When paleontologists only have so many clues to infer a fossil’s original form, it’s all too easy to make honest mistakes. Sometimes, supposedly reasonable assumptions set researchers on the wrong path—as demonstrated by a “rediscovered” creature sporting an unlikely mix of reptilian features. A Nature paper published today introduced to the world Breugnathair elgolensis, a […]
This Ancient Roman Artifact Is Also a 453 Million-Year-Old Fossil
Despite how Ross’ paleontology career is treated by his companions in Friends, there’s something special about finding the remains of creatures that lived millions if not billions of years before us. In fact, humanity’s interest in paleontology isn’t a modern development. Ancient Romans were just as fascinated by fossils. According to the ancient Roman historian […]
An Even Scarier Predator Hunted Giant ‘Terror Birds’ in South America
Sometime between 16 and 11.6 million years ago, a young caiman came upon a tasty snack in modern-day South America. The meal, however, turned out to be rather ambitious, because the croc hadn’t come upon just any old prey. It was a phorusrhacid, a large carnivore in its own right, aptly known as a “terror […]
Adorable Triassic Reptile Used its Freaky Back Fin to Communicate
Technological advancements have brought us many things. For paleontologists, it’s introduced the ability to probe softer material—skin, feathers, scales, and hair—found on fossilized creatures. And that’s resulting in some strange new findings about long-extinct animals, showing us that they’re even weirder than we imagined. A paper published today in Nature offers a re-analysis of a […]
506-Million-Year-Old ‘Mothra’ Fossil Shows the Weirdness of Early Life
A newly described creature from the Cambrian period is putting a bizarre twist on what we thought we knew about early animal evolution. Meet Mosura fentoni—a three-eyed, clawed, and flappy-limbed predator about the size of your finger, recently identified from Canada’s famed Burgess Shale. The alien-looking animal is part of a group called radiodonts, a […]
The Oldest Known Ant Specimen Held Its Prey With Weird Mandibles, Researchers Claim
When you think of predators, you likely imagine big animals with sharp claws or teeth, like tigers or sharks. Over 100 million years ago, however, a tiny yet freakishly fearsome predator impaled its prey with scythe-like jaws. While investigating a large collection of fossil insects at the Museum of Zoology at the University of São […]
Wealthy Collectors Are Snatching Up T. Rex Fossils, Leaving Scientists Behind
Tyrannosaurus rex may be the most famous dinosaur to ever roam the Earth, but these days, it’s at the center of a very modern problem: the luxury fossil trade. According to a study published in Palaeontologia Electronica, commercial fossil collecting has walled off so many T. rex fossils to scientists that it has severely hindered […]
Giant, Ancient Life Form Doesn’t Fit Into Any Known Branch of Life
Hundreds of millions of years ago, mysterious life forms called Prototaxites towered toward the sky. Believed to be the first giant organisms to thrive on dry land, some species of Prototaxites grew up to 26 feet (8 meters) in height and resembled tree trunks composed of tiny interconnected tubes. Their position in the greater tree […]
Immaculate Feather Fossil Reveals the Unlikely Preserving Power of Volcanoes
Fossilized feathers discovered 136 years ago are still revealing new secrets. Researchers found that the volcanic rock preserving the feather holds microscopic details preserved within the fossil. The team’s research—published today in Geology—found that the feathers are preserved in zeolite, a mode of preservation that hasn’t been reported for soft tissues until now. “Fossil feathers […]
‘Old Stump’ in Texas Turns Out to Be Incredibly Rare Mammoth Tusk
While hunting in West Texas, a deer hunter spotted a strange object in a creek bed. Suspecting it might be a fossil, he took a photo and showed it to a ranch manager. “I was skeptical,” O2 Ranch manager Will Juett said in a Sul Ross State University statement. “I figured it was likely just […]