Paleontology

This well-preserved track from Australia clearly shows the four toes of an ancient bird.

Australia's Oldest Known Bird Tracks Are 120 Million Years Old

In that age, the continent was attached to Antarctica, but migrating animals still traveled to the polar region for sustenance

Basilosaurus hunts fish.

Ancient Whales Were the Biggest and Smallest of Their Kind to Ever Roam the Oceans

New discoveries show how whale diversity exploded after the dinosaurs disappeared

Jurassic lampreys help bridge the evolutionary gap between the earliest lampreys and those species still alive today.

These Large, Flesh-Eating Lampreys Lived 160 Million Years Ago

Paleontologists in China recently unearthed the fossilized remains of two new species of lamprey, a group of jawless fish that dates back 360 million years

Dust from the Chicxulub impact may have plunged the planet into a cold, dark winter and halted photosynthesis.

Dust May Have Triggered the Global Winter That Killed the Dinosaurs

A new study, based on modeling, suggests fine silicate particles could have blocked sunlight and shut down photosynthesis across the globe

The cave lion skeleton from Siegsdorf in Germany with a replica of a wooden spear that may have been used to kill it. The authors theorize that Neanderthals may have stabbed the lion while it was resting or after it had been injured.

Neanderthals May Have Hunted Cave Lions

Researchers say well-preserved bones may be the earliest direct evidence of the hunting of large predators

One of the first toothed birds ever discovered, Hesperornis paddled with its hind feet to hunt fish and evade marine reptiles in warm, Cretaceous seas.

During the Age of Dinosaurs, Some Birds Sported Toothy Grins

The often overlooked animals thrived for millions of years

Paleontologists unearthed the fossilized remains of three individuals, including a pair of nearly complete feet.

New 'Giant' Species of Long-Necked Dinosaur Discovered in Spain

The prehistoric creature, named Garumbatitan morellensis, may help paleontologists unravel the evolution of the plant-eating sauropods

An artist’s illustration of Quetzalcoatlus flying

How Pterosaurs Might Inform the Next Generation of Flight

After paleontologists cracked the secrets of the ancient flying reptiles, researchers are thinking about how to harness their methods

An artist's interpretation of Fujianvenator prodigiosus

This 'Weird,' Bird-Like Dinosaur Had Really Long Legs

Paleontologists discovered the 150-million-year-old creature in southeast China

So far, volunteers have counted roughly 75 newly revealed footprints.

Drought Reveals 113-Million-Year-Old Dinosaur Tracks in Texas

The footprints are normally submerged under the water and silt of the Paluxy River, part of which has dried up this summer

Sixteen-year-old Lindsey Stallworth cleans the whale skull in the lab at the Alabama School of Mathematics and Science.

Teenager Helps Uncover 34-Million-Year-Old Whale Skull in Alabama

Working with one of her teachers, the 16-year-old student found the fossil, which may represent a new species, on her family’s property

An X-ray microcomputed tomography scan of a male Eucera bee mummified inside a cocoon.

Paleontologists Discover Mummified Bees Preserved in Their Cocoons for 3,000 Years

Some kind of "catastrophic" event, such as a sudden freeze or flood, likely killed all the young adult bees at once, according to a new study

The Crystal Palace Dinosaurs are the world’s first attempt to model prehistoric animals at full scale.

How a Victorian Dinosaur Park Became a Time Capsule of Early Paleontology

A new sculpture and an upcoming restoration are breathing life into the Crystal Palace Dinosaurs, one of 19th-century Britain’s most curious creations

An ancient bison gets stuck in a tar pit as a fire burns nearby in this illustration. A warmer and drier climate could have made Southern California vulnerable to human-caused fires at the time, the new study suggests.

Human-Caused Fires and a Changing Climate May Have Contributed to Mass Extinction 13,000 Years Ago

The deadly combination likely led several species to disappear from Southern California during the late Pleistocene

Fossilized poop, called coprolites, collected in Nong Yakong village, Chaiyaphum Province, Thailand. Coprolites are an important source for studying ancient parasites.

200-Million-Year-Old Poop Reveals Parasites That Infected a Crocodile-Like Reptile

The prehistoric fossil could help researchers understand the relationships between parasites and host organisms in the Late Triassic

An artist's interpretation of what Perucetus colossus would have looked like when it lived some 38 million years ago

This Massive Extinct Whale May Be the Heaviest Animal That Ever Lived

The newly discovered behemoth could unseat the blue whale for the title, but scientists can only make educated guesses about its weight

An artistic reconstruction shows a group of Burgessomedusa phasmiformis swimming in the Cambrian sea.

These 508-Million-Year-Old Fossils May Be Earth’s Oldest Swimming Jellyfish

Researchers found the rare remains in Canada

Permafrost melts into the Kolyma River outside of Zyryanka, Russia, in 2019. The worms in the new study seem to have survived buried deep in the permafrost for tens of thousands of years.

Scientists Revive 46,000-Year-Old Roundworms From Siberian Permafrost

The nematodes had survived in a state of slowed metabolism called cryptobiosis, according to a new paper

In the past decade, paleontologists have named several new dinosaur species and found that some previously discovered species belonged to their own groups.

How Many Dinosaurs Remain Undiscovered?

Paleontologists say more non-avian dinos are waiting to be uncovered than have previously been found

The dinosaur and mammal engaged in a final tussle.

Rare Fossil May Show a Small Mammal Attacking a Dinosaur

The well-preserved bones could upend the traditional view of dinosaurs as predators and mammals as prey, if the findings are confirmed

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