Research solves a 160-year-old mystery about the origin of skeletons
Scientists at The University of Manchester and the University of Bristol have used powerful X-rays to peer inside the skeletons of some of our oldest
Category : Palaeontology
HeritageDaily – Palaeontology & fossil news and dinosaur press releases from across the globe
Extinct vegetarian cave bear diet mystery unravelled
During the Late Pleistocene period (between 125,000 to 12,000 years ago) two bear species roamed Europe: omnivorous brown bears (Ursus arctos) and the extinct mostly
Japan’s iconic extinct mammal
After more than 60 years, the bone of an iconic extinct Japanese mammal has been rediscovered by a team of researchers led by the University
Paleontologists discover largest dinosaur foot to date
As it turns out, "Bigfoot" was a dinosaur--a giant, plant-eating one. A new study based on fossils excavated in Wyoming reveals the largest dinosaur foot
Missing bones and our understanding of ancient biodiversity
Fossils come in many shapes and sizes, ranging from isolated fragments of bones and teeth to complete skeletons.
Growing a dinosaur’s dinner
Scientists have measured the nutritional value of herbivore dinosaurs' diet by growing their food in atmospheric conditions similar to those found roughly 150 million years
Why life on Earth first got big
Some of the earliest complex organisms on Earth - possibly some of the earliest animals to exist - got big not to compete for food,
Fossils show ancient primates had grooming claws as well as nails
Humans and other primates are outliers among mammals for having nails instead of claws. But how, when and why we transitioned from claws to nails
Two new creatures discovered from dawn of animal life
Earth's first complex animals were an eclectic bunch that lived in the shallow oceans between 580-540 million years ago.
Amber fossils provide oldest evidence of frogs in wet, tropical forests
About 99 million years ago, a tiny juvenile frog in present-day Myanmar was suddenly trapped in sap with a beetle, perhaps its intended next meal.
‘Monstrous’ new Russian saber-tooth fossils clarify early evolution of mammal lineage
Fossils representing two new species of saber-toothed prehistoric predators have been described by researchers from the North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences (Raleigh, USA) and
First tetrapods of Africa lived within the Devonian Antarctic Circle
The first African fossils of Devonian tetrapods (four-legged vertebrates) show these pioneers of land living within the Antarctic circle, 360 million years ago.
Jurassic diet: why our knowledge of what ancient pterosaurs ate might be wrong
Whenever we think about extinct animals we often imagine them eating their favourite meals, whether it be plants, other animals or a combination of both.
Life recovered rapidly at impact site of dino-killing asteroid
About 66 million years ago, an asteroid smashed into Earth, triggering a mass extinction that ended the reign of the dinosaurs and snuffed out 75
The smallest biggest theropod dinosaur
Spinosaurus is the longest, and among the largest predatory dinosaurs, and possesses many adaptations for a semiaquatic lifestyle. A tiny claw phalanx of the foot,
Fossilized feces reveal Early Cretaceous aquatic vertebrate diversity
Ancient fossils faeces found in central Spain belonged to fish-eating carnivores from the Early Cretaceous, according to a study published by Sandra Barrios de Pedro
Genome structure of dinosaurs discovered by bird-turtle comparisons
A discovery by scientists at the University of Kent has provided significant insight into the overall genome structure of dinosaurs.
Feeding habits of ancient elephants uncovered from grass fragments stuck in their teeth
A new study, led by scientists at the Institute of Vertebrate Paleontology and Paleoanthropology (IVPP) in Beijing, China, including University of Bristol PhD student Zhang
Major shift in marine life occurred 33 million years later in the South
A new study of marine fossils from Antarctica, Australia, New Zealand and South America reveals that one of the greatest changes to the evolution of
Jurassic fossil tail tells of missing link in crocodile family tree
A 180 million-year-old fossil has shed light on how some ancient crocodiles evolved into dolphin-like animals.
Ancient skull shows early ‘baleen whale’ had teeth
Today's baleen whales (Mysticetes) support their massive bodies by filtering huge volumes of small prey from seawater using comb-like baleen in their mouths much like
Is amber tricking palaeontologists?
When we see a ring or glassware made of amber, most of the times we think about its aesthetic or economic value.