Fossils | smithsonianmag.comhttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/rss/tag/fossils/RSS feed for FossilsenFri, 06 Nov 2026 12:30:00 +0000Fossil Footprints in Brazil Hint at a Cougar-Size Mammal That Walked Among Dinosaurs. It's Another Sign That Some Early Beasts Grew to Impressive Sizes After Allhttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/fossil-footprints-in-brazil-hint-at-a-cougar-size-mammal-that-walked-among-dinosaurs-its-another-sign-that-some-early-beasts-grew-to-impressive-sizes-after-all-180989815/Don’t think of all Mesozoic mammals as meek and tiny—alongside the terrible lizards, some were giants in their own rightFri, 06 Nov 2026 12:30:00 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/fossil-footprints-in-brazil-hint-at-a-cougar-size-mammal-that-walked-among-dinosaurs-its-another-sign-that-some-early-beasts-grew-to-impressive-sizes-after-all-180989815/This Ancient 'Hell Chicken' Might Be the First Known Fruit-Loving Dinosaur, Revealing a Whole New Cretaceous Lifestylehttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/this-ancient-hell-chicken-might-be-the-first-known-fruit-loving-dinosaur-revealing-a-whole-new-cretaceous-lifestyle-180989801/Infernogallus jamesi had beak and mouth adaptations that hint it could mash soft foods, like today's frugivorous birds. The dinosaur probably munched on fruits resembling modern-day cherries and peaches, and may have helped spread seeds via its poopThu, 05 Nov 2026 16:01:07 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/this-ancient-hell-chicken-might-be-the-first-known-fruit-loving-dinosaur-revealing-a-whole-new-cretaceous-lifestyle-180989801/Scientists Say They've Found Preserved Dinosaur Blood in a 115-Million-Year-Old Fossil, but Not Everyone Is Convincedhttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/scientists-say-theyve-found-preserved-dinosaur-blood-in-a-115-millino-year-old-fossil-but-not-everyone-is-convinced-180989802/Soft tissues like blood generally break down relatively quickly after death. Environmental factors can also produce red blood cell look-alikes, so many outside researchers are cautious about the new study's claimsWed, 04 Nov 2026 15:00:00 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/scientists-say-theyve-found-preserved-dinosaur-blood-in-a-115-millino-year-old-fossil-but-not-everyone-is-convinced-180989802/After Sitting in a London Museum Since 1924, This Dinosaur Fossil Was Named a New Predatory Species—an 'Unconquered Female Warrior'https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/after-sitting-in-a-london-museum-since-1924-this-dinosaur-fossil-was-named-a-new-predatory-species-an-unconquered-female-warrior-180989683/Invictibellatrix amberina was a long-clawed, tiger-size dinosaur that lived around 120 million years ago. It's helping scientists piece together the global spread of megaraptors, which later became apex predatorsMon, 02 Nov 2026 15:00:00 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/after-sitting-in-a-london-museum-since-1924-this-dinosaur-fossil-was-named-a-new-predatory-species-an-unconquered-female-warrior-180989683/Paleontologists Discover the First Known Amphibian That Lived Entirely at Sea: a Flat, Armored Creature From 237 Million Years Agohttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/paleontologists-discover-the-first-known-amphibian-that-lived-entirely-at-sea-a-flat-armored-creature-from-237-million-years-ago-180989772/Two nearly complete fossilized skeletons of the strange new species were found in southwestern China. Scientists suspect its marine lifestyle was an evolutionary accidentThu, 29 Oct 2026 15:09:54 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/paleontologists-discover-the-first-known-amphibian-that-lived-entirely-at-sea-a-flat-armored-creature-from-237-million-years-ago-180989772/A Rare Nanotyrannus Skeleton Sells for $47.3 Million, Becoming the Second Most Valuable Dinosaur Ever Auctionedhttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/a-rare-nanotyrannus-skeleton-sells-for-47-3-million-dollars-becoming-the-second-most-valuable-dinosaur-auctioned-180989771/Paleontologists have long argued over whether some small tyrannosaur skeletons belonged to a new genus, called Nanotyrannus, or were young Tyrannosaurus rex. "Jodi" was sold just one year after researchers reported the most conclusive evidence yet that Nanotyrannus is validThu, 29 Oct 2026 14:00:00 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/a-rare-nanotyrannus-skeleton-sells-for-47-3-million-dollars-becoming-the-second-most-valuable-dinosaur-auctioned-180989771/This Ancient Animal Looked Like a Platypus-Otter Hybrid. It's Providing Clues About the Origins of Mammalian Suckling and Swallowinghttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/this-ancient-animal-looked-like-a-platapys-otter-hybrid-its-providing-clues-about-the-origins-of-mammalian-suckling-and-swallowing-180989666/The roughly two- to four-pound predator lived alongside dinosaurs some 165 million years ago. A fossil found in northern China shows the strange creature had a surprisingly modern throat structureFri, 16 Oct 2026 14:00:00 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/this-ancient-animal-looked-like-a-platapys-otter-hybrid-its-providing-clues-about-the-origins-of-mammalian-suckling-and-swallowing-180989666/A Century Ago, an Extinct Crocodilian's Skull Was Found in the Rocks That Built the Sphinx. Turns Out, It Belonged to a New Specieshttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/a-century-ago-an-extinct-crocidilians-skull-was-found-in-the-rocks-that-built-the-sphinx-turns-out-it-belonged-to-a-new-species-180989641/The specimen was long mislabeled, according to a new study. Paleontologists identified it as a previously undescribed genus and species of gavial—a cousin of crocodiles and alligators—which they named after the ancient Egyptian god HorusFri, 09 Oct 2026 15:00:00 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/a-century-ago-an-extinct-crocidilians-skull-was-found-in-the-rocks-that-built-the-sphinx-turns-out-it-belonged-to-a-new-species-180989641/Five Discoveries That Changed Our Understanding of T. Rex Forever, From Warm Blood to Lipshttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/five-discoveries-that-changed-our-understanding-of-t-rex-forever-from-warm-blood-to-lips-180989634/Paleontologists are still unraveling the secrets of the world’s most famous dinosaur, such as its outward appearance or the way that it hunted. With each new finding, our view of the “tyrant lizard king” has gotten a little clearer—and sometimes has radically shiftedWed, 07 Oct 2026 17:15:01 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/five-discoveries-that-changed-our-understanding-of-t-rex-forever-from-warm-blood-to-lips-180989634/Remarkable Fossil of a Feathered, Winged Dinosaur Further Hints That Flight Evolved Multiple Times Among the 'Terrible Lizards'https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/remarkable-fossil-of-a-feathered-winged-dinosaur-further-hints-that-flight-evolved-multiple-times-among-the-terrible-lizards-180989612/The fossil belonged to a category of dinosaurs called microraptors, which were bird-like but not ancestors of modern-day avians. A new study found that this group of ancient predators evolved similar anatomical adaptations to birds, but developed them in a different orderMon, 05 Oct 2026 15:53:34 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/remarkable-fossil-of-a-feathered-winged-dinosaur-further-hints-that-flight-evolved-multiple-times-among-the-terrible-lizards-180989612/Tyrannosaurus Rex Was a Warm-Blooded Dinosaur, With a Body Temperature Similar to That of Humans, Study Suggestshttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/tyrannosaurus-rex-was-a-warm-blooded-dinosaur-with-a-body-temperature-similar-to-that-of-humans-study-suggests-180989519/A tooth analysis hints that the fearsome predator ran at a toasty 97 degrees Fahrenheit. Maintaining that internal temperature may have allowed it to inhabit a range stretching from modern-day Alaska to Mexico during the Cretaceous periodFri, 18 Sep 2026 15:59:36 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/tyrannosaurus-rex-was-a-warm-blooded-dinosaur-with-a-body-temperature-similar-to-that-of-humans-study-suggests-180989519/Five Ways the World of the Dinosaurs Looked Different From Ours, Beyond the Presence of the 'Terrible Lizards'https://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/five-ways-the-world-of-the-dinosaurs-looked-different-from-ours-beyond-the-presence-of-the-terrible-lizards-180989521/Earth has changed dramatically since the Age of Dinosaurs, from its climate to geography and animal lifeFri, 18 Sep 2026 14:00:00 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/five-ways-the-world-of-the-dinosaurs-looked-different-from-ours-beyond-the-presence-of-the-terrible-lizards-180989521/A 66-Million-Year-Old Feather Trapped in Dinosaur Poop Might Help Explain Why Some Birds Survived Mass Extinctionhttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/a-66-million-year-old-feather-trapped-in-dinosaur-poop-might-help-explain-why-some-birds-survived-mass-extinction-180989496/Discovered in Montana in 2016, the cherry-size coprolite contains feathers, bones and evidence of the bird's last meal before the creature was eaten by a theropodWed, 16 Sep 2026 18:45:02 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/a-66-million-year-old-feather-trapped-in-dinosaur-poop-might-help-explain-why-some-birds-survived-mass-extinction-180989496/A Geologist in California Found Something Strange Sticking Out of a Creek. A Reverse Image Search Told Her It Was an Ancient Mastodon Toothhttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/a-geologist-in-california-found-something-strange-sticking-out-of-a-creek-reverse-image-search-told-her-it-was-an-ancient-mastodon-tooth-180989504/Pacific mastodons roamed parts of North America before disappearing along with other Ice Age megafauna around 11,700 years agoTue, 15 Sep 2026 19:04:02 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/a-geologist-in-california-found-something-strange-sticking-out-of-a-creek-reverse-image-search-told-her-it-was-an-ancient-mastodon-tooth-180989504/