Paleontology

An illustration approximates a pod of Ankylorhiza tiedemani hunting diving birds.

Giant Extinct Dolphin May Have Hunted Other Whales

The nearly 16-foot species may have been an apex predator like modern killer whales, researchers say

An artist's rendering of Kongonaphon kely, a newly described 4-inch-tall reptile that lived in southwestern Madagascar some 237 million years ago. Researchers think the Triassic creature may be closely related to the common ancestor of dinosaurs and pterosaurs.

Giant Dinosaurs and Pterosaurs May Have Evolved From This Four-Inch-Tall Reptile

In Madagascar some 237 million years ago, the tiny <em>Kongonaphon kely</em> was chasing down insects on two legs

A painting that imagines what a living Mukupirna nambensis and its surrounding environment would have looked like some 25 million years ago near Lake Pinpa, Australia.

300-Pound, Wombat-Like Creature Once Roamed Australia

Paleontologists describe a new species of extinct Australian marsupial that is most closely related to modern wombats but was the size of a black bear

A fossilized Mussaurus egg that was the subject of one of two new studies documenting soft-shelled eggs at the time of the dinosaurs. Mussaurus was a long-necked, plant-eating dinosaur that grew to 20 feet in length and lived in modern-day Argentina between 227 and 208.5 million years ago.

First Soft-Shelled Dinosaur Egg Fossils Found

Twin discoveries reveal that some ancient reptiles laid soft-shelled eggs, challenging long-held assumptions in paleontology

Reconstruction of Batrachopus trackmaker from the Lower Cretaceous Jinju Formation of South Korea

Fossil Footprints Suggest Ancient Crocodile Walked on Two Legs

The lumbering crocodylomorph lived during the early Cretaceous period, about 106 million years ago

A great white shark pictured off the coast of Mexico in 2006

Prehistoric Great White Shark Nursery Discovered in Chile

Young sharks grew up here millions of years ago, scientists say

An artist's rendering shows the armored dinosaur Borealopelta markmitchelli eating ferns, which new research shows made up the majority of its diet.

Exquisitely Preserved 'Mona Lisa' of Dinosaur Fossils Reveals Prehistoric Creature's Last Meal

Fossil plant matter found in the gut of the exquisitely preserved herbivore reveals its diet and even the season of its death

As erosion reshapes England’s Jurassic Coast, ancient fossils are revealed.

Why the Jurassic Coast Is One of the Best Fossil-Collecting Sites on Earth

Along a famed stretch of English coastline, amateurs and professionals collect 200-million-year-old treasures before they are reclaimed by the waves

Artist impression of Allosaurus

Carnivorous Dinosaurs Like Allosaurus Were Cannibals

Tooth-marked bones show that huge flesh-eaters had no qualms about chomping their own kind when times got tough

An artist’s rendering of what an elaphrosaur may have looked like.

Rare 'Light-Footed' Dinosaur Discovered in Australia for the First Time

A single vertebra spotted by a dig volunteer was identified as a strange, slender-necked dinosaur called an elaphrosaur

An artist's reconstruction of Spinosaurus, showing a paddle-like tail that would have helped it swim.

Groundbreaking Fossil Suggests Spinosaurus Is First Known Swimming Dinosaur

Its paddle-like tail, unearthed in Morocco, suggests the Cretaceous carnivore ventured into the water to hunt

Artist's impression of the Chicxulub impact.

After the Dinosaur-Killing Impact, Soot Played a Remarkable Role in Extinction

The famous impact 66 million years ago kicked up soot into the atmosphere that played an even bigger role in blocking sunlight than experts had realized

Cracked-open and burnt fragments of crab pincers, found in the cave of Figueira Brava.

Neanderthals Really Liked Seafood

A rare cache of aquatic animal remains suggests that like early humans, Neanderthals were exploiting marine resources

Stromatolites at Lake Thetis, Western Australia

Why It’s So Difficult to Find Earth’s Earliest Life

Debate over Earth’s oldest fossils fuels the search for our deepest origins

Reconstruction of Dineobellator notohesperus and other dinosaurs from the Ojo Alamo Formation at the end of the Cretaceous Period in New Mexico by Sergey Krasovskiy. This reconstruction shows three Dineobellator near a water source, with the ceratopsid Ojoceratops and sauropod Alamosaurus in the background.

New Feathered Carnivorous Dinosaur Found in New Mexico

Dineobellator was a formidable predator and boasts the battle scars to prove it.

Asteriornis maastrichtensis, the world's oldest known modern bird, had a mashup of chicken-, turkey- and duck-like features.

At 67 Million Years Old, Oldest Modern Bird Ever Found Is Natural 'Turducken'

Remarkable fossil hints at the traits birds evolved just before an asteroid wiped their nonavian dinosaur kin

An artist’s depiction of Gunakadeit joseeae

215-Million-Year-Old, Sharp-Nosed Sea Creature Was Among the Last of Its Kind

Researchers gave the marine reptile the genus name <u>G</u>unakadeit in honor of a sea monster from Tlingit oral history

Mulleriblattina bowangi, a cockroach that lived in caves during the Cretaceous

Oldest Known Cave-Dwellers Are 99-Million-Year-Old Cockroaches

The pale-bodied pests belong to a family that’s still around today

The new dinosaur is called Thanatotheristes degrootorum.

Newly Discovered Tyrannosaur Was Key to the Rise of Giant Meat-Eaters

A partial skull found in Alberta helps put a timer on when the 'tyrant lizards' got big

An artist's impression of a pterosaur trying and failing to snag a cephalopod from the ocean

Pterosaur Tooth Found in Rare Ancient Squid Fossil

A tooth embedded in prehistoric cephalopod offers a glimpse into predator-prey interactions from 150 million years ago

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