Triassic sauropodomorph cranial material is known primarily from Argentina, Brazil and Europe and is sparsely distributed across the phylogenetic tree.
Scientists have identified the eleventh known theropod resting trace — and the first from Peru and South America — at Querulpa Chico, Arequipa, in Lower Cretaceous Hualhuani Formation sediments.
First chemical proof of fossilised red blood cells and heme in a 115-million-year-old theropod bone, reopening questions about molecular preservation in deep time.
Bone histology shows the ornithomimid Sinornithomimus dongi reached sexual maturity at roughly 6–8 years; both Inner Mongolia assemblages were dominated by juveniles.
Sauropod dinosaurs achieved unprecedented terrestrial gigantism, raising questions about the biomechanical limits of bone under extreme gravitational loads.
Fossils of dinosaurs, mammals and other glamorous species are over-represented in high-profile titles, suggests a study of thousands of palaeontology papers.
Millions of years after animals first conquered land, some took an extraordinary evolutionary U-turn and returned to the water. Using machine learning and thousands of fossil measurements, Yale scientists have uncovered surprising clues about which prehistoric creatures truly became aquatic. Their findings suggest that Spinosaurus spent most of its life underwater, while some ancient marine reptiles previously thought to be fully aquatic actually spent considerable time on land.
A 150-million-year-old fossil discovered in China reveals a bizarre early bird with sharp teeth, a dinosaur-like claw, and a body built for life on the ground rather than flight. Scientists believe it represents the earliest known example of flight loss in birds, overturning assumptions about how these animals evolved.
Scientists have identified the “fattest” belemnite ever discovered, a bizarre, barrel-shaped squid relative that lived in Wyoming’s ancient seas 160 million years ago. The exceptionally rare fossils reveal a creature unlike anything previously known, potentially a predator of smaller squid-like animals and a surprising survivor of a supposedly vanished family.
A 120-million-year-old fossil forgotten in a museum for nearly a century has revealed a terrifying new dinosaur that may have been more dangerous to humans than a T. rex. The tiger-sized predator also provides the first evidence of megaraptorans in Europe, helping explain how these mysterious dinosaurs eventually became gigantic hunters.