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Dinosaurs

The mosasaur vertebra measured more than seven inches wide.

Geologists Stumble Upon Remains of Giant ‘Sea Monster’ in Mississippi, Likely the Largest Mosasaur Ever Identified in the State

Researchers uncovered one vertebra, and based on its size, they estimate the massive creature was at least 30 feet long when it roamed the shallow seas that covered the region roughly 66 million years ago

Fossils indicate a variety of marine reptiles swam through ancient seas.

From Massive Eyes to Shark-Like Tails, Seven Amazing Adaptations That Helped Prehistoric Reptiles Thrive at Sea

The creatures cruised the world’s oceans with features we often associate with marine mammals, such as coats of blubber and the ability to birth live young

A species of remipede known from the Caicos Islands. The photograph was taken by a member of a multinational team looking for rare species. Remipedes are crustaceans that are close relatives to insects.

You Might Think of Shrimp as Bugs of the Sea. But a Remarkable Discovery Shows the Opposite: Bugs Are Actually Shrimp of the Land

A recent study suggests that insects branched out from crustaceans on the tree of life

An artistic rendering of the carnivorous theropods and herbivorous sauropods that left tracks at the same Scottish site.

‘Important’ Dinosaur Tracks Found in Scotland Suggest Carnivores and Their Prey Drank From the Same Watering Hole

Researchers analyzed 131 fossilized impressions on the Isle of Skye, some of which were previously considered fish burrows

In the Gobi Desert, scientists discovered two fossilized claws of a large, feathered dinosaur now called Duonychus tsogtbaatari.

Cool Finds

Dinosaur With Two Massive, Sloth-Like Claws Is on ‘Another Level’ of Weird—Even Among Its Unusual Group of Relatives

Paleontologists discovered Duonychus tsogtbaatari from fossils uncovered in 2012. It was a giant, feathered creature adapted to grasp and feed on vegetation

The slab was donated to an Australian high school by a geologist who discovered it at a nearby coal mine.

Cool Finds

Students Walked Past This Rock for 20 Years. It Turned Out to Host 66 Dinosaur Footprints From the Jurassic Period

A paleontologist studied the 200-million-year-old prints that had been hiding in plain sight, then discovered even more tracks in another rock sitting in a nearby parking lot

A mosquito stuck in resin is on its way to becoming a fossil preserved in amber.

How a Fragile Insect Living 100 Million Years Ago Becomes a Fossil

A bug, a dinosaur and a tree intersect, creating the perfect conditions for resin to capture a moment in time

Shepherd Chine beach on the Isle of Wight, near where the footprint was discovered.

Cool Finds

Fossil Tour Guide Discovers Giant, Purple Dinosaur Footprint While Walking Along a U.K. Beach

The roughly three-foot-long, clay print speaks to the Isle of Wight’s rich paleontological history, but it will probably disappear within a couple of months due to exposure

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There's More to That

The Truth About the Sex Lives of Dinosaurs

Fossils are providing more and more clues about how dinosaurs attracted one another and reproduced, which contributed to their remarkable ability to populate much of the Earth

An artistic representation of the newly discovered species, Baminornis zhenghensis, with the preserved bones highlighted.

Cool Finds

Scientists Discover ‘Groundbreaking’ Jurassic Fossil That Could Overhaul the Evolutionary History of Birds

Researchers in China found Baminornis zhenghensis, which lived at roughly the same time as the famous Archaeopteryx but looked much more like modern birds due to its short tail

An illustration of the Vegavis iaai diving for fish off the coast of the Antarctic peninsula.

Paleontologists Discover Fossil of the Oldest Known Modern Bird—but It Raises More Questions Than It Answers

The fossil suggests that modern birds evolved before the dinosaur-killing asteroid, perhaps in Antarctica

The Tyrannosaurus at Spain’s Jurassic Museum of Asturias offer a speculative take on how dinosaurs mated.

Everything You Want to Know About Dinosaur Sexual Anatomy and Reproduction, From Their Genitalia to How They Laid Eggs

Paleontologists continue to find fossils that help revise our understanding of how dinosaurs did it

The fossil find, dubbed Danekræ DK-1295, contains regurgitated fragments of sea lilies.

Cool Finds

Fossil Hunter Discovers 66-Million-Year-Old Vomit in Denmark, Offering a Clue to the Cretaceous Food Chain

A marine animal snacked on some sea lilies that did not agree with its stomach—and we now know what happened next

Dinosaurs only started to live large after a mass extinction altered the planet in their favor.

How a Mass Extinction Driven by Ancient Volcanoes Led to the Age of the Dinosaurs

Roughly 201 million years ago, drastic changes extinguished many forms of life and led to conditions that allowed the terrible lizards to thrive

Early 20th-century paleontologists wondered whether the small arms of Tyrannosaurus rex were used for grasping when the dinosaurs mated.

Everything You Want to Know About the Sex Lives of Dinosaurs, From Scratching the Ground to Battling With Horns

By evaluating fossils, scientists are learning what creature features may have been used to attract mates and fight off sexual competitors

Paleontologists and volunteers excavate dinosaur trackways in Oxfordshire, England, uncovering the biggest find of its kind in the United Kingdom.

A Quarry Worker Felt Strange Bumps While Digging. They Turned Out to Be the Largest Dinosaur Trackway in the U.K.

The five sets of tracks represent four-legged sauropods and a three-toed carnivore that might have crossed paths on a prehistoric landscape

Did colonial Americans wear wristwatches? 

Did Colonial Americans Wear Wristwatches? And More Questions From Our Readers

You’ve got questions. We’ve got experts

This year's list includes Emergency Quarters, The Iguanodon's Horn and Ernő Rubik and His Magic Cube.

The Ten Best Children’s Books of 2024

This year’s top titles range from an alphabet book of quirky tunes to an authentic portrait of our nation

Paleontologists made discoveries about a wide variety of dinosaurs over the past 12 months.

The Top Ten Dinosaur Discoveries of 2024

From the realization that paleontologists still haven’t found the biggest dinosaurs to the unearthing of a small burrowing dino, the year has been marked by awe-inspiring finds

The Stegosaurus named Apex is on display at the American Museum of Natural History in New York City.

You Can Now See Apex, the World’s Most Expensive Dinosaur Fossil, on Display at a New York City Museum

The largest and most complete Stegosaurus specimen sold for a record-setting price in July, and it is currently on loan to the American Museum of Natural History for four years

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