Every year, hundreds of new dinosaurs, prehistoric marine reptiles and fishes are discovered, and among them are always a few really weird or beautiful species. 2013’s list includes a giant hedgehog, the oldest big cat species, a toothed platypus, dinosaurs, prehistoric fishes and birds.
1. Deinogalerix masinii, a giant hedgehog from the Late Miocene of Italy:
This is an artist’s reconstruction of Deinogalerix koenigswaldi, the largest known Deinogalerix species. Image credit: © Roman Yevseyev / Other-worlds.ucoz.ru.
Deinogalerix masinii lived in what is today the Gargano peninsula of Italy during the late Miocene, about 10-7 million years ago.
It was about one and a half the size of the common hedgehog Erinaceus europaeus, around 1 to 1.5 feet (30-45 cm) long.
2. Lythronax argestes, a new species of tyrannosaur from the Late Cretaceous of Utah:
Artist’s impression of Lythronax argestes. Image credit: Andrey Atuchin.
Lythronax argestes was about 24 feet (8 m) long and weighed around 2.5 tons.
It lived on Laramidia, a landmass formed on the western coast of a shallow sea that flooded the central region of North America, during the Late Cretaceous Period between 95-70 million years ago.
3. Ocepechelon bouyai, a giant sea turtle from the Late Cretaceous of Morocco:
Reconstruction of Ocepechelon bouyai (Bardet N et al / C. Letenneur / MNHN / CC-BY)
Ocepechelon bouyai lived in shallow seas about 67 million years ago, during Late Cretaceous. It is one of the biggest marine turtles that ever lived on Earth.
This turtle is known from an almost complete 28-inch-long (70 cm) skull found in Sidi Chennane area in Morocco’s Khouribga Province. Its striking anatomy suggests the turtle was adapted for suction feeding, never seen in known turtles.
4. Siats meekerorum, a giant dinosaur from the Late Cretaceous of Utah:
An artist’s reconstruction of Siats meekerorum. Image credit: Jorge Gonzales.
Siats meekerorum lived in what is modern-day Utah around 100 million years ago.
It was over 9 m long and weighed more than 4 tons. Despite its large size, the dinosaur is not a close relative of Tyrannosaurus rex and other tyrannosaurs. Rather, it belongs to the carcharodontosaurian group of theropods, whose more famous members include giants like the Argentinean Giganotosaurus.
5. Panthera blytheae, a snow leopard from the Miocene/Pliocene of Tibet:
Life reconstruction of Panthera blytheae. Image credit: Mauricio Antón.
A 6 to 4 million-year-old skull of Panthera blytheae is the oldest big cat fossil ever found. Paleontologists unearthed it in 2010 while scouting in the remote border region between Pakistan and China, an area that takes a bumpy seven-day car ride to reach from Beijing.
6. Nasutoceratops titusi, a big-nosed, long-horned dinosaur from the Late Cretaceous of Utah:
Nasutoceratops titusi (University of Utah)
Nasutoceratops titusi lived on Laramidia – a landmass formed when a shallow sea flooded the central region of North America – about 76 million years ago during the Late Cretaceous Period.
This herbivorous dinosaur was about 15 feet (5 m) long and weighed 2.5 tones. It had several unique features, including an oversized nose relative to other members of the family, and exceptionally long, curving, forward-oriented horns over the eyes. The bony frill, rather than possessing elaborate ornamentations such as hooks or spikes, is relatively unadorned, with a simple, scalloped margin.
7. Otus frutuosoi, a species of scops owl from Azores:
Reconstruction of Otus frutuosoi (J. A. Peñas / SINC)
Otus frutuosoi lived on São Miguel Island, the Portuguese archipelago of the Azores, until about 500 years ago.
8. Archicebus achilles, a tree-dwelling primate from the Eocene of China:
Restoration of Archicebus achilles (Xijun Ni / Chinese Academy of Sciences)
Archicebus achilles lived in what is now central China during Eocene, about 55 million years ago. Its fossil is the oldest known fossil primate skeleton.
This primate likely weighed about 1 ounce, or 20-30 grams, and was smaller than today’s smallest primate, the pygmy mouse lemur.
9. Aurornis xui, a bird-like dinosaur from the Middle-Late Jurassic of China:
Reconstruction of Aurornis xui (Emiliano Troco)
Aurornis xui lived during the Middle-Late Jurassic period around 160 million years ago. It was about 50 cm from its beak to the tip of its tail – the size of a pheasant.
10. Proapteryx micromeros, a kiwi-like bird from the early Miocene of New Zealand:
This image shows the extant kiwi Apteryx haastii. Artwork by John Gerrard Keulemans, 1876.
A 19 to 16-million-year-old fossil of Proapteryx micromeros was unearthed at St Bathans, New Zealand,
At an estimated 234–377 g, this bird was only 0.27-0.43 times the mass of the smallest individual (880 g) of Apteryx owenii, the smallest extant kiwi species.
