Palaeontology

Archaeologists find an assemblage of petroglyphs alongside dinosaur tracks in Brazil

A study of the Serrote do Letreiro Site (meaning “Signpost Hill”) in Brazil’s Paraíba State has led to the discovery of an assemblage of petroglyphs alongside dinosaur tracks.

New discovery sheds light on the evolution of birds

Birds evolved from theropod dinosaurs during the Late Jurassic period, however, our knowledge of the initial stages of Avialae's evolution is limited due to a scarcity of Jurassic fossils.

World’s oldest ‘stomach stone’ fossil found on Jurassic Coast

Palaeontologists have discovered a 150-million-year-old stomach stone on England’s Jurassic Coast.

Predatory dinosaurs such as T. rex sported lizard-like lips

A new study suggests that predatory dinosaurs, such as Tyrannosaurus rex, did not have permanently exposed teeth as depicted in films such as Jurassic Park, but instead had scaly, lizard-like lips covering and sealing their mouths.

Ichthyosaur found on remote Artic island upends previous evolutionary theory

Palaeontologists have found the remains of an Ichthyosaur on the island of Spitsbergen, located in the Svalbard archipelago in northern Norway.

New Discovery Sheds Light on Sabre-toothed Tiger

New research indicates adolescent offspring of the menacing sabre-toothed predator, Smilodon fatalis, were more momma's cubs than independent warriors.

Research Explains Why Crocodiles Changed so Little Since Age of Dinosaurs

New research by scientists at the University of Bristol explains how a 'stop-start' pattern of evolution, governed by environmental change, could explain why crocodiles have changed so little since the age of the dinosaurs.

Leaf Fossils Show Severe End-Cretaceous Plant Extinction

The asteroid impact 66 million years ago that ushered in a mass extinction and ended the dinosaurs also killed off many of the plants that they relied on for food.

Early Mammal With Remarkably Precise Bite

Palaeontologists at the University of Bonn (Germany) have succeeded in reconstructing the chewing motion of an early mammal that lived almost 150 million years ago.

The ‘Crazy Beast’ That Lived Among the Dinosaurs

New research published today in the Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology describes a bizarre 66 million-year-old mammal that provides profound new insights into the evolutionary history of mammals from the southern supercontinent Gondwana - recognized today as Africa, South America, Australia, Antarctica, the Indian subcontinent, and the Arabian Peninsula.

First-Known Fossil Iguana Burrow Found in The Bahamas

The discovery of the first known fossil iguana nesting burrow, on an outer island of the Bahamas, fills in a gap of scientific knowledge for a prehistoric behavior of an iconic lizard.

Archaeopteryx Fossil Provides Insights Into The Origins of Flight

Flying birds moult their feathers when they are old and worn because they inhibit flight performance, and the moult strategy is typically a sequential molt.

Newly Discovered Fossils Prove ‘Shangri-La’-Like Ecosystem in Central Tibet

Despite decades of investigation, Tibet's ancient topography and its role in climatic and biotic evolution remain speculative due to a paucity of quantitative surface height measurements through time and space, and sparse fossil records.

Incredible Vision in Ancient Marine Creatures Drove an Evolutionary Arms Race

Ancient deep sea creatures called radiodonts had incredible vision that likely drove an evolutionary arms race according to new research published today.

Rare Cretaceous-Age Fossil Opens New Chapter in Story of Bird Evolution

A Cretaceous-age, crow-sized bird from Madagascar would have sliced its way through the air wielding a large, blade-like beak and offers important new insights on the evolution of face and beak shape in the Mesozoic forerunners of modern birds.

Water-to-Land Transition in Early Tetrapods

The water-to-land transition is one of the most important and inspiring major transitions in vertebrate evolution.

T. Rex Had Huge Growth Spurts, But Other Dinos Grew “Slow and Steady”

Tyrannosaurus rex was one of the biggest meat-eating dinosaurs of all time--it measured up to 42 feet long from snout to tail and would have weighed in at around 16,000 pounds.

Ireland’s Only Dinosaurs Discovered in Antrim

The only dinosaur bones ever found on the island of Ireland have been formally confirmed for the first time by a team of experts from the University of Portsmouth and Queen's University Belfast, led by Dr Mike Simms, a curator and palaeontologist at National Museums NI.

Study Reveals True Origin of Oldest Evidence of Animals

Two teams of scientists have resolved a longstanding controversy surrounding the origins of complex life on Earth.

Prehistoric Shark Hid its Largest Teeth

Some, if not all, early sharks that lived 300 to 400 million years ago not only dropped their lower jaws downward but rotated them outwards when opening their mouths.

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