Category: Archaeologists

Around 74 million years ago, two giant marine reptiles collided in the ancient oceans. Their encounter left behind a remarkable clue — a tooth embedded in the skull of a creature that somehow survived the attack. The fossil belonged to Mosasaurus missouriensis, a powerful marine reptile that measured approximately 21 feet (6.5 meters) long. It…

For decades, dinosaur fossils preserving traces of skin have been considered extraordinarily rare — the result of unusual conditions that prevented ancient bodies from completely decomposing. But scientists are now exploring a surprising possibility: dinosaur “mummies” may not have required such exceptional circumstances after all. The term “mummy” is often used for dinosaur fossils that…

For 66 million years, the remains of one of the most powerful predators ever to walk Earth lay buried in the ancient rock of what is now Canada. Now, scientists have examined something extraordinarily rare preserved inside its bones — and the discovery may reveal how the giant dinosaur met its end. The Tyrannosaurus rex,…

For more than 66 million years, the bones of one of the most enormous predators ever to walk the Earth remained buried in rock. Now, scientists have discovered something extraordinary hidden inside them: the mineralized remains of blood vessels. The vessels were found inside Scotty, an exceptionally preserved Tyrannosaurus rex specimen housed at the Royal…

For millions of years, dinosaurs transformed the planet — and some of the most famous giants eventually became devoted plant-eaters. But new research suggests their ancestors may have had a very different appetite. A comprehensive study by palaeobiologists at the University of Bristol examined the diets of the earliest dinosaurs and found that these prehistoric…

Millions of years ago, a river flowed through what is now North Florida. Along its banks, something extraordinary happened: multiple elephant relatives died and were buried in the same place, creating what scientists now describe as an astonishing fossil site. The animals were gomphotheres — extinct relatives of modern elephants — and they lived in…

It looked like something from a nightmare — but this strange creature was swimming through Jurassic seas 165 million years ago. Paleontologists have identified a previously unknown genus and species of vampyromorph coleoid from an exceptionally preserved fossil discovered at the Middle Jurassic La Voulte-sur-Rhône Lagerstätte in France. Named Vampyrofugiens atramentum, the ancient animal belonged…

It looks like something that drifted in from another planet. But this bizarre, remarkably detailed fossil was once a living creature that moved across the seafloor of ancient Australia nearly 280 million years ago. The fossil belongs to Jimbacrinus bostocki, a strange-looking crinoid discovered near Gascoyne Junction in Western Australia. Dating to the Permian Period,…

Imagine walking along a beach and stumbling across a piece of rock — only to discover that hidden inside was the fossil of the largest-known invertebrate ever to live on Earth. That is exactly what happened at Howick Bay in Northumberland, England, in January 2018. A chunk of sandstone had fallen from a nearby cliff…

Imagine looking up into the prehistoric sky and seeing an insect with a wingspan of 2.5 feet flying overhead. It sounds impossible today — but around 275 million years ago, a giant dragonfly-like predator called Meganeuropsis permiana really did take to the skies. The enormous insect lived during the late Permian Period, roughly 45 million…