50-Million-Year-Old Footprints Open a ‘Rare Window’ Into the Behaviors of Extinct Animals That Once Roamed in Oregon
Scientists revisited tracks made by a shorebird, a lizard, a cat-like predator and some sort of large herbivore at what is now John Day Fossil Beds National Monument
Biologists Rejoice as Extremely Rare Guam Kingfishers Lay Their First Wild Eggs in Nearly 40 Years
The brightly colored birds are extinct in the wild, having disappeared from their native Guam in 1988 due to the introduction of the invasive brown tree snake. But now, they’re starting to make a comeback on Palmyra Atoll
Sunscreen, Clothing and Caves May Have Given Modern Humans an Edge Over Neanderthals When Earth’s Magnetic Field Wandered
A new study suggests the extinction of Neanderthals nearly coincided with a shift in Earth’s magnetic field that let more radiation reach the ground. Our species might have adapted more easily
Have Dire Wolves, Which Went Extinct More Than 10,000 Years Ago, Really Been Brought Back to Life?
Pioneers in the science of “de-extinction,” an American company has announced the births of three pups whose genes resemble those of a species that hasn’t roamed Earth for millennia
A Hunter Was Out Looking for Deer in West Texas. He Found a Rare Mammoth Tusk Instead
Discovered in the drainage area of a creek bed, the tusk was initially thought to be “just an old stump”
Megalodon Might Have Been Longer and Skinnier Than Previously Thought, Growing Up to 80 Feet
A new paper suggests the enormous, extinct shark looked less like a bulky great white and more like an elongated lemon shark
U.S. Butterflies Are Disappearing at Drastic Rates, With One in Five Gone Since 2000
A new study finds the popular, fluttering insects have declined by 22 percent in the last 20 years
Biotech Company Creates ‘Woolly Mouse’ as a Step in Its Quest to Resurrect Woolly Mammoths Through Gene Editing
Colossal Biosciences leaders say the fluffy, golden-haired mice help validate their technique to “de-extinct” species, but outside scientists remain skeptical
See Stunning Illustrations of Prehistoric Life From One of the Most Renowned Paleoartists in the World
A new book highlights the beautiful work of Jay Matternes, an accomplished artist who drew everything from mammoths to early humans
The Last Member of This Bird Species Died in Captivity on This Day in 1918
Incas died at the Cincinnati Zoo, leaving behind mysteries over his death, his final resting place and the factors that led to the extinction of the Carolina parakeet
Are Humans the Only Species to Drive Others to Extinction? And More Questions From Our Readers
You’ve got questions. We’ve got experts
Rare Fossil of 183-Million-Year-Old ‘Sea Monster’ Reveals Both Smooth and Scaly Skin
For the first time, scientists have completed an in-depth analysis of fossilized soft tissues from a plesiosaur
Mammoth Bones Used to Build Mysterious 25,000-Year-Old Site in Russia Came From Different Herds
DNA and radiocarbon dating analyses of the bones are offering new insights into the ambitious Ice Age site constructed by hunter-gatherers
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
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
Freshwater Animals Are More Fragile Than Thought, With Nearly a Quarter Threatened With Extinction, Study Finds
Species in Lake Victoria, Lake Titicaca, Sri Lanka’s Wet Zone and the Western Ghats of India are particularly vulnerable to the effects of agriculture, human infrastructure and climate change, per the paper
Dedicated Scientists and Birdwatchers Tracked Down These Five ‘Lost’ Birds
A worldwide search party is using 21st-century tools to uncover long-unseen species, one of which hadn’t been found since the 19th century
Italian Hiker Discovers Animal Tracks From a Time Before Dinosaurs, Hinting at a Prehistoric Ecosystem
Revealed by melting snow in the Alps, the imprints in rock were left by reptiles and amphibians during the Permian period, which ended with the world’s largest mass extinction
These Tiny Snails Are Breeding in the Wild for the First Time in 40 Years in French Polynesia
During a release of captive-bred snails in September, researchers discovered wild-born individuals from the Partula tohiveana species—which had been considered extinct in the wild—marking a huge milestone in a global effort to save them
A Cloned Ferret Has Given Birth for the First Time in History, Marking a Win for Her Endangered Species
Antonia, a cloned black-footed ferret at the Smithsonian’s National Zoo and Conservation Biology Institute, has produced two healthy offspring that will help build genetic diversity in their recovering population
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