Paleontology News

Skulls and life reconstructions of Thylacosmilus atrox (left) and Smilodon fatalis (right). Image credit: Stephan Lautenschlager.

Thylacosmilus Was Not a Saber-Tooth Predator

Jun 29, 2020 by News Staff

Thylacosmilus atrox, an extinct marsupial that roamed South America between 9 and 3 million years ago (Neogene period), was not the ecological analogue...

An artist’s impression of Mukupirna nambensis living in central Australia that was much greener 25 million years ago. Image credit: Peter Schouten.

Giant Wombat-Like Marsupials Roamed Australia 25 Million Years Ago

Jun 26, 2020 by News Staff

Paleontologists have identified a giant wombat-like marsupial that lived 25 million years ago (Oligocene epoch) in what is now Australia. Named Mukupirna...

Tanyrhinichthys mcallisteri was most likely a bottom-cruising predator similar in general ecomorphology to modern sturgeon. Image credit: Nobu Tamura.

Paleontologists Redescribe Enigmatic Carboniferous-Period Fish

Jun 23, 2020 by Enrico de Lazaro

A team of U.S. paleontologists has redescribed the morphology of a long-snouted ray-finned fish called Tanyrhinichthys mcallisteri and created a more complete...

The discovery of a spike of mercury in 252-million-year-old rock at locations around the world gives evidence for the prevailing theory that volcanic eruptions caused the end-Permian extinction. Image credit: Margaret Weiner / University of Cincinnati Creative Services.

Coal-Burning Contributed to End-Permian Mass Extinction

Jun 23, 2020 by News Staff

An international team of geologists has found the first direct evidence that volcanic eruptions in the southern part of the Siberian Traps region 252 million...

A reconstruction of a Jurassic dinosaur track-maker from southern Queensland in front of a silhouette of the largest known Tyrannosaurus rex. Image credit: Anthony Romilio.

Carnivorous Dinosaurs as Big as T. rex Lived in Jurassic Australia

Jun 22, 2020 by News Staff

Paleontologists have analyzed 151- to 165-million-year-old dinosaur footprints from 11 sites in southern Queensland, most of which produced large (length...

Paleontologists Find Giant Soft-Shelled Egg of Cretaceous-Period Marine Reptile in Antarctica

Jun 19, 2020 by News Staff

A giant fossilized egg of an extinct marine reptile has been found in the 68-million-year-old nearshore marine deposits in Antarctica. An artist’s rendering...

The exceptionally preserved Protoceratops specimen includes six embryos that preserve nearly complete skeletons. Image credit: M. Ellison / American Museum of Natural History.

Eggs of Earliest Dinosaurs Had Soft, Leathery Shells

Jun 18, 2020 by News Staff

A team of paleontologists from the United States, Canada and Argentina has analyzed the fossilized eggs of two different non-avian dinosaurs, Protoceratops...

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...