Paleontology News

Megalodon Grew to Larger Sizes in Cooler Waters: Study

Carcharocles megalodon pursuing two prehistoric whales. Image credit: Karen Carr / CC BY 3.0.
Mar 8, 2022 by News Staff

Otodus megalodon, the largest shark that ever lived on Earth, most certainly reached at least 15 m (50 feet) in total length based on its gigantic teeth. New research demonstrates that individuals of Otodus megalodon were on average larger in cooler water than those in warmer water. Shimada et al. suggest that the notion that Otodus megalodon reached at least 15 m total length, and possibly as much as 18-20 m total length, should be applied primarily...

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New Stegosaur Species Unearthed in China

Mar 5, 2022 by Enrico de Lazaro

Bashanosaurus primitivus is the earliest record of Stegosauria in Asia and represents one of the earliest records of this dinosaur group from anywhere...

Holotype of Navajosphenodon sani. Image credit: Simões et al., doi: 10.1038/s42003-022-03144-y.

Tuataras May Have Originated as Early as 190 Million Years Ago

Mar 4, 2022 by Enrico de Lazaro

Paleontologists have identified a new species of tuatara-like sphenodontian reptile from dozens of fossilized specimens found in Arizona, the United States. Holotype...

Tyrannosaurus rex holotype specimen at the Carnegie Museum of Natural History, Pittsburgh, the United States. Image credit: Scott Robert Anselmo / CC BY-SA 3.0.

Tyrannosaurus rex Is Not One Species, But Three Different Ones

Mar 2, 2022 by News Staff

An analysis of over three dozen specimens of Tyrannosaurus rex finds that they exhibit such a remarkable degree of proportional variations that the pattern...

An artist’s impression of the Middle Jurassic pterosaur Dearc sgiathanach. Image credit: Natalia Jagielska.

New Species of Large-Sized Pterosaur Unearthed in Scotland

Feb 23, 2022 by Enrico de Lazaro

Dearc sgiathanach had an estimated wingspan of between 1.9 and 3.8 m (6.2-12.5 feet), roughly the size of the largest flying birds today (e.g., wandering...

An artist’s reconstruction of Carnotaurus sastrei, an abelisaurid theropod that lived in South America during the Late Cretaceous epoch, sometime between 72 and 70 million years ago. Image credit: Jake Baardse.

Meet Guemesia ochoai, New Abelisaurid Dinosaur from Argentina

Feb 22, 2022 by Enrico de Lazaro

A new genus and species of abelisaurid theropod has been identified from a partially complete skull found in northwestern Argentina. An artist’s reconstruction...

Two New Prehistoric Bird Species Identified in China

Feb 22, 2022 by News Staff

Paleontologists have found six specimens from three species of ornithuromorph birds — two of which are new to science — at the Changma locality...

Life reconstruction of Iberospinus natarioi. Image credit: Victor Feijó de Carvalho.

New Spinosaurid Dinosaur Unearthed in Portugal

Feb 21, 2022 by Enrico de Lazaro

A new genus and species of dinosaur being named Iberospinus natarioi has been discovered by Dr. Octávio Mateus and Dr. Darío Estraviz-López from Portugal’s...

Life reconstruction of Woodwardopterus freemanorum. Image credit: Alison Douglas.

Youngest Sea Scorpion Fossil Found in Australia

Feb 18, 2022 by Enrico de Lazaro

Woodwardopterus freemanorum was over 1 m (3.3 feet) in length and lived some 252 million years ago (Late Permian epoch) in a freshwater environment. Life...

Hypothetical reconstruction of the Tyrants Aisle tracksite during track formation, depicting a small herd of Edmontosaurus regalis as they produce tracks in a riverine setting; a lone tyrannosaurid dinosaur watches the herd, while a pair of troodontids scuffle nearby. Image credit: José Vitor Silva.

72.5-Million-Year-Old Dinosaur Footprints Discovered in Canada

Feb 16, 2022 by Enrico de Lazaro

An international team of paleontologists from Australia, Canada and Italy has documented more than 100 footprints of hadrosaurid and tyrannosaurid dinosaurs...

An artist’s impression of Confractosuchus sauroktonos attacking an ornithopod dinosaur. Image credit: Julius Csotonyi / White et al., doi: 10.1016/j.gr.2022.01.016.

Cretaceous Crocodiles Ate Ornithopod Dinosaurs, Fossil Evidence Shows

Feb 14, 2022 by Sergio Prostak

Paleontologists have unearthed the fossilized skeletal remains of Confractosuchus sauroktonos, a previously unknown genus and species of crocodyliform,...

Jurassic Long-Necked Dinosaur Suffered from Aspergillosis-Like Respiratory Infection

Feb 11, 2022 by News Staff

The pulmonary disease infecting this diplodocine dinosaur, nicknamed ‘Dolly,’ would not been externally evident, but the probable pneumonia-like outward...

Life reconstruction of Mambawakale ruhuhu. Image credit: Gabriel Ugueto.

New Triassic Archosaur Species Identified in Tanzania

Feb 10, 2022 by News Staff

The pseudosuchian archosaur Mambawakale ruhuhu is among the larger-headed archosaurs from the Middle to Late Triassic. Life reconstruction of Mambawakale...

Retinosaurus hkamtiensis, which was approximately 3.5 cm (1.4 inches) in length, prior to being trapped in tree resin 110 million years ago. Image credit: Stephanie Abramowicz.

110-Million-Year-Old Lizard Found in Burmese Amber

Feb 9, 2022 by Enrico de Lazaro

Paleontologists have found a new species of lizard in a piece of amber excavated from a mine in Myanmar. Retinosaurus hkamtiensis, which was approximately...

An artist’s impression of Abditosaurus kuehnei. Image credit: Oscar Sanisidro, Museu de la Conca Dellà.

New Species of Titanosaur Unearthed in Spain

Feb 9, 2022 by Enrico de Lazaro

Abditosaurus kuehnei, a species of titanosaurian sauropod dinosaur from the Cretaceous of Spain, is an immigrant lineage, distinct from some of the island...

The ecological reconstruction of Erratus sperare, showing the nektonic life style; the initial situation of trunk limbs, as flaps associated with weakly sclerotized endopods indicates a swimming rather than fully benthic habit. Image credit: Fu et al., doi: 10.1098/rstb.2021.0034.

520-Million-Year-Old Fossil Sheds Light on Origin of Gills in Arthropods

Feb 8, 2022 by News Staff

Erratus sperare, a new species of ancient marine arthropod from eastern Yunnan, China, had unique trunk appendages that represent an intermediate stage...

Carcharocles megalodon pursuing two prehistoric whales. Image credit: Karen Carr / CC BY 3.0.

We Still Don’t Know What Megalodon Really Looked Like, Scientists Say

Feb 6, 2022 by News Staff

Otodus megalodon, the largest shark that ever lived on Earth, most certainly reached at least 15 m (50 feet) in total length based on its gigantic teeth....

Holotype of Eophylica priscastellata. Image credit: Shi et al., doi: 10.1038/s41477-021-01091-w.

Two New Flower Species Found Preserved in Burmese Amber

Feb 2, 2022 by Enrico de Lazaro

Paleontologists have identified two new types of fossil flowers — one identical to those of the living genus Phylica and the other a sister to Phylica...

Canadian Eskimo dogs. Illustration by John James Audubon and John Bachman (1845-1848).

Canine Genetic Mutation Associated with Small Body Size Arose More Than 53,000 Years Ago

Jan 28, 2022 by News Staff

Researchers have assembled a catalog of 1,431 genomes, inclusive of ancient canines, modern breed dogs, and wild canids, in a search for genetic variants...

Salpinganthium hispaniolanum. Image credit: Poinar, Jr. & Chambers, doi: 10.17348/jbrit.v15.i2.1161.

New Species of Legume Found Preserved in Dominican Amber

Jan 21, 2022 by News Staff

Salpinganthium hispaniolanum grew in the forests of Hispaniola during the mid-Tertiary, between 20 and 30 million years ago. Salpinganthium hispaniolanum....

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