Tag: reptiles
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This crocodile ran like a greyhound across prehistoric Britain 200 million years ago
Science Daily has a story about a newly discovered Triassic reptile from the UK. The animal, Galahadosuchus jonesi, lived about 215 million years in what is now Gloucester, UK. It was probably a fast, land-dwelling predator.
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Reptiles Alive! exhibit opens at Field Museum
The Field Museum has a new exhibit… Reptiles Alive! Explore the fascinating world of reptiles in this one-of-a-kind family-friendly exhibition! Combining original Field Museum science with live animals and engaging interactives, Reptiles Alive! offers an immersive experience into the lives of snakes, lizards, crocodiles, and more. Discover their habitats, adaptations, and the groundbreaking research of Dr. Sara…
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Scientists shed light on life and times of ‘Fiona’ the pregnant ichthyosaur
Phys.org has a story about Fiona, the pregnant ichthyosaur. Fiona lived about 131 million years ago during the early Cretaceous Period. Her remains were discovered a few years ago in a glacian ice field in Patagona. Her story was published in a paper in the Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology. Fiona is the only fully preserved…
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Triassic Lizard-Like Parareptile Had Unusual Dental Apparatus
SciNews brings news of a new fossil parareptile from southwest England. Threordatoth chasmatos lived between 220 and 210 million years ago in the Triassic Period. It was discovered in Cromhall Quarry in south Gloucestershire, southwest England. The animal is a member of the Leptopleuroninae, a subfamily of extinct lizard-like parareptiles within the clade Procolophonidae. These animals…
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Triassic Crocodile-Like Reptile Discovered in Brazil
Artistic representation of a Middle-Late Triassic landscape of southern Brazil: (a) a large Prestosuchus chiniquensis feeds on the carcass of a dicynodont while individuals of Parvosuchus aurelioi compete for scraps; (b) and (c) depict details of individuals of Parvosuchus aurelioi. Image credit: Matheus Fernandes. SciNews has a story about the discovery of a new crocodile-like reptile from Brazil. Whereas the…
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This 288-Million-Year-Old Fossilized Scrap of Skin Is the World’s Oldest
Smithsonian Magazine has an article about the discovery of the old fossilized skin. The specimen belonged to a lizard-like reptile that lived about 288 million years ago during the Permian Period. It was found in a cave near Richards Spur, Oklahoma. This specimen represents the oldest known preserved skin. The previous record was about 130…
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Could dinosaurs be the reason humans can’t live for 200 years?
The Conversation has an interesting post about the evolution of mammals. Did being small during the time of dinosaurs lead to limitations on how long mammals live? Mollusks, reptiles, and Greenland Sharks have been found to live 100’s of years. Actually, many animals don’t age and continue to grow throughout their lifetimes. All human beings…
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Fossils Reveal Pterosaur Relatives Before They Evolved Wings
The New York Times Trilobites column has a story about pterosaur origins. Paleontologists have long wondered about the evolutionary ancestors of pterosaurs as the animals were most likely small and thus less likely to fossilize. A paper in the journal Nature proposes that Scleromochlus taylori is one of the missing ancestors. It lived about 237 million years ago in what is…
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Mammal ancestor looked like a chubby lizard with a tiny head and had a hippo-like lifestyle
Live Science has a article about an mammal ancestor. Lalieudorhynchus gandi lived about 265 million years ago in what is now the Lodève Basin in southern France. At that time, southern France was part of northeastern Pangaea. Mammals had not evolved as a group yet. L. gandi was described in a paper in the journal Paleo…
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PBS Eons: The Sudden Rise of the First Colossal Animal
There's a new episode of PBS Eons. This one is about ichthyosaurs, how and why they arose.
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New Mosasaur Species Uncovered in Kansas
SciNews has a story about a new Mosasaur found in Kansas. The animal, named Ectenosaurus clidastoides, lived during the Cretaceous Period about 80 million years ago in what is now western Kansas. Details were published in a paper in the journal Canadian Journal of Earth Sciences. The newly-identified mosasaur species lived during the Late Cretaceous…
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Pterosaurs may have been able to fly as soon as they hatched
ScienceNews has a story about pterosaurs. New research suggests that pterosaur hatchlings might have been able to fly right after hatching. This study was published in the journal Scientific Reports. Pterosaur hatchlings may have been able to fly right out of the shell — although the flight of those ancient baby reptiles might have looked…
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Smithsonian: Amateur Fossil Hunter Discovers New ‘Sea Dragon’ Species on British Beach
Smithsonian Magazine has a story about the discovery of a new Ichthyosaur in England. The animal, called Thalassodraco etchesi “Sea Dragon”, was discovered on the beach near Dorset, England. It lived about 150 million years ago during the late Jurassic Period. The species name etchesi is for the discoverer Steve Etches. A paper published in…
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PBS Eons: The Triassic Reptile With “Two Faces”
PBS Eons has a new episode. This one is about a strange reptile called Adapodentatus “unusual teeth” from the Triassic Lagerstätte of Luoping in China. It’s one of the rare animals that changed its diet from meat to plants. Figuring out what this creature’s face actually looked like would take paleontologists years. But understanding…
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SciAm: Pterosaur Origins Flap into Focus
Scientific American has a piece on the origins of pterosaurs. A group of animals called lagerpetids are now thought to e the ancestors of pterosaurs. These animals lived between 237 and 201 million years ago during the Triassic Period. The details are in a paper in the journal Nature, which was published by Sterling Nesbitt,…
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What Did Pterosaurs Eat? Look Very Closely at Their Teeth
Wired.com has a story about pterosaurs. Want to know what an animal eats… look at its teeth! That’s exactly what a paper published in Nature Communications did. The researcher imaged teeth of pterosaurs using a method called infinite focus microscopy. This allowed them to compare the teeth with modern animals, whose diets we know. THE…
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Four New Species of Prehistoric Flying Reptiles Unearthed in Morocco
Smithsonian Magazine has an article about the recent discovery of not 1. not 2, but 4 new species of pterosaur. These animals were found in the famous Kem Kem fossil beds in southeastern Morocco. They lived about 100 million years ago during the middle Cretaceous Period. All the details are in a paper published in…
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PBS Eons: How Pterosaurs Got Their Wings
PBS Eons has another episode. This one is about the origins of pterosaurs. Although the evidence is pretty sparse, we aren’t sure of their ancestors. Scleromochlus, or something like it, is a likely candidate. Watch the episode for more details… When pterosaurs first took flight, you could say that it marked the beginning of…
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PBS Eons: The Croc That Ran on Hooves
PBS Eons has an episode about an interesting crocodile. In the Eocene Epoch, there was a reptile that had teeth equipped for biting through flesh, its hind legs were a lot longer than its front legs and instead of claws, its toes were each capped with hooves. How did this living nightmare come to…
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PBS Eons: The Age of Reptiles in Three Acts
PBS Eons has an episode on the Mesozoic – the Age of Reptiles. From the Great Dying until the K-Pg extinction event, reptiles ruled the earth. Great explanation of the origin or dinosaurs, pterosaurs, birds, and mammals along with other details of this important period!
