Tag

Paleontology

All articles tagged with #paleontology

science54 minutes ago•41 min saved

Feather in Dino Dung Offers Clues to Birds’ Survival After the Mass Extinction

Researchers analyzed a 66-million-year-old feather preserved in dinosaur dung and suggest that differences in feather insulation helped Neornithes—the modern birds—survive the asteroid-triggered winter, potentially explaining why this lineage endured while others did not; the dung also yielded hesperornithiform remains, illustrating an evolutionary bridge in feather type. Published in Current Biology, the study advocates CT-scanning more fossil dung to uncover additional clues about avian survival.

via Good News Network|

#birds #dinosaurs #extinction

science1 hour ago•23 min saved

Mastodon Tooth Unearthed in California Creek, Spotlighting Open-Space Protections

Brigid Lynch found a 9-inch fossilized Pacific mastodon tooth in a creek at a San Mateo County open-space preserve. Donated to Stanford’s Doerr School of Sustainability, the tooth—crown and root intact—will be 3D-printed for public outreach, highlighting how protecting open spaces helps reveal ancient wildlife and supports conservation.

via AP News|

#california #fossil #mastodon

science5 hours ago•2 min saved

Tracks of a Titan: New T. rex Footprints Reveal Its Ancient Walk

Paleontologists report the first known trackway of an adult Tyrannosaurus rex: a 23-foot-long series of four three-toed footprints in North Dakota’s Hell Creek Formation. 3D scans confirm the massive prints date to about 66.5 million years ago, with a stride of roughly 13 feet and a walking pace of 3.5–4.5 mph, offering rare behavioral insight beyond bones. The site, discovered in 2025 near Marmath, will have three footprints excavated and transported to the Denver Museum of Nature & Science, where researchers hope to learn more about how the predator moved across its ancient landscape.

via Gizmodo|

#footprints #hell-creek-formation #north-dakota

science6 hours ago•12 min saved

Oldest Crinoid Soft Tissue Found, Hidden in a Montreal Drawer

A Montreal museum specimen of the Ordovician crinoid Dendrocrinus simcoensis, about 450 million years old, preserves the second-ever and oldest-known soft tissue in a crinoid fossil: tube feet along the arms mineralized in place. Discovered by University of Oklahoma paleontologists Lena Cole and David Wright after a student spotted pinhead-sized structures, the find suggests the ancient crab-like filter-feeding could differ from modern relatives and provides a crucial data point rather than a full rewrite of crinoid ecology. The fossil’s exceptional preservation arose from a rare Konservat-Lagerstätten-like sequence, and the study, published in Royal Society Open Science, highlights how discoveries can hide in museum drawers just waiting to be noticed.

via Space Daily|

#crinoid #fossil-preservation #ordovician

science11 hours ago•5 min saved

First Adult T. rex Trackway Reveals 1-Meter Footprints in North Dakota

Scientists report the first known trackway of an adult Tyrannosaurus rex from North Dakota, a 7-meter-long site with four footprints about 1 meter long dating to around 66.5 million years ago. The find provides rare behavioral data from footprints (estimated walking speed ~3.3–4.5 mph) and complements bone records. Three footprints will be moved to the Denver Museum of Nature & Science for study, highlighting how trackways can illuminate behavior and gait in large dinosaurs.

via ScienceAlert|

#footprints #north-dakota #paleontology

science1 day ago•11 min saved

First Adult T. rex Trackway Shows How Fast the Giant Walked

Paleontologists in the badlands of southwestern North Dakota near Marmarth uncovered a four-footprint trackway dated about 66.5 million years ago, marking the first known set of footprints from an adult T. rex. Each print is roughly 3 feet long with about a 13-foot stride, suggesting the dinosaur walked at roughly 3.5–4.5 mph rather than ran; researchers used high‑resolution 3D scanning to study and replicate the tracks without disturbing the site, and three of the four footprints will later be moved to the Denver Museum of Nature & Science for preservation.

via NDTV|

#3d-scanning #dinosaur-footprints #north-dakota

science1 day ago•40 min saved

Iridescent feathers unlock clues to a 66-million-year-old dinosaur mystery

Researchers report iridescent feathers on a 66-million-year-old carnivorous dinosaur (likely Tyrannosaurus rex or Nanotyrannus), with the shimmering plumage offering new insight into dinosaur coloration and display and helping address long-standing questions about what these predators looked like and how they behaved.

via GB News|

#archaeology #dinosaur #feathers

science1 day ago•41 min saved

First Adult T. rex Trackway Unearthed in North Dakota

Scientists have confirmed the first adult Tyrannosaurus rex trackway, discovered on federal land near Marmarth, North Dakota. The 23-foot sequence comprises four three-toed footprints dating to about 66.5 million years ago, with researchers estimating the animal walked at roughly 3.5–4.5 mph. Found by teacher Kent Hups, the site was documented with high‑resolution 3D scans and digital models, enabling detailed study and VR visualization; three footprints are slated to be helicoptered to the Denver Museum of Nature & Science for continued study and display.

via Good News Network|

#dinosaur-footprints #north-dakota #paleontology

science1 day ago•4 min saved

Paleontologists unveil Wyoteuthis linsterorum, a colossal Jurassic belemnite from Wyoming

Researchers describe Wyoteuthis linsterorum, a new, unusually large belemnite from Wyoming’s Late Jurassic Sundance Formation, estimated at about 60 cm long with a 10 cm rostrum and up to 6 cm width, making it the thickest belemnite on record and the first North American Megateuthididae specimen.

via BBC Wildlife Magazine|

#belemnite #late-jurassic #paleontology

science1 day ago•2 min saved

Four-footed fossil record reveals first adult T. rex trackway in North Dakota

Paleontologists report the first trackway of a full-grown Tyrannosaurus rex: four three-toed footprints spanning about 23 feet, dating to roughly 66.5 million years ago in southwestern North Dakota. The prints suggest the animal walked at about 3.5–4.5 mph; the tracks were found in 2025 on U.S. Forest Service land near Marmarth, scanned in 3D, and three of the prints will be airlifted to the Denver Museum for study. The site also yields tyrannosaur bones, including a juvenile nicknamed Teen Rex, helping illuminate T. rex movement at the end of the Cretaceous.

via WESH|

#dinosaurs #north-dakota #paleontology

science2 days ago•2 min saved

First full-grown T. rex trackway uncovered in North Dakota badlands

Paleontologists document the first trackway of an adult Tyrannosaurus rex—a 23-foot sequence of four three-toed footprints in the North Dakota badlands dating to about 66.5 million years ago. The animal is inferred to have walked about 3.5–4.5 mph, and the find, discovered in 2025 on U.S. Forest Service land near Marmarth, was described in the Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology. Three of the four prints will be airlifted to the Denver Museum of Nature & Science for study, highlighting movement clues that bones alone can’t reveal and building on evidence that only two adult T. rex footprints had been confirmed previously.

via KOCO|

#dinosaur-tracks #journal-of-vertebrate-paleontology #north-dakota

science2 days ago•2 min saved

Ancient T. rex Walk: North Dakota’s First Adult Trackway Revealed

Paleontologists in southwestern North Dakota have identified the first trackway of a full-grown Tyrannosaurus rex: four three-toed footprints spanning about 23 feet, indicating the animal walked at roughly 3.5–4.5 mph and dated to around 66.5 million years ago. The site was found in 2025 near Marmarth, with 3D scans confirming the tracks; three footprints will be airlifted to the Denver Museum of Nature & Science for analysis, providing rare behavioral insight into T. rex movement before the mass extinction.

via WLWT|

#cretaceous #dinosaur-tracks #north-dakota

science2 days ago•2 min saved

North Dakota Unveils First Known Trackway of an Adult T. rex

Paleontologists report the first trackway of a full-grown T. rex: four three-toed footprints about 23 feet long found in North Dakota's badlands, dating to roughly 66.5 million years ago and suggesting a walking pace of 3.5–4.5 mph. The discovery, analyzed via 3D scans and published in the Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology, includes plans to airlift three prints to the Denver Museum of Nature & Science for further study, offering rare insight into T. rex locomotion.

via WYFF|

#dinosaur-tracks #north-dakota #paleontology

science2 days ago•2 min saved

Giant Tyrannosaurus rex trackway uncovered in North Dakota badlands

Paleontologists report the first trackway of a full-grown Tyrannosaurus rex—a 23-foot sequence formed by four three-toed footprints dating to about 66.5 million years ago in the North Dakota badlands—showing the predator walked at about 3.5 to 4.5 mph. Found in 2025 near Marmarth on U.S. Forest Service land, the prints were 3D-scanned and analyzed by Peter Falkingham; three footprints will be airlifted to the Denver Museum of Nature & Science. This discovery provides movement insights that were previously unavailable from isolated T. rex footprints.

via WCVB|

#cretaceous #dinosaur-tracks #north-dakota

science2 days ago•11 min saved

Walking with giants: first adult T. rex trackway reveals a calm stroll

Researchers describe the first trackway attributed to an adult Tyrannosaurus rex: four large three-toed prints in Hell Creek mud near Marmarth, North Dakota, dating to about 66.5 million years ago. The 23-foot sequence records a 13-foot stride, implying the predator walked at roughly 3.5–4.5 mph—the pace of a brisk human walk. Advanced 3D scans confirm the prints belong to an adult rex, not juveniles or other species, and three of the four prints will be airlifted to the Denver Museum. This rare behavioral snapshot shows a towering carnivore moving calmly rather than sprinting, providing unique insight into T. rex locomotion.

via Space Daily|

#marmarth-north-dakota #paleontology #science