Cretaceous Period
The “Duck-billed” Dinosaur That Wasn’t
Instead of a long, low duck bill, the beak of Tethyshadros was shaped like a snowplow and serrated. Why it had such a strange beak is a mystery
February 01, 2012 |
By Brian Switek
How an Ankylosaur Went Out to Sea
How did a heavily armored dinosaur wind up at the bottom of Alberta's Cretaceous sea?
January 30, 2012 |
By Brian Switek
Fearsome Dinosaur Had Ridiculously Short Arms
The forelimbs of this animal look like an evolutionary joke
January 24, 2012 |
By Brian Switek
Some Dinosaurs Used Natural Heat for Their Nests
The sauropod site may have resembled Yellowstone National Park, with geysers, hot springs and mud pots
January 23, 2012 |
By Brian Switek
Dinosaurian Snorkels, Air Tanks and Tubas
Parasaurolophus is one of the most perplexing dinosaurs - what did it use its huge crest for?
January 10, 2012 |
By Brian Switek
Eggs and Enigmatic Dinosaurs
Paleontologists have found the bones of a new dinosaur with eggs nearby, but how do we know whether the bones and eggs go together?
December 21, 2011 |
By Brian Switek
Nedoceratops: To Be, or Not to Be?
Should Nedoceratops and Torosaurus be sunk into Triceratops? The debate continues, and it's not just a bit of paleontological arcana
December 15, 2011 |
By Brian Switek
Spinops: The Long-Lost Dinosaur
Spinops was one funky looking dinosaur, and its discovery emphasizes the role of museum collections. Who knows what else is waiting to be rediscovered?
December 07, 2011 |
By Brian Switek
A Detailed Guide to a Hadrosaur’s Foot
This is not super-sexy research, but some of the biggest gaps in our understanding about dinosaurs involve relatively simple things
December 02, 2011 |
By Brian Switek
Lambe’s Lazy, Scavenging Gorgosaurus
Back when tyrannosaurs were new to science, paleontologist Lawrence Lambe cast them as bumbling scavengers that ate rotten flesh
December 01, 2011 |
By Brian Switek
Inside Sauropod Armor
A hollow, thin-walled bone is not exactly the sort of structure that is going to protect a sauropod from attack—so what was its purpose?
November 30, 2011 |
By Brian Switek
Non-Avian Dinosaur Eats Avian Dinosaur
Paleontologists have found the bones of a bird inside a feathered dinosaur. What can this discovery tell us about how Microraptor lived?
November 22, 2011 |
By Brian Switek
What Caused the Dinosaur Stampede?
According to a recent study, the cause of Australia's "Dinosaur Stampede" may have been more comedic than nightmarish
November 15, 2011 |
By Brian Switek
Montana’s “Dueling Dinosaurs”
Did a recently discovered pair of dinosaurs die at each other's throats?
November 10, 2011 |
By Brian Switek
The Origin of a Little Tyrant
Is "Nanotyrannus" a small-bodied tyrannosaur, a juvenile of some unknown species, or a young Tyrannosaurus rex?
November 08, 2011 |
By Brian Switek
The Mysterious Torosaurus
Was Torosaurus just an adult Triceratops? A poorly understood species may hold the key to the answer
October 24, 2011 |
By Brian Switek
How Baryonyx Caused the Great Spinosaur Makeover
The discovery of a strange, crocodile-snouted dinosaur in England was the key to reconstructing one of the strangest groups of predatory dinosaurs ever
October 20, 2011 |
By Brian Switek
New Mexico’s Peculiar Two-Horned Dinosaur
A peculiar horned dinosaur from New Mexico may help paleontologists understand how titans such as Triceratops evolved
October 18, 2011 |
By Brian Switek
How Little Tyrants Grew Up
A new study finds that Tyrannosaurus truly had "thunder thighs." Juveniles were likely more agile than adults
October 13, 2011 |
By Brian Switek
Goodbye, Anatotitan?
Just how many different dinosaurs existed in North America during the end of the Cretaceous? It's a matter of huge debate
October 07, 2011 |
By Brian Switek
