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51+ min ago (919+ words) About 68-million-years ago, during the Late Cretaceous, a giant fossil egg was laid in Antarctica. The excavated remains reveal that a huge marine reptile laid eggs instead of giving birth to live offspring, as scientists originally assumed. Nicknamed "The Thing," the fossil egg measures about 11-inches long and 8-inches wide and was uncovered on Seymour Island." Those measurements make it the largest soft-shelled egg ever found and the second largest egg from any animal. At first the fossil did not look like an egg at all. It was a leathery, folded object buried in Antarctic sediment and it reminded researchers of a deflated bag. Under a microscope, thin sections of the fossil revealed a delicate wall only a fraction of a millimeter thick." That wall lacked obvious pores and instead showed stacked layers, giving it the texture of a modern…...

1+ hour, 2+ min ago (338+ words) Science News: In the north of Italy, high up on a rocky cliff face, a casual observation has revealed one of the greatest discoveries of dinosaur tracks on the Euro. In the north of Italy, high up on a rocky cliff face, a casual observation has revealed one of the greatest discoveries of dinosaur tracks on the European continent Instead, he discovered the wakes of life from 210 million years ago Carved into the rock face in the Stelvio National Park are thousands of dinosaur wakes from the Late Triassic period It is a phenomenal find not only because of the number of wakes but also the information they hold about how these prehistoric creatures lived In September, while taking pictures of wildlife at a distant point, his camera's lens pointed at a vertical rock wall at a height of 600 meters…...

1+ hour, 42+ min ago (366+ words) Tens of millions of years before the megalodon, a massive shark was running the oceans. According to new research, a previously overlooked set of fossils found near Darwin, Australia, belonged to the earliest known mega-predatory shark in the modern shark lineage. It turns out the big fella existed way earlier than scientists thought was even possible. The shark lived around 115 million years ago, during the Cretaceous period. That's when the ocean was packed with a wide variety of nightmarish creatures, such as plesiosaurs and ichthyosaurs. Modern shark ancestors, known as lamniforms, were believed to be relatively small when they first appeared in the fossil record about 135 million years ago. The discovery of this mega-shark obviously shakes that up quite a bit. These fossils suggest that some lamniforms had already reached sizes of up to eight meters long. The AP reports…...

1+ hour, 44+ min ago (212+ words) By Leigh Anne Miller The Smithsonian's National Museum of Natural History has added a new, rare fossil to its collection: a dome-shaped skull of a Pachycephalosaurus, a type of dinosaur that lived about 67 million years ago. The fossil was donated to the museum by philanthropists Eric and Wendy Schmidt. (Eric Schmidt was the CEO of Google until 2011.) The Schmidts purchased the skull from Sotheby's for $1.7 million in July. It was excavated in 2024 from the Hell Creek Formation, an area known for fossil discoveries from the Upper Cretaceous and Early Paleocene eras in Perkins County, South Dakota. " The 21-inch-long skull is nearly complete and includes 32 fused cranial bones and many teeth. Remains of this particular dinosaur'a bipedal herbivore whose scientific name means "thick-headed lizard) are quite rare, and make up less than 1% of the fossils founds in the Hell Creek Formation....

1+ hour, 51+ min ago (512+ words) A tiny amphibian highlights how much biodiversity still hides in Brazil's mountains. In the mountains of southern Brazil, a frog just over a centimeter long lives in the leaf litter of the forest floor. It is bright orange, active during the day, and easy to overlook. Until recently, it had no name. Now scientists have formally described it as a new species: Brachycephalus lulai, a pumpkin toadlet found only in a small stretch of cloud forest in the Serra do Quiriri, in Santa Catarina. The description was published in December in the journal PLOS One . The newly discovered species adds to a growing list of miniature frogs known only from isolated Brazilian mountaintops. Many pumpkin toadlets are orange. But what caught the researchers' attention was its call. Male frogs produce mating calls that are specific to each species. While surveying…...

2+ hour, 34+ min ago (277+ words) Thousands of dinosaur footprints discovered near Olympic slopes. Luca Bruno / Associated Press Athletes will arrive in Italy in 2026 hoping to leave their mark at the Winter Olympics. Turns out, the dinosaurs got there first " and they already look like gold medalists. Officials revealed Tuesday that paleontologists have discovered thousands of dinosaur footprints carved into a towering, near-vertical rock face inside a national park near Bormio, one of the key venues for the Milan-Cortina Games. The tracks, estimated to number up to 20,000, were left behind 210 million years ago, dating back to the Triassic Period " long before skis or stopwatches ever existed. According to Italpress, the tracks are located in the Fraele Valley, nestled between Livigno and Bormio. It was there, in terrain better known for steep climbs than scientific breakthroughs, that Della Ferrera made the discovery. Some of the prints are…...

2+ hour, 52+ min ago (674+ words) Home " Animals " Animals List " 15 Nature's Most Formidable Predators You're looking at marine intelligence at its peak when you witness orcas using sophisticated strategies, including coordinated pod attacks and innovative techniques like intentionally beaching themselves to catch seals. These massive cetaceans aren't just brutally efficient killers. They're problem solvers that adapt their hunting methods based on what's on the menu. Here's where things get properly terrifying. The saltwater crocodile is the largest living reptile, with the biggest confirmed individuals reaching almost 7 meters in length and weighing over 2 tons, possessing a bite force ten times stronger than a great white shark. Honestly, these prehistoric monsters haven't needed to evolve much because they got it right the first time. Tigers are solitary hunters built for silent, lethal ambushes in dense forests and swampy terrain, with massive paws and incredible shoulder power that allows…...

3+ hour, 2+ min ago (732+ words) Picture a creature no bigger than a rabbit, hopping through the night under the Australian moonlight. It's hardly what you'd expect when thinking about an animal with jaw power that could rival much larger predators. Yet the bettong, a small marsupial that most people have never even heard of, possesses abilities that seem almost impossible " The post 7 Facts About The Bettong, A Tiny Marsupial That Cracks What Bigger Animals Can't appeared first on Animals Around The Globe. Picture a creature no bigger than a rabbit, hopping through the night under the Australian moonlight. It's hardly what you'd expect when thinking about an animal with jaw power that could rival much larger predators. Yet the bettong, a small marsupial that most people have never even heard of, possesses abilities that seem almost impossible for its size. These rabbit-sized diggers have been…...

4+ hour, 33+ min ago (214+ words) Dinosaurs ruled Earth for millions of years, but according to the most widely accepted theory, a massive asteroid wiped them out around 66 million years ago. It sounds like a sci-fi movie, right? Yet some lineages managed to survive, evolving into creatures we see today. These aren't just survivors; they are dinosaurs' closest living relatives, sharing ancient traits that make you rethink evolution. Birds are well-known direct descendants of dinosaurs, but there are other animals closely related to them too. Here are five living animals that are close relatives of dinosaurs. Crabs, lobsters, and their relatives predate dinosaurs by hundreds of millions of years and are among Earth's oldest life forms. While lobsters often end up on dinner plates today, their ancestors roamed the seas when T. rex walked the land. Tough exoskeletons and the ability to molt helped them survive global…...

5+ hour, 19+ min ago (1012+ words) Deep within the murky waters of South American swamps, a master of stealth lies in wait. The anaconda, one of the world's largest snakes, has perfected the art of ambush hunting over millions of years of evolution. These massive constrictors, which can grow up to 30 feet long and weigh over 500 pounds, are perfectly " The post How Anacondas Ambush Prey in Swamps Using Stealth appeared first on Animals Around The Globe. Deep within the murky waters of South American swamps, a master of stealth lies in wait. The anaconda, one of the world's largest snakes, has perfected the art of ambush hunting over millions of years of evolution. These massive constrictors, which can grow up to 30 feet long and weigh over 500 pounds, are perfectly adapted to their aquatic environment. Despite their enormous size, anacondas are surprisingly elusive, using sophisticated hunting strategies…...