Paleontology

A saber-toothed tiger skull during a press preview at Sotheby's in July 2022.

Saber-Toothed Tigers and Dire Wolves Suffered From Bone Disease

Some fossils preserved in the La Brea tar pits showed signs of an inherited joint condition that may have proliferated as the animals neared extinction

A variety of saber-toothed animals have evolved to fill different niches.

Eight Menacing Saber-Toothed Creatures That Stalked the Earth Long Ago

From before the dinosaurs to the Ice Age, several mammals and their forerunners sported the iconic, curved teeth

An artist's interpretation of how a rhynchosaur might have looked

These 'Grinning' Triassic Reptiles Likely Died of Starvation

Sheep-sized rhynchosaurs had an unusual way of chewing plants that wore down their teeth over time

An illustration of a predator decapitating Tanystropheus hydroides

These Long-Necked Marine Reptiles Were Decapitated

Tanystropheus fossils reveal how predators may have snapped the creatures' necks with a powerful, swift bite from above

Nihohae matakoi swam in waters off the coast of New Zealand around 25 million years ago.

These Prehistoric Dolphins Had Tusk-Like Teeth

The animals likely thrashed their heads back and forth to injure or stun prey with their unusual, horizontal teeth

Researchers take sediment samples in the excacation pit in the Tam Pà Ling cave in Laos, where two newly uncovered human bones—part of a skull and a shin bone—were found.

Archaeologists Uncover Earliest Evidence of Modern Humans in Southeast Asia

The fossils from a cave in Laos, which date to between 68,000 and 86,000 years ago, challenge several ideas about early human migration

Reconstruction of an Australian pterosaur

Australia's Oldest Known Pterosaur Fossils Are From 107 Million Years Ago

The tiny bones include the first one from a juvenile found in the country

Paleontologist Lee Berger, who led the new research, walks in the Rising Star cave system in South Africa, where the possible burial sites were uncovered.

Ancient Human Relatives May Have Buried Their Dead

Remains in a South African cave system predate the oldest known human burials by about 160,000 years or more

Iani smithi

New Beaked Dinosaur Species Found in Utah

The creature, dubbed Iani smithi, was identified from a 99-million-year-old fossil

The mastodon tooth was discovered on Rio Del Mar State Beach in California.

Woman Finds Mastodon Tooth on California Beach

The photos she shared set off a search for the fossil, which she had left behind. Now, scientists have the tooth, just the third of its kind found locally

Paleontologists discovered Oda's remarkably intact fossilized skeleton in Svalbard in 2008.

Unraveling the Mysteries of Oda the Ichthyosaur

Paleontologists used X-rays to identify the 240-million-year-old creature's flattened and fossilized remains

Mammoth and elephant tusks are elongated incisors, so they're made of the same materials as other teeth.

Male Woolly Mammoths Had Testosterone-Fueled Aggressive Episodes

By studying preserved tusks, scientists suggest the mammals experienced a yearly condition known as musth, like male elephants do today

Fossils in Wales reveal a glimpse into marine life 462 million years ago. In this illustration based on the new finds, the tall sponge in the foreground is less than one inch in height.

This Trove of Fossils in Wales Is Revealing Secrets of Early Animal Life

Scientists have uncovered 170 species from around 462 million years ago, unveiling surprises about when tiny marine creatures evolved and disappeared

One of the many Edicaran biota fossils within the bounds of Nilpena Ediacara National Park, which is now open in South Australia.

The World's Newest National Park Protects 550-Million-Year-Old Fossils

The 148,000-acre Nilpena Ediacara National Park in South Australia is helping scientists unravel the mysteries of life's evolution on Earth

The T. Rex skeleton, named Trinity, in a photograph taken March 28. The skeleton's 293 bones come from three different specimens.

T. Rex Skeleton Sells for More Than $5 Million at Auction

Just over half the skeleton is made of actual fossils, which come from three different specimens

An illustration of Diamantinasaurus matildae

Rare 95-Million-Year-Old Dinosaur Skull Uncovered in Australia

The first-of-its-kind find reveals how sauropods may have moved between Australia and South America during the mid-Cretaceous

Many giant animals roamed the Earth after non-avian dinosaurs went extinct.

After Dinosaurs Went Extinct, These Ten Giant Creatures Roamed the Earth

Though we often think of the “terrible lizards” as behemoths, many later reptiles and mammals also grew to massive sizes

An illustration of the Snowball Earth with some open water around the equator and a newly proposed patch of ocean at mid-latitudes

How Life Could Have Survived the Frozen ‘Snowball Earth’

During a prehistoric ice age when the planet was enveloped in glaciers, algae could have made a living in patchy, open oceans, study suggests

The fossil of Icaronycteris gunnelli

Paleontologists Discover 52-Million-Year-Old Bat

The fossil represents the earliest-known species of the flying mammal

Though this particular Arctic ground squirrel died during the Ice Age, these rodents still live in the Yukon Territory and Alaska today.

This Mummified Ice Age Squirrel Was Found Frozen in Canada

Scientists identified the curled-up creature as an Arctic ground squirrel that likely died while hibernating some 30,000 years ago

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