Tag

Jurassic

All articles tagged with #jurassic

paleontology15 days ago•4 min saved

North Sea Drill Cores Reveal Plesiosaur Vomit and Feeding Habits

Dr. Dirk Knaust of Equinor ASA has identified fossilized vomit, or regurgitalites, from Jurassic-era plesiosaurs in North Sea drill cores. These fossils, found near the Troll oil field, contain shells of bivalves, worms, and crinoids that require full ocean salinity, yet they were deposited in freshwater delta sediments. This mismatch suggests plesiosaurs foraged in deep, salty waters and swam to shallow, brackish areas to regurgitate indigestible remains. Knaust formally names this new trace fossil type 'Vomitus' and attributes the remains to the Cryptoclididae family. The findings, published in the Geological Magazine, offer the first systematic classification of plesiosaur vomit and provide rare insights into the feeding behavior of these long-necked marine reptiles.

via Sci.News|

#jurassic #north-sea #paleontology

paleontology24 days ago•7 min saved

Spain Discovers Diplodocus Fossil, First Outside North America, Hinting at Jurassic Faunal Exchange

Spanish researchers identify a 25-meter Diplodocus at La Tejería, Teruel—the first confirmed Diplodocus outside North America—strengthening evidence that Late Jurassic dinosaurs dispersed between Europe and North America via fleeting land bridges.

via sci.news|

#diplodocus #fossils #intercontinental-dispersal

science1 month ago•5 min saved

Jurassic Insects Sing in Ultrasonic Tones, New Study Finds

A team reconstructed the calls of nine Jurassic cricket/katydid ancestors by analyzing fossilized wing structures, living relatives, wing mechanics, and using computer modeling to simulate their sounds. The result includes nine calls spanning audible and ultrasonic frequencies (one species, Sigmaboilus peregrinus, exceeds 20 kHz), revealing a complex Jurassic soundscape and suggesting insects used ultrasonic communication to create acoustic niches and possibly evade predators—challenging the idea that bats were the primary drivers of ultrasonic signals. The work, published in PNAS, also helped inform realistic Jurassic sound design for media like Netflix’s The Dinosaurs.

via The New York Times|

#ancientinsects #bioacoustics #jurassic

paleontology1 month ago•8 min saved

Jurassic Katydids Sing in Ultrasound, Pre-Bat Era

Researchers reconstructed the calls of 165‑million‑year‑old insects from fossilized wings found in Inner Mongolia, China, using lasers, computer models and AI. Most species produced low calls around 5 kHz, but Sigmaboilus peregrinus likely vocalized above 20 kHz (ultrasonic), making it the oldest known ultrasonic animal vocalization and predating bats. The findings challenge the idea that bat predation was the sole driver of ultrasonic signaling and suggest predators beyond bats and acoustic niche competition shaped early insect communication. The work combined phylogenetics, laser vibrometry, wing‑vibration simulations, and machine learning, and was published in PNAS.

via Sci.News|

#acoustics #jurassic #paleontology

paleontology2 months ago•8 min saved

Diminutive Middle Jurassic Sauropod Discovered in India Expands Early Neosauropod Range

Paleontologists in western India unearthed Ceratocaudia antiqua, a small Middle Jurassic neosauropod from the Kaladongar Formation in the Kachchh Basin. At about 7 meters long, it’s one of the oldest diagnosable neosauropods and, along with Chinese species, supports a global neosauropod distribution by the early Middle Jurassic.

via Sci.News|

#dinosaurs #india #jurassic

paleontology3 months ago•8 min saved

Tiny Jurassic Bird Reveals Stepwise Tail Evolution in Early Birds

Chinese paleontologists describe Zhengheornis buyu, a small 148–150 million-year-old Jurassic bird with a 15-vertebra tail that remains unfused (no pygostyle), showing that vertebral tail shortening occurred before pygostyle formation in early birds. With an estimated body mass of 74–163 g, this mosaic anatomy suggests a stepwise tail evolution and supports a rapid diversification of avialans by the late Jurassic, published in Science Advances.

via Sci.News|

#avialae #jurassic #paleontology

science4 months ago•6 min saved

Gigantic Jurassic Sauropod Tracks Stamped into a French Cave Ceiling

In Castelbouc Cave in southern France, researchers documented three-dimensional counterprint casts of sauropod footprints on the ceiling, dating to about 168 million years ago with tracks up to 1.25 meters long. The prints formed when dinosaurs walked across soft lagoon mud, later filled and preserved as rock, revealing that giant herbivores roamed coastal wetlands. Studying them required deep cave exploration and rare preservation conditions, and the team notes similar discoveries elsewhere may follow.

via The Daily Galaxy|

#caves #dinosaurs #jurassic

science5 months ago•5 min saved

France Unveils 155-Meter Sauropod Footprint Trail in Jura Rock, the Longest Yet Found

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.

via The Daily Galaxy|

#dinosaur #footprints #jurassic

science5 months ago•7 min saved

Dog-Sized Middle Jurassic Dinosaur Unearthed in Scotland, Hinting at Early Plant-Eater Diversity

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.

via Indian Defence Review|

#dinosaur #isle-of-skye #jurassic

animals5 months ago•37 min saved

Dog-sized Middle Jurassic dinosaur hints at earlier herbivore diversification in Scotland

A 166-million-year-old, dog-sized, plant-eating dinosaur from the Middle Jurassic was unearthed on Scotland’s Isle of Skye. Although the skeleton was long spotted, difficult access and protected coastline kept it from extraction until now. The fragmentary remains suggest an early ornithischian (possibly an early ornithopod or ceratodan) and show it was at least eight years old when it died, based on growth rings. This could push back the appearance of iguanodontians and shed light on small herbivores in Jurassic ecosystems; researchers aim to find more fossils in the Kilmaluag Formation to better understand dinosaur evolution in this period.

via Earth.com|

#animals #dinosaurs #isle-of-skye

science5 months ago•5 min saved

Tiny 16-Centimeter Fossil Sheds Light on Ancient Rhynchocephalians Near a Jurassic Nest

A near-complete 16 cm fossil of Opisthiamimus gregori, a rhynchocephalian, was found in Wyoming’s Morrison Formation near an Allosaurus nest. Researchers used micro-CT scans to create a detailed 3D reconstruction, suggesting an insectivorous diet and revealing jaw-tooth mechanics that can help classify other fossils and better understand this once-diverse group that declined long ago.

via The Daily Galaxy|

#fossil #jurassic #morrison-formation

science5 months ago•4 min saved

China’s 92-Foot Sauropod Unearthed at a Construction Site Reshapes Jurassic Giants

In China’s Sichuan Basin, scientists describe Tongnanlong zhimingi, a giant sauropod potentially 75–92 feet long from the Late Jurassic Suining Formation (~147 million years ago). The incomplete skeleton was found during construction in Chongqing’s Tongnan District and, with bones like vertebrae and limb elements, researchers estimated its size and confirmed it belonged to the Mamenchisauridae family, known for long necks and lightweight bones. The site’s lake‑shore wetland context and well‑preserved remains suggest rapid burial, supporting a model of large-bodied dinosaurs in a hydrated ecosystem. The find also informs broader questions about Jurassic biogeography, including the East Asian Isolation hypothesis, hinting that eusauropods were distributed beyond East Asia rather than being strictly regional.”,

via The Daily Galaxy|

#china #jurassic #paleontology

science7 months ago•5 min saved

Sword-Dragon Ichthyosaur Unveils a New Early Jurassic Lineage

A 190-million-year-old ichthyosaur skeleton nicknamed the Sword Dragon of Dorset, Xiphodracon goldencapensis, is described as a nearly complete Early Jurassic specimen that sheds new light on marine reptile evolution; its discovery helps pinpoint a major faunal turnover in the Jurassic, reveals a sword-like snout and signs of injury, and will join the Royal Ontario Museum for public display.

via The Daily Galaxy|

#dorset #ichthyosaur #jurassic

science7 months ago•5 min saved

Jurassic Shark Bavariscyllium Redefines Shark Evolution

A newly studied Jurassic shark Bavariscyllium, about 25 cm long, reveals diverse early shark forms with a whisker-like sensory organ and traits that don’t fit neatly into current shark orders, prompting scientists to rethink how sharks evolved and how fossil teeth influence age estimates.

via Indian Defence Review|

#evolution #jurassic #paleontology

science8 months ago•3 min saved

Juvenile Sauropods Fueled Jurassic Predators, New Ecological Web Reveals

Reconstructing a detailed Jurassic ecosystem from Dry Mesa Quarry fossils shows that baby sauropods were abundant prey, forming many predator links and feeding carnivores like Allosaurus and Torvosaurus. This plentiful supply may have kept top predators smaller for a time and influenced later evolutionary shifts toward larger hunters such as Tyrannosaurus rex.

via ScienceAlert|

#food-web #jurassic #paleoecology