Near a small coastal town on the west coast of South Africa, amid rolling dunes and fynbos vegetation lies a palaeontological gem. The site is called Langebaanweg, named for the nearby town, Langebaan. A word believed to derive from Dutch for the long strip of calm water created by the saltwater lagoon, which characterises this...

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Found in the fossil record between the Jurassic and the middle Miocene, Notosuchia was a highly diverse and strange group of crocodylomorphs, most notable for their terrestrial lifestyle. Joining us for today’s episode is Dr Yohan Pochat-Cottilloux from the Laboratoire de Géologie de Lyon, who specialises in the study of crocodylomorphs. Together, we will explore...

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Before the rise of reptiles in the Mesozoic, synapsids dominated. Synapsida is comprised of all living and extinct mammals, and all species more closely related to mammals than to modern reptiles, birds, or amphibians. Originating in the Carboniferous about 320 million years ago, and then flourishing in the Permian (299 to 252 million years ago),...

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