Skip to main content

Subscribe to Smithsonian magazine and get a FREE tote.

Dinosaurs

By combining evidence from CT scans and comparing Dolly's modern bird and reptile relatives, researchers suspect that the irregular bone structures likely occurred as a response to a bacterial or fungal infection like chlamydiosis and aspergillosis in Dolly's air sacs.

Meet Dolly, the First Dinosaur Discovered With a Case of the Sniffles

Abnormal growths in its fossilized neck bones suggest that the long-necked dino suffered from a pneumonia-like illness

An illustration of Tetrapodophis, a lizard that was named based on a fossil likely smuggled out of Brazil to Germany

Why Smuggled Fossils Are Hurting Paleontology

Parachute science and lingering colonialism in fossil studies have negatively impacted the discipline

Scientists examined two Kunpengopterus sinensis specimens. The green arrows indicate the pellets and the yellow arrows indicate the isolated fish scales.

Like Owls, Some Prehistoric Flying Reptiles May Have Regurgitated Pellets

The discovery of vomited projectiles from two pterosaurs provides new clues about the its diet and digestive system

More than 200 preserved footprints trek across the canyon's limestone surface and give clues about what life was like millions of years ago.

Construction Trucks May Have Damaged 112-Million-Year-Old Dinosaur Tracks at Mill Canyon in Utah

Nearly 30 percent of the site’s irreplaceable paleontological resources may have been impacted

The T. rex specimen was discovered in 1987 by fossil hunter Stan Sacrison in South Dakota's Badlands.
 

Good News

Dinosaur Fan Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson Is Not Stan the T. Rex’s Mystery Buyer

A cast of the prehistoric giant made a guest appearance from the actor’s home office on ESPN’s ManningCast

The tyrannosaur Nanuqsaurus, which lived in the Arctic, with its young. New evidence suggests dinosaurs nested in the cold, dark region.

The Top Ten Dinosaur Discoveries of 2021

The key finds and moments in a year packed with amazing stories about the terrible lizards

An artist’s reconstruction of a baby oviraptorid curled up inside its egg

Dinosaur Embryos Tucked Themselves in Just Like Birds

A stunning fossil egg has allowed paleontologists to find new clues about a dinosaur’s early development

The carnivorous theropods may have evolved a quick pace and sharp agility in order to capture prey.

These Three-Toed, Carnivorous Dinosaurs Ran as Fast as Usain Bolt

Two tracks of footprints reveal that theropods could reach speeds of nearly 28 miles per hour, providing insights on their behavior

Ankylosaurs were herbivores that lived during the Late Cretaceous period. 

New Species of Ankylosaur Unearthed in Chile Had a Flat, Weapon-Like Tail

About 80 percent of the skeleton was found intact and the specimen may reveal an early evolutionary split in the species

The dinosaur remains of Parrosaurus missouriensis took a total of four years to excavate from an undisclosed area in Southern Missouri.
 

Fossil Hotbed Uncovered in Missouri Confirms New Species of Duck-Billed Dinosaur

After years of excavating, the team found a tail, two arms and a skull belonging to a dino that would have been 35 feet long

Mosasaurus was among the largest and last of the sea-dwelling mosasaurs.

Giant Sea Lizards Ruled the Waves While T. Rex Roamed on Land

A new fossil discovery shows marine reptiles called mosasaurs lived up until the asteroid impact that killed non-avian dinosaurs

Each nest was found with eight to 30 eggs and in a relatively small area, suggesting that Mussaurus patagonicus raised its young in a communal breeding ground

Paleontologists Unearth the Oldest Evidence of Herd Behavior in Dinosaurs

Fossils found in an ancient nesting ground reveals that herd mentality is almost 200 million years old

The apex predator Ulughbegsaurus was much larger than the contemporaneous tyrannosaur Timurlengia.

Beyond Dinosaurs: The Secrets of Earth's Past

New, Giant Carnivorous Dinosaur Was a Terror to Smaller Tyrannosaurs

A fossil jaw reveals the large predator lived 90 million years ago

T. navigans was first described by researchers in 2003. However, until now, everything known about the species was based on two skulls.

Near-Complete Pterosaur Skeleton Obtained in Police Raid Reveals Stunning Details About the Species

The winged reptile’s anatomical features hint that it may have foraged around like a chicken and flown short distances to escape predators

Both beer and wine are thought to predate distilled spirits.

Ask Smithsonian

‘Which Came First: Beer or Wine?’ and More Questions From Our Readers

You’ve got questions. We’ve got experts

In addition to its school-bus-length wingspan, the creature had a three-foot-long skull with a pointed snout and around 40 sharp teeth.

Giant, Dragon-Like, Flying Reptile Fossil Discovered in Australia

A rare specimen reveals a new species of pterosaur with a staggering 23-foot wingspan

Paleontologist François Therrien measures the jaws of a Gorgosaurus.

Tyrannosaurs Dominated Their Cretaceous Ecosystems

Studies of body size and bite force show that the predators, from babies to adults, filled many niches in their environment

The megaripple features have average wavelengths of 1,968.5 feet and average wave heights of almost 52.5 feet, making them the largest ripples documented on Earth.

Mile-High Tsunami Caused by Dinosaur-Killing Asteroid Left Behind Towering ‘Megaripples’

Seismic imaging data depicts 52-feet high waves 5,000 feet below Louisiana

Page 10 of 79