Paleontogly

Raptorial Dinosaurs Did Not Hunt in Coordinated Packs, Paleontologists Say An analysis of the fossilized teeth of Deinonychus antirrhopus, a species of wolf-sized dromaeosaurid dinosaur that lived between 115 and 108 million years ago (Cretaceous period) in what is now the United States, adds to the growing evidence that this …

Jurassic Fossil Reveals Violent Squid Attack in Progress An international team of paleontologists from the University of Plymouth, the University of Kansas and the Forge Fossils has found a specimen of the squid-like cephalopod Clarkeiteuthis montefiorei preserved with the herring-like fish Dorsetichthys bechei in its two arms; the bones in …

Paleontologists Find 66-Million-Year-Old Fossil of Bizarre Mammal A new species of gondwanatherian mammal from the Cretaceous period has been identified from a very well-preserved fossilized skeleton found on the island of Madagascar. Life reconstruction of Adalatherium hui. Image credit: Andrey Atuchin / Denver Museum of Nature Science. Named Adalatherium hui, …

Spinosaurus Aegyptiacus is First Known Aquatic Dinosaur Spinosaurus Aegyptiacus is First Known Aquatic DinosaurA species of carnivorous dinosaur called Spinosaurus aegyptiacus used tail-propelled swimming locomotion to hunt for prey in rivers, according to a new analysis of the world’s only existing skeleton of this ancient predator, found in the Kem …

Fossil Flyers Hold Secrets to Better Flight Technologies The physiology of pterosaurs and other fossil flyers could provide ancient solutions to modern flight problems, such as aerial stability and the ability of drones to self-launch, according to a new paper published in the journal Trends in Ecology Evolution. A reconstruction …

Scientists Use X-rays to Peer inside Fossilized Dinosaur Eggs Powerful X-ray beams at the European Synchrotron in France allowed an international team of researchers to study some of the world’s oldest and well-preserved dinosaur embryos and reconstruct them in 3D. The clutch of Massospondylus carinatus eggs. Image credit: Brett Eloff. …

90-Million-Year-Old Fossilized Rainforest Discovered in Antarctica An international team of paleontologists and geologists has uncovered well-preserved fossilized roots, pollen and spores of 90-million-year-old (mid-Cretaceous period) rainforest trees in West Antarctica. Reconstruction of the West Antarctic mid-Cretaceous temperate rainforest. The painting is based on paleofloral and environmental information inferred from palynological, …

Oldest Bilaterian Fossil Found in Australia Ikaria wariootia, a wormlike creature that lived more than 555 million years ago (Ediacaran period) in what is now Australia, is the earliest bilaterian, according to new research led by University of California, Riverside researcher Scott Evans. Reconstruction of Ikaria wariootia in life position. …

Meet Wonderchicken, Bird from Final Part of Dinosaur Era A new species of ancient bird has been identified from a nearly complete, three-dimensionally preserved skull and associated bones found in Belgium. A detailed analysis of the skull shows that it combines landfowl- and waterfowl-like features, suggesting that the bird is …

Devonian Four-Limbed Creature Reveals Insights into How Vertebrate Hand Evolved from Fish Fins A 1.57-m (5.2-foot) long specimen of Elpistostege watsoni from the Devonian period of Canada has yielded the missing evolutionary link in the fish to tetrapod transition. An artist’s reconstruction of Elpistostege watsoni fossil found in Miguasha, Canada. …