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
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
‘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
Enormous, Crocodile-Sized Amphibians Mysteriously Died Together in Wyoming 230 Million Years Ago
Paleontologists found a group of four-legged Triassic creatures preserved in the same bone bed—but they don’t know what killed the animals
Ten Exceptional Ancient Elephants, From Small Swimming Creatures to Shovel-Tusked Beasts
A wide variety of the exotic animals evolved on Earth over the past 60 million years
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
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”
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
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
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
The Search to Find the Remains of Homo Erectus in a Vanishing Landscape
A paleontologist journeys through Indonesia’s Riau Archipelago in search of our earliest ancestors, and uncovers how environmental devastation has erased much of the region’s history
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
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
Giant, Mysterious Spires Ruled the Earth Long Before Trees Did. What Exactly Are These Odd-Looking Fossils?
For more than 150 years, scientists have debated whether Prototaxites—which stood roughly 24 feet tall and 3 feet wide—were an early lichen or fungus, like a “giant mushroom”
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
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
A Paleontologist Cracked Open a Rock and Discovered a Prehistoric Amphibian With a Clever Survival Strategy
Named “Ninumbeehan dookoodukah” by Eastern Shoshone students and elders, the creature burrowed in riverbeds to stay moist during extreme droughts
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
The Secret to the Rise of Dinosaurs Could Be Hidden in an Unlikely Place: Their Poop
In a new study, scientists examined bromalites, including fossilized feces and vomit, to reveal prehistoric diets and reconstruct the timeline of how dinosaurs established dominion over the world
Footprints Reveal Two Early Human Species Walked the Same Lakeshore in Kenya 1.5 Million Years Ago
A new, “mind-blowing” discovery reveals evidence that Homo erectus and Paranthropus boisei stepped at the same site within days—or hours—of each other
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