Paleontology

Life

Fossil footprints show some crocodile ancestors walked on two legs

The 106-million-year-old tracks suggest that other puzzling nearby fossils were also likely made by a bipedal croc ancestor, not a giant pterosaur.

Life

These tube-shaped creatures may be the earliest known parasites

Fossils from over 500 million years ago might be the first known example of parasitism in the fossil record, though the evidence isn’t conclusive.

Paleontology

Saber-toothed anchovy relatives hunted in the sea 50 million years ago

Unlike today’s plankton-eating anchovies with tiny teeth, ancient anchovy kin had lower jaw of sharp spikes paired with a single giant sabertooth.

Paleontology

A ‘crazy beast’ from the time of dinosaurs belongs to an obscure mammal group

Paleontologists have finally matched a bizarre fossil, Adalatherium hui, to an obscure group of ancient mammals called gondwanatherians.

Paleontology

Spinosaurus fossil tail suggests dinosaurs were swimmers after all

Unique among known dinosaurs, Spinosaurus had a finlike tail, which the predator may have used to propel itself through the water.

Paleontology

Deep caves are a rich source of dinosaur prints for this paleontologist

Several deep caves in France are proving to be a surprising source of dinosaur tracks.

Paleontology

The first frog fossil from Antarctica has been found

An ancient amphibian from Antarctica gives new insight into when the continent got so cold.

Paleontology

Two primate lineages crossed the Atlantic millions of years ago

Peruvian primate fossils point to a second ocean crossing by a now-extinct group roughly 35 million to 32 million years ago.

Paleontology

Fossils of a new dromaeosaur date to the end of the Age of Dinosaurs

Fossils from a new dromaeosaur recovered from New Mexico suggest these fierce predators were diversifying up to the end of the Age of Dinosaurs.

Paleontology

‘Wonderchicken’ is the earliest known modern bird at nearly 67 million years old

A new fossil find, dubbed the Wonderchicken, is a common ancestor of modern ducks and chickens.

Paleontology

This ancient dinosaur was no bigger than a hummingbird

The skull of one of these Mesozoic Era birds — the tiniest yet known — was discovered encased in a chunk of amber originally found in Myanmar.

Paleontology

A squid fossil offers a rare record of pterosaur feeding behavior

150 million years ago, a pterosaur attempted to snatch a squid from the ocean surface and lost a tooth in the process.