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Dinosaurs

Cool Finds

Rare Tiny T. Rex Unearthed in Montana

Researchers are yet unsure if the creature is a baby dino or an example of the contentious Nanotyrannus

Sauropod footprint on the Isle of Skye.

50 Rare Dinosaur Footprints Found on Scottish Island

The prints date to the Middle Jurassic period, which has yielded relatively few dinosaur fossils

Regaliceratops peterhewsi, the “Hellboy Dinosaur”

New Research

Dinosaur Horns Were For Making Love, Not War

The elaborate horns and frills were more likely for attracting mates than fighting off enemies

The handbones seen in the whale model in the center of this image tell the curious story of how whales went from land to water.

Ask Smithsonian

What’s a “Missing Link”?

While some still use the term, experts abhor it because it implies that life is a linear hierarchy

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Cool Finds

Dinosaur and Ancient Mammal Stomping Ground Found in NASA Parking Lot

The slab is covered in 70 foot prints and is one of the best collections of animal traces yet found

Artist concept of Mansourasaurus shahinae on a lush coastline of what is now the Western Desert of Egypt approximately 80 million years ago.

African Titanosaur Discovery Helps Untangle Dinosaur Evolution

The creature reveals ancient connection between Africa, Europe, and Asia after the great Pangea broke apart

Artist's concept of Caihong, a crow-sized iridescent dinosaur from the Jurassic Period.

Newly Discovered Dino Had a Rainbow of Shiny Feathers

The fossilized creature was likely a blend of hummingbird and crow

Marjorie Courtenay-Latimer stands with the taxidermied remains of her groundbreaking discovery.

In the 1930s, This Natural History Curator Discovered a Living Fossil–Well, Sort of

Marjorie Courtenay-Latimer was convinced she’d found something special in a pile of fish, but it took some time for her discovery to be recognized

The dino print, before it was smashed

Trending Today

Vandals Shatter 115-Million-Year Old Dino Track in Australia

Believed to be from a rare polar dinosaur, the damage was discovered by a school class visiting Bunurong Marine National Park

This dinosaur footprint was found in sandstone at Dinosaur Track at Hackberry Canyon in Grand Staircase-Escalante National. A proclamation recently signed by President Trump would reduce the protected area by half.

What Shrinking Fossil-Rich National Monuments Means for Science

Smithsonian.com asks paleontologists how their work will change after the decision to slash Bears Ears and Grand Staircase

New Research

99-Million-Year-Old Tick That Feasted on Dino Blood Found Trapped in Amber

Sorry, there’s no DNA left. But the find does provide the first strong evidence that the parasites preyed on dinosaurs

What's a dinosaur, anyways? The answer is in the evolutionary tree.

Ask Smithsonian

What Makes a Dinosaur a Dinosaur?

The question may sound like a “duh,” but it gets to the heart of how we categorize and define nature

The Ten Best Science Books of 2017

These books not only inspired awe and wonder—they helped us better understand the machinations of our world

University of Michigan paleontologist Daniel Fisher holds up an intact mammoth rib unearthed from the field.

Cool Finds

Mammoth Remains Unearthed at Michigan Farm, Hint at Ancient Human Butchering

Researchers have found 40 additional bones, including the skull, tusks and teeth of an ice age creature

A new depiction of Anchoirnis and its contour feather.

New Research

This Dinosaur Was Much Fuzzier Than Scientists Once Thought

A new analysis shows the extent of ancient bird-like dino’s fluff

An artist's rendering of an asteroid striking Earth.

New Research

Dinosaurs Might Be Alive Today If the Asteroid Had Hit Another Location

Only a fraction of the Earth’s surface contained the right amount of hydrocarbons to trigger the mass extinction, a new study says

New Research

When the Dinos Went Away, Mammals Came Out (in Daylight) to Play

While it’s challenging to imply one caused the other, a new study shows that mammals came into the light of day soon after the dinos disappeared

Scientists Unearth Near-Complete Marine Reptile Fossil in India

Palaeontologists have unearthed the remains of an ichthyosaur, a prehistoric creature more frequently seen in North America and Europe

An illustration of the raccoon-like Sinosauropteryx, which lived 130 million years ago in the Early Cretaceous.

New Research

This Adorable Bandit-Faced Dinosaur Will Steal Your Heart

Some dinos were small, fluffy and frankly adorable, a new analysis shows

This plant-eating dino joins the ranks of official California state insignia.

Meet California’s New State Dinosaur

The herbivorous creature last tromped across the state roughly 66 million years ago

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