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Japan yields its smallest iguanodontian bone, widening the coastal dinosaur picture
paleontology51 minutes ago

Japan yields its smallest iguanodontian bone, widening the coastal dinosaur picture

A right sternal plate unearthed in 1999 from Japan’s Ashizawa Formation (Futaba Group, ~90 million years old) has been re-identified as a small iguanodontian styracosternan, about 3 meters long. This makes it one of the smallest iguanodontians known from Japan and suggests iguanodontians of varying sizes inhabited Late Cretaceous coastal East Asia, supporting high regional dinosaur diversity. The find by Masami Kondo and colleagues was published in Paleontological Research in 2026.

via Sci.News|
#ashizawa-formation#fukushima#iguanodontian
New Armored Dinosaur Nipponopelta yezoensis Found in Japan
paleontology11 hours ago

New Armored Dinosaur Nipponopelta yezoensis Found in Japan

Researchers describe Nipponopelta yezoensis, a new nodosaurid ankylosaur from the Late Cretaceous Hikagenosawa Formation in Hokkaido, Japan, identified from a partial skull, vertebra, and teeth via 3D CT scans; phylogenetic analysis places it among derived nodosaurids of North America and Europe, suggesting a wide ancient distribution with a coastal habitat preference.

via Sci.News|
#ankylosaur#hokkaido#japan
Ancient Shark Teeth Map a Lost Cretaceous Sea in Egypt
science3 days ago

Ancient Shark Teeth Map a Lost Cretaceous Sea in Egypt

Paleontologists analyzing phosphatic beds at Abu-Tartur, Egypt, uncovered 28 shark teeth belonging to five extinct species—including two new records for Egypt—revealing a nutrient-rich, open-shelf Cretaceous sea that once lapped northern Africa; the assemblage suggests distinct ecological niches and a productive marine ecosystem driven by upwelling, though the teeth represent a time-averaged snapshot rather than a single moment.

via ScienceAlert|
#cretaceous#egypt#paleontology
Spoon-Teethed Triassic Marine Reptile Rewrites Early Sauropterygian Roots
paleontology4 days ago

Spoon-Teethed Triassic Marine Reptile Rewrites Early Sauropterygian Roots

A new genus and species of sauropterygian marine reptile, Spatulidentatus breviceps, from the Middle Triassic (~245 million years ago) has been identified from a near-complete skeleton found on China’s Yunnan–Guizhou border. The specimen, GMG10, is preserved in Guizhou’s Geological Museum and exhibits spoon-shaped teeth and a notably short skull in a ~2.7 m animal. Recovered from the Guanling Formation, the discovery provides fresh data on basal sauropterygian evolution and hints at links to placodonts and early Atopodentatus, enriching understanding of Triassic marine ecosystems after the end-Permian extinction.

via Sci.News|
#guanlingformation#marinereptile#paleontology
Ancient Apes May Be Recast Into Homo as Taxonomy Gets a Modern Makeover
science4 days ago

Ancient Apes May Be Recast Into Homo as Taxonomy Gets a Modern Makeover

A new study argues that several extinct primates long treated as separate from Homo—such as Gigantopithecus, Paranthropus, and Australopithecus—share more human-like traits (dental features, tool use) than previously thought, suggesting the traditional Homo/Australopithecus boundary may be outdated and that taxonomy should be revised to reflect shared ancestry rather than a few traits.

via Gizmodo|
#anthropology#genus-homo#gigantopithecus
Tall Denisovans? Caution urged over two dubious bones
science5 days ago

Tall Denisovans? Caution urged over two dubious bones

Two Denisovan leg bones dredged from the Penghu Channel in Taiwan were assigned to Denisovans via ancient proteomes, and initial estimates suggest they were tall (about 1.8–1.9 meters), but with no secure dating or geological provenance the species-wide height is uncertain and caution is advised in interpreting Denisovans as taller than other ancient humans.

via The Conversation|
#ancientdna#denisovans#paleontology
Paleontologist Calls Out The End of Oak Street’s Dinosaurs
culture5 days ago

Paleontologist Calls Out The End of Oak Street’s Dinosaurs

Riley Black, a professional paleontologist, weighs in on Anne Hathaway’s The End of Oak Street, arguing the film’s dinosaurs are a chaotic mishmash of periods with little scientific grounding, featuring oversized and implausible beasts despite scattered nods to real science; while not a documentary, the critique laments the neglect of paleo-accuracy and makes a case for more faithful dinosaur depictions in future films.

via Slate|
#culture#dinosaurs#film-accuracy
Batwing-Headed Jawless Fish Glided Devonian Seas, Study Finds
paleontology5 days ago

Batwing-Headed Jawless Fish Glided Devonian Seas, Study Finds

Paleontologists in China describe Bataspis crux, a new galeaspid (armored jawless fish) from Early Devonian rocks in Yunnan, whose batwing-shaped headshield, analyzed with 3D flow models, produced the highest lift-to-drag ratio yet seen in galeaspids and suggests it could glide through Devonian seas, expanding our understanding of how jawless stem-gnathostomes moved and how vertebrates began to diversify.

via Sci.News|
#bataspis-crux#devonian#galeaspida
Miocene Megacrocodiles Dominated South America's Pebas Wetlands
science6 days ago

Miocene Megacrocodiles Dominated South America's Pebas Wetlands

In the Middle Miocene Pebas megawetland of northwestern South America, enormous crocodylians such as Purussaurus neivensis dominated the ecosystem, preying on abundant megafauna like giant sloths and rhinoceros relatives. Fossil bite marks indicate ambush predation by these crocs, while scavengers such as sebecids fed on their leftovers, underscoring Purussaurus' key ecological role in shaping tropical wetlands of the era.

via Nautilus | Science|
#crocodilians#ecology#miocene
Bus-Sized Crocodiles Dominated Miocene South American Swamps
science6 days ago

Bus-Sized Crocodiles Dominated Miocene South American Swamps

In the Middle Miocene Pebas wetlands of northwestern South America, gigantic crocodylians like Purussaurus neivensis—about two tons and as long as a school bus—ruled as apex predators, ambushing prey from waterways and helping shape megafauna dynamics from giant ground sloths to rhinoceros relatives. Fossil bite marks indicate crocodile predation, while other crocodylians—such as sebecids—likely scavenged leftovers, illustrating a brutal, predator-dense ecosystem at the top of the food chain.

via Yahoo|
#crocodilians#miocene#paleontology
Sabertooth Smilodon Fatalis Suffered Inbreeding-Linked Spine Issues Before Extinction
science9 days ago

Sabertooth Smilodon Fatalis Suffered Inbreeding-Linked Spine Issues Before Extinction

A 2026 Frontiers in Veterinary Science study of about 3,700 Smilodon fatalis vertebrae from the La Brea Tar Pits reveals widespread congenital vertebral malformations, fused vertebrae, and signs of spinal nerve tumors, suggesting inbreeding and health problems that may have contributed to the saber-toothed cat's decline and extinction, though no DNA evidence is preserved to confirm genetics.

via sciencealert.com|
#inbreeding#la-brea-tar-pits#paleontology