Articles for tag: ceratopsid, dinosaur discovery, Lokiceratops, Montana fossils, Paleontology

Lokiceratops

Meet Lokiceratops: A New Horned Dinosaur from Montana

April Joy Jovita

A newly discovered horned dinosaur, Lokiceratops rangiformis, is making waves in the paleontology world. Unearthed in Montana’s Judith River Formation, this ceratopsid lived around 78 million years ago and is believed to have had one of the most elaborate horn arrangements ever found in this dinosaur family. Why Lokiceratops Is Unique Among Ceratopsids What sets ...

the great cretaceous ocean

Ancient Marine Giants: Uncovering the Secrets of Prehistoric Ocean

April Joy Jovita

In the vast and mysterious depths of prehistoric oceans, colossal creatures once ruled the waters. These marine giants, such as the Mosasaurus and Ichthyosaur, were not only fascinating predators but also key players in the ancient marine ecosystem. Their fossils provide a glimpse into a world vastly different from our own. The Mosasaurus: Apex Predator ...

Ice Age: woolly mammoth

The Mysteries of Extinct Megafauna: Lessons from the Ice Age

April Joy Jovita

The Ice Age was a period of remarkable biodiversity, marked by the presence of majestic megafauna like the woolly mammoth, saber-toothed tiger, and giant ground sloth. However, these creatures vanished thousands of years ago, leaving scientists to unravel the reasons behind their extinction. Was it climate change, human intervention, or a combination of both? Recent ...

Zhongyuansaurus junchangi

New Armored Dinosaur Species Unearthed in China: Meet Zhongyuansaurus junchangi

Suhail Ahmed

The discovery of Zhongyuansaurus junchangi, an new species of ankylosaurid from the Henan Province of China, adds a new dimension to the history of armored dinosaurs. It was an herbivore, as well as heavily armored, and lived during the Early Cretaceous period roughly 113-100 million years ago. Its evolutionary peculiarities included a bizzare ‘swallowtail’ tail ...

Speculative life restoration of the early pterosaur Eotephradactylus mcintireae

Ash-Winged Dawn: Oldest North American Pterosaur Emerges from Triassic Bonebed

April Joy Jovita

A gull-sized flying reptile has emerged from fossil-rich layers of Arizona’s Petrified Forest, revealing the earliest known pterosaur in North America. Named Eotephradactylus mcintireae, this delicate creature lived 209 million years ago and shared its ecosystem with turtles, amphibians, and armored reptiles, capturing a moment of evolutionary transition before the end-Triassic extinction. A Fossil Treasure ...

Tharsis sp. fossil display in the museum

Fatal Feast: Jurassic Fish Fossils Reveal Death by Squid 

April Joy Jovita

A new study published in Scientific Reports uncovers a tragic feeding mistake preserved in stone: Jurassic fish of the genus Tharsis choked to death while attempting to swallow squid-like cephalopods called belemnites. The fossils, found in Germany’s Solnhofen Limestone, offer rare insight into predator-prey dynamics and ecological conditions 150 million years ago. Fossils from a ...

Jurassic World Rebirth

Jurassic World’s Secret Weapon? A Real Dinosaur Scientist Behind the Scenes

Suhail Ahmed

This summer, the latest installment of the Jurassic World franchise, titled Rebirth, will showcase familiar patterns from the franchise while introducing towering titanosaurs and mutant dinosaurs as well as the beloved T. rex. However, bringing such creatures to life on screen in a tangible manner is Dr. Steve Brusatte’s work. Paleontologist Brusatte fixes the monsters ...

Khankhuuluu mongoliensis

Meet the ‘Dragon Prince’: New Dinosaur Discovery Rewrites T. Rex’s Family Tree

Jan Otte

Deep in Mongolia’s windswept deserts, a long-forgotten fossil has surfaced from the shadows of prehistory exposing a vital missing link in the narrative of the most terrifying predators to have ever trotted the planet. Meet Khan khuluu mongoliensis, the “Dragon Prince of Mongolia,” a recently discovered tyrannosaur that fills in between early, small-sized hunters and ...