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4+ hour, 16+ min ago (261+ words) Fossilized vomit with remains found, scientists are stunned by the discovery! "I was so excited to have found this site, as Upper Jurassic plant localities are so rare. We must now carefully dissect the site in search of more tiny wonders in among the foliage." The vomit offers concrete evidence of the kinds of creatures that lived in the area, including amphibians that would have thrived in freshwater environments. "Normally there are no animal remains at this site, only plants, and the bones we did find weren't spread out [amongst the rock] but were concentrated to this one spot. These are the first bones we've ever seen there," explained John Foster, another co-author of the study. What makes this discovery even more fascinating is the behavior it suggests. According to the study, published in the journal'Palaios, the vomit was likely…...

4+ hour, 53+ min ago (1380+ words) The Komodo dragon (Varanus komodoensis) reigns as the world's largest lizard, an apex predator with hunting skills honed over millions of years of evolution. These formidable reptiles, native to Indonesia's Lesser Sunda Islands, have developed sophisticated ambush techniques that make them one of nature's most effective hunters. Their ability to patiently stalk, strategically position themselves, " The post 10 Ways Komodo Dragons Ambush Prey And 4 That Do Not Work appeared first on Animals Around The Globe. The Komodo dragon (Varanus komodoensis) reigns as the world's largest lizard, an apex predator with hunting skills honed over millions of years of evolution. These formidable reptiles, native to Indonesia's Lesser Sunda Islands, have developed sophisticated ambush techniques that make them one of nature's most effective hunters. Their ability to patiently stalk, strategically position themselves, and deliver devastating attacks has fascinated scientists and wildlife enthusiasts alike....

5+ hour, 22+ min ago (232+ words) Scientists have reclassified the Pinocchio chameleon as a separate species. It was misidentified for over 150 years by global taxonomists. DNA analysis revealed its evolutionary identity differs from historical assumptions. This finding resolves a century-old herpetology classification error effectively. Researchers identified another species, Calumma hofreiteri, previously hidden among museum specimens. It had been mistaken due to similar elongated nasal features. Madagascar hosts diverse reptiles that rapidly evolve and complicate classification. Both species now contribute to the island's unique reptile biodiversity. Scientists used a museomics approach to extract DNA from old specimens. One specimen dates back to 1836, preserved in museum collections. DNA clarified evolutionary relationships masked by similar external appearances. Museum collections prove valuable for modern biodiversity research and discovery. Elongated noses vary in shape, length and colour across individuals. Variation likely results from sexual selection and female mate preference. Superficial anatomy…...

5+ hour, 51+ min ago (372+ words) Specimen found in South Africa was widely thought to be member of ape-like human ancestor family that lived nearly 2 million years ago One of the most complete human ancestor fossils ever found could be an entirely new species, according to a new study. The fossil, found in South Africa's Sterkfontein Caves in 1998 and dubbed "the Little Foot, was widely believed to be a member of the Australopithecus genus of ape-like upright-walking human ancestors that lived between 3 million and 1.95 million years ago. When the fossil was first unveiled to the world in 2017, it was attributed to the species Australopithecus prometheus. However several experts maintained that it belonged to Australopithecus africanus. Now, a new study suggests that Little Foot doesn't share unique traits with either species, raising the possibility that it may represent an altogether new species. "This fossil remains one of…...

7+ hour, 31+ min ago (934+ words) " Rats typically conjure images of small, scurrying creatures that inspire fear or disgust in many people. However, the animal kingdom holds some surprising examples that challenge our conventional understanding of these rodents. Among these remarkable creatures is a rat species so enormous it rivals the size of small dogs " the extinct Josephoartigasia monesi. " The post The Largest Rat Species " It Was Bigger Than Some Dogs appeared first on Animals Around The Globe. Rats typically conjure images of small, scurrying creatures that inspire fear or disgust in many people. However, the animal kingdom holds some surprising examples that challenge our conventional understanding of these rodents. Among these remarkable creatures is a rat species so enormous it rivals the size of small dogs " the extinct Josephoartigasia monesi. This colossal rodent dominated South American ecosystems long before humans walked the Earth, leaving behind…...

16+ hour, 32+ min ago (959+ words) In the desert of Qatar, scientists uncovered a fossil graveyard showing sea cows have shaped Arabian Gulf seagrass for over 20 million years. Salwasiren qatarensis, a newly described sea cow lived near the Bay of Salwa, which is now a dugong hotspot. Researchers from the Smithsonian's National Museum of Natural History (NMNH) and Qatar Museums pieced together hundreds of scattered bones to reveal this lost ecosystem. The fossils reveal that for more than 20 million years, successive sea cow species have kept Gulf seagrass meadows trimmed and thriving. The work was led by Dr. Nicholas D. Pyenson at the NMNH. His research focuses on how marine mammals have evolved and how they shape ocean ecosystems across deep time. Across the Al Maszhabiya area of southwestern Qatar, his team mapped a bonebed, a layer packed with fossil bones from a shallow sea. Within about…...

19+ hour, 53+ min ago (482+ words) BATON ROUGE, La. (WAFB) - It may be hard to imagine a time when giant mastodons and other long-extinct animals were roaming the prairies of South Louisiana. But they were here, as you'll see in this story. It's one of my favorites from ten years ago in the heart of Louisiana. Tens of thousands of years ago, the landscape of Louisiana was drastically different. "The water was tied up in the glaciers, so the oceans are about 3 to 400 feet lower than they are today. This would've been a high prairie area or marshy prairie area," said Richard. With the ice-age environment came megafauna, large animals, many of them now extinct. "Giant horned bison, camels, ground sloths that weighed over 3000 pounds. They had tortoises that were the size of Volkswagens," said Richard. Mike Richard owns Rip Van Winkle Gardens on Jefferson Island,…...

22+ hour, 31+ min ago (518+ words) Australian researchers think the skeleton found in South Africa is not the same species as two found in the same South Africa cave system Little Foot, one of the world's most complete hominin fossils, may be a new species of human ancestor, according to research that raises questions about our evolutionary past. Publicly unveiled in 2017, Little Foot is the most complete Australopithecus skeleton ever found. The foot bones that lend the fossil its name were first discovered in South Africa 1994, leading to a painstaking excavation over 20 years in the Sterkfontein cave system. Prof Ronald Clarke, a paleoanthropologist at the University of the Witwatersrand, who led the team that excavated the skeleton, attributed Little Foot to the species Australopithecus prometheus. Others believed it was Australopithecus africanus, a species first described in 1925 and which had previously been found in the same cave…...

23+ hour, 31+ min ago (455+ words) The genetic link between squids and octopuses may just be found in the vampire squid genome. Cephalopod evolution has long had a missing chapter in its story: how did squid-like ancestors give rise to today's octopuses? The answer, it turns out, was floating in the deep sea all along. With its glowing ghostly eyes, eight arms like its octopus cousins and a dark ruby coloring to match, the elusive vampire squid (Vampyroteuthis infernalis) has finally revealed its genetic secrets. On the cephalopod evolutionary tree, the vampire squid belongs to the group that includes octopuses, but underwent a "very ancient split" from the rest of the clade, study lead author Oleg Simakov, a researcher at the Department of Neuroscience and Developmental Biology in the University of Vienna, Austria, told Live Science in an email. The findings revealed the vampire squid has…...

1+ day, 41+ min ago (956+ words) Hi there, I'm Jan, the Co-Founder of Animals Around The Globe and one of the two guys who run this site. As a little kid, I fell in love with nature, wildlife, and animals. Living in the USA, South Africa, Italy, China and Germany gave me the opportunity to discover the world's Wildlife. My favorite animals are Mountain Gorillas, Siberian Tigers, and Great White Sharks. I'm a certified PADI Open Water Diver, went to Everest Base Camp and Trekked Gorillas in Uganda. I hold a Master of Science in Economics and Finance. Please send any feedback to [email protected] What if I told you that some of the largest, heaviest animals on Earth are also surprisingly agile in the treetops? Picture a bear, hundreds of pounds of muscle and fur, suddenly scampering up a tree trunk like it's a child on…...