All articles tagged with #dinosaur
A Liverpool-led study of a 66-million-year-old Edmontosaurus sacrum detected remnants of collagen and the amino acid hydroxyproline in a remarkably preserved fossil, using multiple analytical methods to rule out contamination. The findings suggest some original biomolecules can persist for tens of millions of years, offering new clues about dinosaur biology and evolution beyond bone structure.
Scientists have identified a new giant sauropod dinosaur, estimated to weigh about 50–60 metric tons—roughly the weight of nine elephants—shedding light on the upper limits of dinosaur size and sauropod evolution.
In the Dinoplagne site of the Ain region in the Jura mountains, researchers report a 155-meter-long, exceptionally well-preserved sauropod trackway dating to the early Tithonian stage of the Late Jurassic. This extends the record for the longest sauropod footprint sequence and provides detailed clues about the giant animal’s gait and size; a 2009 discovery at Dinoplagne identified a much shorter track (about 35 meters) but likewise highlighted the site’s significance. The footprints, attributed to a titanosaur, are preserved with sharp edges and intricate details, and the site remains open to visitors as scientists continue to study this geological treasure.
Paleontologists unearthed Scotland’s most complete dinosaur skeleton to date—a dog-sized herbivorous ornithischian from the Middle Jurassic (~166 million years ago) on the Isle of Skye. The discovery, involving a subadult around eight years old, offers new clues about early plant-eating dinosaurs and could reshape understanding of Jurassic ecosystems, though researchers are still determining whether it represents a new species due to the fragmentary remains.
A deformed late-Triassic skull, once dismissed, was reassembled with CT scanning by Virginia Tech undergraduate Simba Srivastava, revealing Ptychotherates bucculentus, a previously unknown carnivorous dinosaur. The discovery, published in Papers in Palaeontology, suggests early dinosaurs diversified earlier than thought and that the Herrerasauria lineage persisted longer in the American Southwest, reshaping our understanding of dinosaur evolution before T. rex.
Using advanced imaging, researchers examined Scotty’s fractured T. rex rib and found iron-rich, mineralized blood vessel casts that trace the dinosaur’s healing and illustrate how vascular tissue can be preserved across millions of years through alternating burial conditions.
Scientists studying a Hell Creek Formation Edmontosaurus skull found a tooth lodged in its snout, a rare embedded-tooth fossil that lets researchers identify the attacker as Tyrannosaurus rex. CT scans show a frontal bite, the tooth’s serrations match T. rex, and bite marks suggest the predator continued feeding on the head after the kill, implying a direct encounter rather than distant scavenging.
Brazilian researchers describe a new giant dinosaur, Dasosaurus tocantinensis, from fossils found near Davinópolis, Maranhão. A 1.5-meter femur suggests the animal was about 20 meters long, placing it among Brazil’s largest dinosaurs, and it appears to be the closest relative of Spain’s Garumbatitan morellensis, implying a European lineage that dispersed to South America about 130 million years ago before the Atlantic opened.
A 67-million-year-old juvenile pachycephalosaur fossil from Saskatchewan, Canada (CMNFV 22039) offers the first postcranial look at these dome-headed dinosaurs, revealing long hindlimbs and rapid juvenile growth that imply faster locomotion and a different development path than previously understood.
Researchers on Portugal's Santa Cruz Beach uncovered a nest of at least ten Late Jurassic dinosaur eggs, exquisitely preserved in cliff sediment, with evidence suggesting most hatchlings may have emerged; CT scans are planned to study any embryonic material and the eggs' microstructure.
Researchers describe Manipulonyx reshetovi, a small, bird-like dinosaur from Mongolia, with a unique forelimb featuring a giant claw, two side digits, and spikes that enabled gripping smooth eggs for night-time egg-snatching about 67 million years ago; the species was named in a December paper describing the fossil.
A significant fossil discovery of a Tenontosaurus in West Texas has expanded the known range of this herbivorous dinosaur during the Early Cretaceous, providing new insights into dinosaur distribution, ecosystems, and environmental adaptation in North America.
A newly discovered 80-million-year-old predatory dinosaur in Argentina, named Llukalkan aliocranianus, features an unusual short, horned skull with cavities that likely enhanced its hearing, suggesting it was a highly capable predator with unique evolutionary traits. The well-preserved fossil was found during a broader excavation and offers insights into the diversity of late-Cretaceous South American ecosystems.
Scientists reexamined 1916 fossils from New Mexico and identified a new species of giant duck-billed dinosaur, Ahshislesaurus wimani, which lived about 75 million years ago and could reach 40 feet in length, revealing greater diversity among hadrosaurids during the late Cretaceous period.
A 20-year-old fossil of a brachiosaur foot found in Wyoming has been confirmed as the largest ever discovered, measuring nearly one meter across, and has provided new insights into the dinosaur's range across North America, thanks to modern 3D scanning techniques.