Paleontology News

Keraphyton mawsoniae: (A) specimen before preparation; (B) general view of stem showing the 4 rib systems (Ia, Ib, IIa and IIb); (C) central segment and four fundamental ribs; (D) rib system Ib showing a short branch dividing into two equal ultimate ribs at right and a long branch producing at least three long ultimate ribs at left; (E) long branch of rib system IIa producing short ultimate ribs; (F) short branch of rib system IIa dividing into two ultimate ribs; (G) long branch of rib system IIb producing short ultimate ribs; (H) long branch of rib system Ia producing long, but broken, ultimate ribs. Abbreviations: cs - central segment, fr - fundamental rib, ic - inner cortex, oc - outer cortex, Lb - long branch, sb - short branch. Yellow arrowheads indicate ultimate ribs. (DH) are all oriented with the cortex of the axis towards the top of the photo. Scale bars - 500 μm, (B) - 2 mm. Image credit: Champreux et al, doi: 10.7717/peerj.9321.

360-Million-Year-Old Fossil Reveals Extinct Species of Fern-Like Plant

Jun 17, 2020 by Enrico de Lazaro

Paleontologists have identified a new genus and species of fern-like plant from a single fossilized specimen collected in the New England region of New...

Bipedal crocodylomorph trackmakers. Image credit: Anthony Romilio.

Cretaceous-Period Crocodiles from Korea Walked on Two Legs

Jun 12, 2020 by News Staff

Multiple, well-preserved trackways made by large crocodylomorphs, extinct ancestors of modern-day crocodiles, between 110 and 120 million years ago (Cretaceous...

Life reconstruction of an adult and a juvenile Overoraptor chimentoi. Image credit: Gabriel Lio.

New Bird-Like Dinosaur Discovered: Overoraptor chimentoi

Jun 10, 2020 by Enrico de Lazaro

A new genus and species of paravian theropod dinosaur has been identified from fossils found in Patagonia, Argentina. Life reconstruction of an adult and...

Navajoceratops sullivani and Terminocavus sealeyi. Image credit: Ville Sinkkonen & Denver Fowler.

Two New Species from New Mexico Help Fill Gap in Evolution of Horned Dinosaurs

Jun 5, 2020 by Enrico de Lazaro

Two new transitional species of plant-eating horned dinosaurs have been unearthed in New Mexico, the United States. Navajoceratops sullivani and Terminocavus...

Life reconstruction of the armored dinosaur Borealopelta markmitchelli, which lived in what is now Alberta, Canada, some 110 million years ago, eating ferns. Image credit: Julius Csotonyi / Royal Tyrrell Museum.

Armored Herbivorous Dinosaur Preferred Fern Leaves

Jun 4, 2020 by News Staff

Paleontologists in Canada have analyzed the fossilized stomach contents from the exceptionally preserved specimen of Borealopelta markmitchelli, a species...

Kampecaris obanensis. Image credit: British Geological Survey.

Paleontologists Find World’s Oldest Fossil Bug

Jun 2, 2020 by News Staff

A 425-million-year-old fossil millipede from Scotland is the oldest-known ‘bug’ (an insect, arachnid or other related creature), according to new research...

Wightia declivirostris flying over an oxbow lake in the valley of the ancient Wessex River that flowed from Devon to the Isle of Wight. Image credit: Megan Jacobs.

New Pterosaur Species Identified from Fossil Found in England

Jun 1, 2020 by Natali Anderson

A new genus and species of pterosaur has been identified from a partial fossilized jaw collected on Isle of Wight, southern England. Wightia declivirostris...

Ceratosaurus and Allosaurus fighting over the desiccated carcass of another theropod. Image credit: Brian Engh, dontmesswithdinosaurs.com.

New Evidence Suggests Some Jurassic Theropod Dinosaurs were Cannibals

May 29, 2020 by News Staff

An analysis of the fossilized vertebrate remains from the Jurassic Mygatt-Moore Quarry in Colorado has revealed the bones of a theropod dinosaur called...

Devonian-period seafloor. Image credit: University of Michigan Museum of Natural History.

End-Devonian Mass Extinction Caused by Erosion of Ozone Layer, New Study Finds

May 28, 2020 by News Staff

High levels of damaging ultraviolet-B (UV-B) radiation collapsed forest ecosystems and killed off many species of fish and tetrapods at the end of the...

The Chicxulub asteroid hit Earth at an angle of about 60 degrees, which is among the worst-case scenarios for the lethality of the impact by the production of climate-changing gases. Image credit: Chase Stone.

Dinosaur-Killing Chicxulub Asteroid Hit Earth at Angle of 60 Degrees

May 27, 2020 by News Staff

A 10-km asteroid crashed into Earth near the site of the small town of Chicxulub in Mexico at the end of the Cretaceous period, about 66 million years...

An artist’s impression of the jeholornithiform avialan Jeholornis. Image credit: Aijuan Shi.

Fossil of Ancient Long-Tailed Bird Found in China

May 27, 2020 by Enrico de Lazaro

A new genus and species of jeholornithiform avialan that lived during the Cretaceous period has been identified from a nearly-complete specimen found in...

Reconstruction of the cave bear (Ursus spelaeus). Image credit: Sergio de la Larosa / CC BY-SA 3.0.

European Cave Bears Had Pure Herbivorous Diet

May 26, 2020 by Natali Anderson

An isotopic analysis of fossil collagen from the bones collected in three Romanian caves indicates that the cave bear (Ursus spelaeus), an extinct species...

Reconstruction of the Schöningen lakeshore as the humans discovered the carcass of the straight-tusked elephant. Image credit: Benoit Clarys.

Archaeologists Find 300,000-Year-Old Elephant Skeleton in Germany

May 20, 2020 by News Staff

A team of archaeologists from the Senckenberg Centre for Human Evolution and Palaeoenvironment at the University of Tübingen, the Lower Saxony State Office...

Titanichthys was a suspension feeder with jaws ill-suited for biting and crushing but well suited for gaping ram feeding. Image credit: Mark Witton.

Titanichthys: Devonian-Period Armored Fish was Suspension Feeder

May 20, 2020 by News Staff

Titanichthys, a giant placoderm (armored fish) from the Devonian period, fed in a similar manner to basking sharks, according to a study published in the...

A range of now extinct megafauna that was present when humans first arrived in Australia. Image credit: Peter Trusler, Monash University.

Extreme Climate Change Caused Extinction of Megafauna in Australia and New Guinea

May 19, 2020 by News Staff

Extreme environmental change was the most likely cause of extinction of megafauna in Sahul, the supercontinent formed by Australia and New Guinea during...

Life reconstruction of the first Australian elaphrosaur. Image credit: Ruairidh Duncan.

New Dinosaur Unearthed in Australia

May 18, 2020 by Enrico de Lazaro

Paleontologists in Australia have found a fossilized vertebra from an elaphrosaurine theropod dinosaur that walked the Earth 110 million years ago (Cretaceous...

Daspletosaurus chasing Spinops. Image credit: Julius Csotonyi.

Study: Giant Carnivorous Dinosaurs were Optimized for Energy-Efficient Walking

May 14, 2020 by News Staff

Non-avian theropod dinosaurs like Tyrannosaurus rex relied less on speed, more on energy-saving, according to a new study published in the journal PLoS...

Uintacrinus socialis from the Niobrara Formation, Kansas, United States. Image credit: James St. John / CC BY 2.0.

Paleontologists Find Strange Ball-Like Structures in 80-Million-Year-Old Fossils

May 14, 2020 by Enrico de Lazaro

A team of paleontologists from Australia and the UK has found fullerene-like structures in Cretaceous-period crinoids, marine animals related to starfish,...

A close-up image showing the damaged head and body of Dorsetichthys bechei with the arms of Clarkeiteuthis montefiorei clamped around it. Image credit: Malcolm Hart, Proceedings of the Geologists’ Association.

Jurassic Fossil Reveals Violent Squid Attack in Progress

May 7, 2020 by News Staff

An international team of paleontologists from the University of Plymouth, the University of Kansas and the Forge Fossils has found a specimen of the squid-like...