Lair of the kraken.
PhysOrg uncovers tantalizing traces of terrifying prehistoric predator – a giant squid that hunted ichthyosaurs:
… Read the rest “Lair of the kraken.”But the fossils at the [Berlin-Ichthyosaur State Park in Nevada]
paleontology
Today’s science-crime police blotter…
Dateline: Washington state. 3news reports on a paleontological poacher pinched purloining a prehistoric proto-pig:
… Read the rest “Today’s science-crime police blotter…”A Longview, Washington, man accused of digging up the skull of a hog-like
DIY dinosaur. (A chicken comes first.)
Then, Wired tells us, comes a dinosaur egg. At least that’s one paleontological plan to flip the genetic switches separating “chicken” from “dinosaur”… Read the rest “DIY dinosaur. (A chicken comes first.)”
Science Art: Laggania cambria, statue by Espen Horn (photo by H. Zell)
This is an anomalocaridid – a really big, really old shrimp-like critter – named Laggania cambria. These were as big as it got in the Cambrian period, an age… Read the rest “Science Art: Laggania cambria, statue by Espen Horn (photo by H. Zell)”
Buck-toothed demon.
Yeah, National Geographic is really helping paleontologists rehabilitate the popular image of dinosaurs as mindless killers with the latest… well… actually, I guess the… Read the rest “Buck-toothed demon.”
Mass Extinction #6
The death of the dinosaurs was just a drop in the bucket compared to some of the real mass extinction events out there. And PhysOrg thinks we may be at the beginning of a really big one:
… Read the rest “Mass Extinction #6”“The
Sex, 40 million B.C.
The book of love might be rewritten by each generation, but the pictures don’t change much. So MSNBC proves with its personal look at an intimate moment from a long, long, long time … Read the rest “Sex, 40 million B.C.”
Mother and child, 100 million B.C.
BBC paints a sweet, fossilized portrait of pterosaur family life:
… Read the rest “Mother and child, 100 million B.C.”A pterosaur has been found in China beautifully preserved with an egg.
The egg indicates this ancient flying reptile was
A gentler Eoraptor
Nature breaks the news to us that small, fierce prehistoric predator Eoraptor – the “dawn-predator” – might have been a plant-eater all along:
… Read the rest “A gentler Eoraptor”Many palaeontologists
Combat wings
Beaks, sure. Talons? Terrifying. But how about Eurekalert.org’s report on prehistoric birds using their wings as clubs:
… Read the rest “Combat wings”“No animal has ever evolved anything quite like
Hobbit-eating storks.
I bet they tasted better than babies. Discovery explores the frankly terrifying implications of a new fossil discovery:
… Read the rest “Hobbit-eating storks.”Named Leptoptilos robustus, this newly discovered stork was similar
Science Art: Arsinoitherium, by Heinrich Harder
This big fellow is Arsinoitherium, a prehistoric swamp monster related to elephants and hyraxes. Those horns were once believed to be hollow – possibly… Read the rest “Science Art: Arsinoitherium, by Heinrich Harder”
Prehistoric dolphin had a big head.
Really. Check out what the BBC says about our one-time balloon-headed neighbor to the seas:
… Read the rest “Prehistoric dolphin had a big head.”A new type of dolphin with a short, spoon-shaped nose and high, bulbous forehead has been identified
SONG: Might As Well Be (Considering Inkayacu paracasensis)
SONG: “Might As Well Be (Considering Inkayacu paracasensis)”. (To download: double right-click & “Save As”)
ARTIST: grant.
SOURCE: Based on “36… Read the rest “SONG: Might As Well Be (Considering Inkayacu paracasensis)”
Red Super-penguin
io9.com explores the prehistoric majesty of the man-sized super-penguin:
… Read the rest “Red Super-penguin”The fossil was discovered in Peru and has been classified as Inkayacu paracasensis, but its less formal name