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2+ hour, 11+ min ago (438+ words) The mosasaur may have occupied a similar niche to modern-day saltwater crocodiles A giant ocean predator that terrorised the seas during the time of the dinosaurs may have also hunted in rivers, a tooth fossil discovered in North Dakota suggests. The extinct lizard-like reptile grew up to 12 metres (40 ft) in length and may have occupied a similar niche to modern-day saltwater crocodiles, say researchers from Uppsala University in Sweden. Until now, these terrifying giant aquatic reptiles with a bulky skull and powerful jaws were thought to be sea-dwelling predators, exclusively hunting in the oceans. Now, a 66-million-year-old mosasaur tooth fossil has been found in the Hell Creek Formation in North Dakota that bears signs of exposure to river water. Researchers dub the species the "King of the Riverside" in the new study published in the journal BMC Zoology. In the…...

2+ hour, 16+ min ago (568+ words) Home " News " The World's Largest Flightless Bird Was Even Bigger Than an Ostrich Imagine a bird so large that it dwarfs even the mighty ostrich, the present-day titan of flightless birds. Meet the Aepyornis, commonly known as the elephant bird, a creature of extraordinary proportions that once roamed the island of Madagascar. These birds stand as a testament to the islands' once rich biodiversity. The existence of the elephant bird has fascinated researchers for decades. Initial discoveries of their massive bones and colossal eggs date back to the 19th century. These remnants provided paleontologists with crucial insights into the bird's classification within the order Aepyornithiformes and family Aepyornithidae. Aepyornis maximus, one of the largest species of elephant birds, could grow to over 10 feet tall and weigh more than half a ton. This made them the largest birds to ever walk the…...

2+ hour, 29+ min ago (294+ words) How did the largest flying animal hover in the air? lead image The Quetzalcoatlus northropi was the largest flying animal that ever lived. The huge pterosaur existed during the Late Cretaceous period, around 66 million to 68 million years ago. The mass of Q. northropi is believed to have been between 65 and 260 kilograms and its wingspan was estimated to have been over 10 meters. Using this information, Scott Lee developed a lesson plan to determine the physics of the pterosaur's hovering flight. "In terms of flight, the bigger it is, the more dramatic it is," said Lee. "It's just mind-boggling that such a large animal could fly." While animals in flight can be difficult to model due to fluid dynamics, modeling the physics of a hovering creature is much easier to understand. "As an animal is hovering, gravity is trying to accelerate it down,…...

2+ hour, 59+ min ago (1339+ words) A groundbreaking genetic study has unveiled unprecedented insights into the evolutionary history of Homo sapiens by analyzing ancient southern African genomes. This research, utilizing over tenfold coverage genomes of ancient Africans alongside pre-Neolithic Eurasians, archaic Neandertals, and Denisovans, sheds new light on the genetic diversity, population structure, and demographic changes that have shaped early human [] A groundbreaking genetic study has unveiled unprecedented insights into the evolutionary history of Homo sapiens by analyzing ancient southern African genomes. This research, utilizing over tenfold coverage genomes of ancient Africans alongside pre-Neolithic Eurasians, archaic Neandertals, and Denisovans, sheds new light on the genetic diversity, population structure, and demographic changes that have shaped early human evolution specifically within Africa. The comprehensive genomic data reveal nuanced patterns of genetic divergence and population dynamics extending back hundreds of thousands of years, offering a refined perspective on our…...

3+ hour, 53+ min ago (576+ words) Legend once had it that the huge, three-toed footprints scattered across the central highlands of Bolivia came from supernaturally strong monsters " capable of sinking their claws even into solid stone. Then scientists came here in the 1960s and dispelled children's fears, determining that the strange footprints in fact belonged to gigantic, two-legged dinosaurs that stomped and splashed over 60 million years ago, in the ancient waterways of what is now Toro Toro, a village and popular national park in the Bolivian Andes. "There's no place in the world where you have such a big abundance of (theropod) footprints," said Roberto Biaggi, a co-author of the study led by Spanish paleontologist Ra'l Esperante. "We have all these world records at this particular site." The dinosaurs that ruled the earth and roamed this region also made awkward attempts to swim here, according to the…...

4+ hour, 58+ min ago (158+ words) Could a monster be lurking in our oceans? And no, we're not talking about the Loch Ness Monster or the Megalodon, we're talking about a creature you probably have never heard of. The Mosasaur. Tooth fossil reveals secrets of giant ocean predator - A 66-million-year-old mosasaur tooth fossil discovered in North Dakota suggests the giant ocean predator may have also hunted in rivers. - Previously, these extinct lizard-like reptiles, which grew up to 12 metres in length, were believed to be exclusively sea-dwelling predators. - Researchers from Uppsala University found chemical signatures, including variants of oxygen and strontium, in the fossil tooth, indicating exposure to freshwater. - The finding suggests mosasaurs could inhabit freshwater environments, potentially preying on freshwater animals and living away from the sea. - This adaptability may have been crucial for their ability to thrive in various ecological niches during the Late Cretaceous,…...

7+ hour, 9+ min ago (498+ words) The skeleton sat inside the Suining Formation rock bed. This layer dates to 147 million years ago. The sediments indicate a lakeshore in a semi-arid zone. Massive 92-foot dinosaur found accidentally in China could be the largest of its kind The skeleton sat inside the Suining Formation rock bed. This layer dates to 147 million years ago. The sediments indicate a lakeshore in a semi-arid zone. A colossal fossil from southern China has surprised scientists. The huge bones show a dinosaur far larger than expected. The new species, named Tongnanlong zhimingi, may have reached 28 metres. The find places it among Earth's largest land animals. What did scientists uncover in the Tongnan District dig? The fossil was first excavated in 1998 during local work. The site lies inside Chongqing within the Sichuan Basin. The full analysis now appears in Scientific Reports today. The remains…...

7+ hour, 49+ min ago (413+ words) The Pachycephalosaurus skull belonged to a dinosaur with a domed-shaped head that lived around 67 million years ago The Smithsonian's National Museum of Natural History says it will display a rare and "remarkable" dinosaur skull that was unearthed in South Dakota. The well-preserved Pachycephalosaurus skull was found in rocks of the Hell Creek Formation in 2024. The dinosaur, known for its domed-shaped head, walked the earth around 67 million years ago. "This skull is by far the most spectacular specimen of this type of dinosaur that we have at the museum," paleontologist Matthew Carrano, the museum's curator of Dinosauria, said in a statement. "We almost never get to see the animal's face or the teeth or other parts of the head because they usually have broken away." The fossil contains 32 different cranial bones and many of the dinosaur's teeth, including some teeth that…...

8+ hour ago (431+ words) December 11, 2025 / 10:28 PM CST / CBS Texas Dinosaur Valley State Park draws thousands of visitors each year to see some of the best-preserved dinosaur tracks in the world. But some locals fear that view could soon include something far more modern: towering high-voltage power lines. At the park, the ancient tracks are embedded in limestone along the Paluxy River " footprints millions of years old that leaders say define the town. "This is limestone the dinosaurs actually walked on," Mayor Joe Boles added. "You can see the claw marks. You can see the footprints." Boles says the prints are central to Glen Rose's identity. "You don't have dinosaur prints in Texas," he said. "That's why Glen Rose is known as the dinosaur capital of Texas." But a proposed Oncor project could one day bring 200-foot transmission towers into view near the park. "And…...

8+ hour, 37+ min ago (79+ words) Hey! I'm trying to find a picture I've seen online, originally from an artist on Bluesky. The picture is a black-and-white line cartoon of a bearded centaur and a horse, in two panels. In one panel the centaur is astride the horse in a vertical mount, two hooves in stirrups. In the second, the centaur is astride the horse with all four feet in the stirrups. Thanks! Picture of a centaur riding a horse in two ways...