Paleontology News

Fossil of Extinct Kiwi Species Found in New Zealand

The little spotted kiwi (Apteryx owenii). Artwork by John Gerrard Keulemans, 1870s.
Sep 13, 2021 by Enrico de Lazaro

Paleontologists have described a new species of kiwi that lived during the mid-Pleistocene period on the North Island of New Zealand. The little spotted kiwi (Apteryx owenii). Artwork by John Gerrard Keulemans, 1870s. “Kiwi are an enigmatic and threatened group of birds, unique to New Zealand, with six living species recognized,” said Dr. Alan Tennyson from the Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa and Dr. Barbara Tomotani from the Netherlands...

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An artist’s reconstruction of Carnotaurus sastrei based on the scaly skin described by Hendrickx & Bell. Image credit: Jake Baardse.

Carnotaurus Had Scaly Skin with No Feathers, Paleontologists Say

Sep 10, 2021 by Enrico de Lazaro

Paleontologists have described in detail for the first time the scaly skin of Carnotaurus sastrei, an abelisaurid theropod that lived in South America...

Restoration of Archicebus achilles (Xijun Ni / Chinese Academy of Sciences)

Early Eocene Primate Had Dental Caries

Sep 10, 2021 by Sergio Prostak

Dental cavities or caries is a common disease among modern humans, affecting almost every adult. New research shows that Microsyops latidens, a species...

Life reconstruction of Ulughbegsaurus uzbekistanensis and a smaller tyrannosauroid. Image credit: Julius T. Csotonyi.

New Species of Giant Meat-Eating Dinosaur Identified in Uzbekistan

Sep 9, 2021 by Enrico de Lazaro

A new genus and species of carcharodontosaurian theropod dinosaur has been identified from a fossillized jawbone found in the Republic of Uzbekistan. Life...

Reconstruction of Titanokorys gainesi. Image credit: Caron & Moysiuk, doi: 10.1098/rsos.210664.

Meet Titanokorys gainesi, Giant Radiodont from Burgess Shale

Sep 8, 2021 by News Staff

Paleontologists have described the largest Cambrian hurdiid radiodont known so far, named Titanokorys gainesi, from the Burgess Shale, British Columbia,...

Life reconstruction of Kurupi itaata. Image credit: Júlia d’Oliveira, doi: 10.1016/j.jsames.2021.103551.

New Predatory Dinosaur Unearthed in Brazil

Sep 7, 2021 by Enrico de Lazaro

Paleontologists in Brazil have found fossil fragments from a new species of abelisaurid theropod dinosaur that walked the Earth during the Cretaceous period. Life...

Teratornis. Image credit: Universidad Maimonides.

Fossils of Giant Carnivorous Birds Found in Argentina

Sep 6, 2021 by Enrico de Lazaro

Paleontologists have unearthed the fossilized remains of large teratornithid birds at four localities in central Argentina. Teratornis sitting on the extinct...

Life restoration of Petalodus sharks. Image credit: Dinghua Yang.

Permian-Period Shark Had Petal-Shaped Teeth

Sep 3, 2021 by Enrico de Lazaro

Paleontologists have uncovered seven well-preserved teeth from the extinct shark genus Petalodus in Shanxi province, China. Life restoration of Petalodus...

Tsoabichi greenriverensis, cast of specimen in private collection. Scale bar - 5 cm. Image credit: Christopher A. Brochu, doi: 10.1080/02724634.2010.483569.

New Fossils Illuminate Evolutionary History of Caimans

Aug 31, 2021 by Enrico de Lazaro

An incomplete fossil record hampers reconstructing the early evolution of caimans (subfamily Caimaninae). In new research, paleontologists from Germany...

A life reconstruction of the plioplatecarpine mosasaur Angolasaurus bocagei, alongside the turtle Angolachelys mbaxi. Image credit: Henry Sharpe / CC BY-SA 4.0.

New Mosasaur Species Uncovered in Kansas

Aug 30, 2021 by Enrico de Lazaro

A new species of the mosasaur genus Ectenosaurus has been identified from the fossilized remains found in western Kansas, the United States. A life reconstruction...

Geographic setting of the Merchantville dinosaur fauna: (a) map of North American during the Campanian stage of the Late Cretaceous epoch, showing the location of New Jersey and Delaware; (b) map of New Jersey and Delaware showing the locations from which the described specimens were recovered; (c) diagram showing preserved bones (in white) and relative sizes of (from left to right) the tyrannosaur and the hadrosaurid (adult, juvenile). Image credit: Chase Doran Brownstein, doi: 10.1098/rsos.210127.

Two New Appalachian Dinosaurs Discovered

Aug 27, 2021 by News Staff

Chase Doran Brownstein from the Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology at Yale University and the Stamford Museum and Nature Center has described...

Living interpretative reconstruction of Tupandactylus navigans. Image credit: Beccari et al., doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0254789.

Exceptionally Well-Preserved Pterosaur Fossil Found in Brazil

Aug 26, 2021 by Enrico de Lazaro

A nearly complete skeleton of a tapejarid pterosaur that lived during the Cretaceous period was intercepted during a police raid at Santos Harbour in the...

Life reconstruction of Taytalura alcoberi. Image credit: Jorge Blanco.

Paleontologists Find 231-Million-Year-Old Fossil of Tuatara-Like Reptile

Aug 26, 2021 by Enrico de Lazaro

A three-dimensionally preserved skull of a previously unknown Triassic-period reptile from Argentina illuminates the origin of lepidosauromorphs (lizards,...

Galeamopus pabsti in its environment in the Late Jurassic of North America. An Allosaurus and two Ceratosaurus are feeding on a carcass of Galeamopus pabsti. Image credit: Davide Bonadonna.

Carnosaurs were Apex Scavengers, New Research Suggests

Aug 25, 2021 by Enrico de Lazaro

Carnosaurs may have been terrestrial analogues of vultures, and not predators, according to a new study published in the journal Ecological Modelling. An...

An artist’s impression of baby nanhsiungchelyid turtles. Image credit: Masato Hattori.

80-Million-Year-Old Turtle Egg with Embryonic Remains Found in China

Aug 24, 2021 by Sergio Prostak

The new specimen from the Upper Cretaceous Xiaguan Formation in the Chinese province of Henan is one of the few known fossilized turtle eggs containing...

An artist’s reconstruction of Ctenorhabdotus campanelliformis (top) and Thalassostaphylos elegans (bottom). Image credit: Holly Sullivan.

Cambrian Comb Jellies Had More Complex Neuroanatomy than Living Species

Aug 23, 2021 by News Staff

Paleontologists have described two new species from the Cambrian period of Utah, which illuminate the early evolution of nervous and sensory features in...

Scotty is the largest dinosaur skeleton ever found in Canada. Image credit: Amanda Kelley.

Tyrannosaurus rex’s Jaw Tip May Have Played Essential Role as Sensitive Tactile Sensor

Aug 23, 2021 by News Staff

Paleontologists have analyzed the morphology of the neurovascular canal in the well-preserved jaw of Tyrannosaurus rex using computed tomography techniques....

Left to right: Conacodon hettingeri, Miniconus jeanninae, and Beornus honeyi. Image credit: Banana Art Studio.

Three New Species of Primitive Ungulate Ancestors Identified

Aug 18, 2021 by News Staff

Paleontologists have identified three new species of placental mammals called condylarths (archaic ungulates) from fossils found in Wyoming, the United...

Life reconstruction of Silutitan sinensis (left) and Hamititan xinjiangensis (right). Image credit: Chuang Zhao & Xiaolin Wang.

Two New Species of Sauropod Dinosaurs Unearthed in China

Aug 16, 2021 by Enrico de Lazaro

Paleontologists have identified two new species of giant herbivorous dinosaurs from fossils found in the Turpan-Hami Basin, Xinjiang, northwestern China. Life...

Fossilized spores from the Early Ordivician deposits of Australia. Image credit: Strother & Foster, doi: 10.1126/science.abj2927.

480-Million-Year-Old Spores of Early Land Plants Found in Australia

Aug 13, 2021 by News Staff

Until now, the first fossil evidence of land plants was from the Devonian period (420 million years ago). However, molecular evidence suggests an earlier...

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