 2026 at 7:31 AM
Thanks for sharing!
Thanks :) not everyday you get to say something important about the candidates for ‘first dinosaur’
September 16, 2026 at 7:31 AM
Thanks :) not everyday you get to say something important about the candidates for ‘first dinosaur’
Finally, huge thanks to my coauthors, I couldn't have done it without them, only the phylogenetics wizard @emoody.bsky.social is on this platform. Also, thanks goes to @serpenillus.bsky.social for the stunning artwork. You can read the full research article here: tandfonline.com/doi/full/10....
Craniomandibular osteology of Dinodontosaurus isiyavamanda sp. nov. (Therapsida: Anomodontia) from the Manda Beds of Tanzania and new support for a younger age for the alleged oldest dinosaurs
Fossils from the Manda Beds of Tanzania have greatly informed on the diversity and evolution of Triassic tetrapods, including on what might be the oldest dinosaurs. Here, a new dicynodont taxon fro...
tandfonline.com
September 16, 2026 at 7:00 AM
Finally, huge thanks to my coauthors, I couldn't have done it without them, only the phylogenetics wizard @emoody.bsky.social is on this platform. Also, thanks goes to @serpenillus.bsky.social for the stunning artwork. You can read the full research article here: tandfonline.com/doi/full/10....
It is worth mentioning that Nyasasaurus may be from older rocks than those Dinodontosaurus isiyavamanda is from, but I think its most likely from the most fossiliferous strata. For the moment, there are no definitive records of Anisian dinosaurs, but maybe you can be the one to change that
September 16, 2026 at 7:00 AM
It is worth mentioning that Nyasasaurus may be from older rocks than those Dinodontosaurus isiyavamanda is from, but I think its most likely from the most fossiliferous strata. For the moment, there are no definitive records of Anisian dinosaurs, but maybe you can be the one to change that
Two dinosaurs/dinosauriforms from the Manda Beds have been nominated as the oldest dinosaurs based on the previously assigned age: Nyasasaurus and the silesaur Asilisaurus. But now they can no longer be considered older than dinosaurs/dinosauriforms from South America and elsewhere in Africa.
September 16, 2026 at 7:00 AM
Two dinosaurs/dinosauriforms from the Manda Beds have been nominated as the oldest dinosaurs based on the previously assigned age: Nyasasaurus and the silesaur Asilisaurus. But now they can no longer be considered older than dinosaurs/dinosauriforms from South America and elsewhere in Africa.
The evidence is overwhelmingly in the favor of the Tanzanian units being of the same age as those radiometrically dated South American units. And they are not Anisian, but late Ladinian - early Carnian in age. Or in other words, end Middle - beginning Late Triassic.
September 16, 2026 at 7:00 AM
The evidence is overwhelmingly in the favor of the Tanzanian units being of the same age as those radiometrically dated South American units. And they are not Anisian, but late Ladinian - early Carnian in age. Or in other words, end Middle - beginning Late Triassic.
Those South American units are radiometrically dated. Over the last decade, our certainty of the age of specific layers of those units has narrowed down to just a few hundred thousand years. There are other published faunal connections between the Tanzanian and South American sites too.
September 16, 2026 at 7:00 AM
Those South American units are radiometrically dated. Over the last decade, our certainty of the age of specific layers of those units has narrowed down to just a few hundred thousand years. There are other published faunal connections between the Tanzanian and South American sites too.
Historically, the most fossiliferous subunit of the Manda Beds, the mid-upper Lifua Member, was considered Anisian in age (mid Middle Triassic). But recent research has disputed this, and now we can directly link the subunit to Dinodontosaurus-bearing units in South America
September 16, 2026 at 7:00 AM
Historically, the most fossiliferous subunit of the Manda Beds, the mid-upper Lifua Member, was considered Anisian in age (mid Middle Triassic). But recent research has disputed this, and now we can directly link the subunit to Dinodontosaurus-bearing units in South America
Okay but what about the origin of dinosaurs? How does a dicynodont stem-mammal tell us anything about where and when dinosaurs come from? While seemingly unrelated, the occurence of Dinodontosaurus compels us to reassess the age of the Manda Beds.
September 16, 2026 at 7:00 AM
Okay but what about the origin of dinosaurs? How does a dicynodont stem-mammal tell us anything about where and when dinosaurs come from? While seemingly unrelated, the occurence of Dinodontosaurus compels us to reassess the age of the Manda Beds.
We also conducted three seperate phylogenetic analyses. One under parsimony, another through Bayesian estimation, and the last with Maximum Likelihood. Generally, our taxonomic assessment was supported. Importantly, they collectively highlight the instability of Triassic dicynodont relationships
September 16, 2026 at 7:00 AM
We also conducted three seperate phylogenetic analyses. One under parsimony, another through Bayesian estimation, and the last with Maximum Likelihood. Generally, our taxonomic assessment was supported. Importantly, they collectively highlight the instability of Triassic dicynodont relationships
The unique palate is likely also related to a unique food processing mechanism that favored crushing over shearing. Perhaps this is what allowed up to 6 dicynodont species to coexist in the Triassic of Tanzania, but that hypothesis needs to be thoroughly tested
September 16, 2026 at 7:00 AM
The unique palate is likely also related to a unique food processing mechanism that favored crushing over shearing. Perhaps this is what allowed up to 6 dicynodont species to coexist in the Triassic of Tanzania, but that hypothesis needs to be thoroughly tested
'isi ya vamanda' are the Manda words for 'country of the Wamanda'. This epithet commemorates the effort the Wamanda people put into the collection of the holotype and associated fossils. If only we could honor individual locals who where on the '63 expedition, but their names were never recorded
September 16, 2026 at 7:00 AM
'isi ya vamanda' are the Manda words for 'country of the Wamanda'. This epithet commemorates the effort the Wamanda people put into the collection of the holotype and associated fossils. If only we could honor individual locals who where on the '63 expedition, but their names were never recorded
The cutting ridge at the back of the secondary palate (this 2nd palate convergently evolved in true mammals) typical of dicynodonts is not a cutting ridge at all, but rather bulbous. This, along with a few other features, distinguishes this material as a novel species: D. isiyavamanda.
September 16, 2026 at 7:00 AM
The cutting ridge at the back of the secondary palate (this 2nd palate convergently evolved in true mammals) typical of dicynodonts is not a cutting ridge at all, but rather bulbous. This, along with a few other features, distinguishes this material as a novel species: D. isiyavamanda.
As the newly collected material and the fossil Nigel worked are so similar, we infer they belong to the same species. However, this is not the same species as any represented in South America. The Tanzanian material has a very unique palate.
September 16, 2026 at 7:00 AM
As the newly collected material and the fossil Nigel worked are so similar, we infer they belong to the same species. However, this is not the same species as any represented in South America. The Tanzanian material has a very unique palate.
The preservation of the holotype material collected in the 60's prevents us from identifying the unique, diagnostic features of Dinodontosaurus. However, a fragmentary skull collected more recently by Ken Angielczyk and colleagues from the Manda Beds does exhibit the diagnostic nasofrontal suture
September 16, 2026 at 7:00 AM
The preservation of the holotype material collected in the 60's prevents us from identifying the unique, diagnostic features of Dinodontosaurus. However, a fragmentary skull collected more recently by Ken Angielczyk and colleagues from the Manda Beds does exhibit the diagnostic nasofrontal suture
30 years later, Nigel invited me onto the project to help turn his master's thesis into a published paper, and here we are. After a lot of painstaking comparative anatomy and the input of coauthors and reviewers I am really grateful for (legends), we concluded that it is in fact Dinodontosaurus
September 16, 2026 at 7:00 AM
30 years later, Nigel invited me onto the project to help turn his master's thesis into a published paper, and here we are. After a lot of painstaking comparative anatomy and the input of coauthors and reviewers I am really grateful for (legends), we concluded that it is in fact Dinodontosaurus