Paleontology News

The fossilized teeth of Palaeohypotodus bizzocoi. Image credit: Ebersole et al., doi: 10.3897/fr.27.e112800.

Extinct Shark’s Teeth Had Their Own Needle-Like Fangs

Feb 12, 2024 by Sergio Prostak

Paleontologists have described a new species of the extinct lamniform shark genus Palaeohypotodus based on 17 fossilized teeth found in Alabama, the United...

An artistic reconstruction of the Cabrières Biota: in the foreground, a row of Ampyx (trilobites) and various shelly organisms, including brachiopods and a hyolith (bottom left corner); behind the trilobites, a lobopodian, a chelicerate, cnidarians (blue), sponges (green), thin branching algae (red and green) and hemichordate tubes (purple), along with some mollusks; bivalved arthropods inhabit the water column along with graptolites. Image credit: Christian McCall, Prehistorica Art.

Unique Fossil Site Discovered in France Provides Insights into Ordovician Polar Ecosystems

Feb 9, 2024 by Enrico de Lazaro

In a new paper in the journal Nature Ecology & Evolution, paleontologists described the diversity of the Cabrières Biota, a new Early Ordovician site...

Torvosaurus gurneyi. Image credit: © Sergey Krasovskiy.

Locomotor Advances in Early Dinosaurs Aided Their Survival and Success, Scientists Say

Feb 8, 2024 by News Staff

The early dinosaurs were faster and more dynamic than their competitors, according to a study led by University of Bristol researcher Amy Shipley. By adopting...

Glikmanius careforum. Image credit: Benji Paynose.

Two New Species of Carboniferous Ctenacanth Sharks Identified in the United States

Feb 7, 2024 by News Staff

A focused search for ancient marine vertebrates during a paleontological resource inventory of Mammoth Cave National Park has yielded a wealth of new fossil...

Life reconstruction of Inawentu oslatus. Image credit: Gabriel Lio.

New Cretaceous-Era Titanosaur Species Discovered in Argentina

Feb 6, 2024 by Enrico de Lazaro

A new genus and species of rebbachisaurid-mimicking titanosaurian sauropod that stretched over 15 m (50 feet) has been unearthed in Patagonia, Argentina. Life...

Life reconstruction of Harajicadectes zhumini. Image credit: Brian Choo, Flinders University.

380-Million-Year-Old Fossils of Air-Breathing Tetrapod Fish Found in Australia

Feb 6, 2024 by Enrico de Lazaro

Flinders University paleontologist Brian Choo and his colleagues have described a new genus and species of Devonian tetrapodomorph fish based on several...

An artist’s reconstruction of Ceoptera evansae. Image credit: Mark Witton / Natural History Museum, London.

New Pterosaur Species Identified from Skye Fossils

Feb 5, 2024 by Enrico de Lazaro

A new genus and species of pterosaur has been identified from the fossilized material found in the Kilmaluag Formation of the Isle of Skye, Scotland. An...

Sanfordiacaulis densifolia. Image credit: Tim Stonesifer.

Early Carboniferous Tree Species Had Unique Crown Shape

Feb 5, 2024 by Natali Anderson

Sanfordiacaulis densifolia is an extinct tree species that existed between 359 and 347 million years ago (Carboniferous period) in what is now New Brunswick,...

Life reconstruction of Bustingorrytitan shiva. Image credit: UnexpectedDinoLesson / Holger Detje / Sci.News.

Meet Bustingorrytitan shiva, New Gigantic Titanosaur from Argentina

Jan 29, 2024 by Enrico de Lazaro

A duo of paleontologists in Argentina has identified a new genus and species of gigantic titanosaur from several fossilized specimens found in the Patagonian...

Diversity of avian flush-pursuers, prey with simple neural escape pathways, and the Caudipteryx robot used in behavioral experiments. Image credit: Park et al., doi: 10.1038/s41598-023-50225-x.

Small Feathered Dinosaurs Flapped Their Proto-Wings to Scare Hiding Prey: Study

Jan 29, 2024 by Enrico de Lazaro

Numerous non-avian dinosaurs possessed pennaceous feathers on their proto-wings and tail. Their functions remain unclear. Seoul National University researcher...

An artist’s impression of Kwatisuchus rosai. Image credit: Márcio Castro.

Fossil of Giant Triassic Amphibian Unearthed in Brazil

Jan 26, 2024 by Enrico de Lazaro

A new genus and species of temnospondyl amphibian has been described by a team of paleontologists from the Universidade Federal do Pampa, the Universidade...

An artist’s depiction of Eoneophron infernalis (top left), Anzu wyliei (right) and another caenagnathid dinosaur (bottom left) in the Hell Creek Formation. Image credit: Zubin Erik Dutta.

Paleontologists Discover New Species of Oviraptorosaur in South Dakota

Jan 25, 2024 by Sergio Prostak

A team of paleontologists from Oklahoma State University, the University of Toronto and Royal Ontario Museum has added another species of caenagnathid...

Bierenbroodspot et al. sequenced 24 new transcriptomes of Klebsormidiophyceae and combined them with 14 previously published genomic and transcriptomic datasets. Image credit: Bierenbroodspot et al., doi: 10.1016/j.cub.2023.12.070.

Study: Multicellularity Emerged in Streptophyte Plants about One Billion Years Ago

Jan 23, 2024 by News Staff

New research led by University of Goettingen scientists provides evidence that the first multicellular streptophytes likely lived about a billion years...

Otodus megalodon went extinct 3.6 million years ago. Image credit: Alex Boersma / PNAS.

Megalodon May Have Been More Slender than Previously Thought

Jan 22, 2024 by Enrico de Lazaro

The megatooth shark, Otodus megalodon, which likely reached at least 15 m in total length, is an iconic extinct shark represented primarily by its gigantic...

Kuehneosaurus latus (right) and Kuehneosuchus latissimus (left). Image credit: Nobu Tamura, http://spinops.blogspot.com.

Gliding Reptiles Once Lived in England

Jan 22, 2024 by News Staff

Gliding winged reptiles called kuehneosaurs lived in what is now the Mendip Hills in Somerset, England, during the Triassic period, some 210 million years...

This artwork shows three mammoths being watched by a family of ancient Alaskans from the dunes near the Swan Point archaeological site, a seasonal hunting camp occupied 14,000 years ago. Image credit: Julius Csostonyi.

Female Woolly Mammoth’s Lifetime Movements Tied to Ancient Alaskan Hunter-Gatherer Camp

Jan 19, 2024 by News Staff

Woolly mammoths (Mammuthus primigenius) in mainland Alaska overlapped with the region’s first people for at least 1,000 years. However, it is unclear...

Life restoration of the aetosaur Typothorax coccinarum. Image credit: Smokeybjb.

New Aetosaur Species Unearthed in Texas

Jan 18, 2024 by Enrico de Lazaro

A new genus and species of large-bodied aetosaur that lived some 218 million years ago has been described from a significant portion of carapace found...

Magerifelis peignei. Image credit: Jesús Gamarra.

New Prehistoric Cat Species Discovered in Spain

Jan 17, 2024 by Natali Anderson

Paleontologists at the Museo Nacional de Ciencias Naturales-CSIC have identified a new genus and species of medium-sized feline from a partial jaw found...

The fossilized skin of Captorhinus aguti. Image credit: Mooney et al., doi: 10.1016/j.cub.2023.12.008.

289-Million-Year-Old Cave System Preserves Oldest-Known Fossilized Skin

Jan 15, 2024 by News Staff

A fragment of fossilized skin collected from the Richards Spur limestone cave system in Oklahoma, the United States, is at least 21 million years older...