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Raptor Scavenging on Tyrannosaur Discovered in Alberta, Revealing Complex Dinosaur Food Web

Raptor Scavenging on Tyrannosaur Discovered in Alberta, Revealing Complex Dinosaur Food Web

A new study published in the Journal of Paleontology presents the first evidence of a dromaeosaurid, or 'raptor,' feeding or scavenging on a tyrannosaur. Paleontology master's student Joshua Doyon's research on an 8-year-old Albertosaurus, a cousin of Tyrannosaurus rex, found near Drumheller, Alberta, suggests that the tyrannosaur died of unknown causes and subsequently became a meal for a much smaller raptor. This finding challenges previous assumptions about the dinosaur food web, indicating a more complex ecological interaction where smaller predators could scavenge on apex predators. An alternative, less likely hypothesis, also considered, is that the bite marks were the result of cannibalism by a baby Albertosaurus on a larger subadult.

Tyrannosaurus Rex Social Behavior Revealed Through Fossil Evidence

Tyrannosaurus Rex Social Behavior Revealed Through Fossil Evidence

New fossil evidence is shedding light on the social behavior of Tyrannosaurus rex, suggesting a more complex social life than previously thought. While T. rex often walked alone, as indicated by sparse track records and single skeletons, trace fossils like bite marks on bones reveal significant social interactions. Approximately half of all large tyrannosaur skulls show healed puncture wounds, indicating that T. rex and related dinosaurs frequently engaged in face-biting. These wounds suggest conflicts, possibly over carcasses or territory, where their powerful jaws were the primary weapons. Despite the ferocity of these encounters, the presence of healed bones indicates that T. rex often survived, though likely enduring painful injuries.

Otter-like critter swam lakes and rivers in the age of dinosaurs

Otter-like critter swam lakes and rivers in the age of dinosaurs

By Will Dunham Oct 8 (Reuters) - About 165 million years ago, a furry critter that swam like a platypus, hunted like an otter and had a tail similar to a beaver's frolicked in the lakes and rivers of what is now China pursuing fish and salamanders, the oldest-known example of a semiaquatic lifestyle

Fossilized Skin Fragments from China Reveal Early Ecdysozoan Diversity

Fossilized Skin Fragments from China Reveal Early Ecdysozoan Diversity

A new study published in the Journal of Micropalaeontology details the discovery of tiny fossilized skin and cuticle fragments from the lower Cambrian Yanjiahe Formation in southern China. These microfossils, dating back approximately 535 million years, provide an intimate glimpse into the early evolution of ecdysozoans, a group that includes insects, crabs, and roundworms. Researchers, led by Lei Zhang of Chengdu University of Technology, extracted these fragments from phosphatic dolostone, revealing six distinct forms representing at least four ecdysozoan taxa. The preservation style, known as Orsten-type, allowed for three-dimensional replication of delicate cuticular surfaces down to subcellular scales. The findings indicate that these early ecdysozoans were already experimenting with diverse body plans, including sac-like forms, vermiform worms, and appendage-bearing panarthropods, during the initial phase of the Cambrian explosion. The presence of spines and sclerites suggests their adaptive importan...

Spinosaurus Identified as Largest Carnivorous Dinosaur, Exceeding T. Rex in Size

Spinosaurus Identified as Largest Carnivorous Dinosaur, Exceeding T. Rex in Size

Spinosaurus is currently recognized as the largest known carnivorous dinosaur, surpassing the Tyrannosaurus rex in size. Recent findings and studies indicate that Spinosaurus could reach lengths of 41-59 feet and weigh over 20 tons. This theropod dinosaur, which lived in what is now North Africa during the Cretaceous period (approximately 112 to 97 million years ago), was semi-aquatic. Its distinctive features included neural spines up to 5.4 feet long, likely forming a sail-like structure, and a narrow, nearly 6-foot skull with elongated jaws and conical, unserrated teeth, indicative of a piscivorous diet. Isotope analysis of its teeth further supports a semi-aquatic lifestyle, suggesting it was a generalized and opportunistic predator with a bias towards fishing. The original fossil evidence of S. aegyptiacus was destroyed in WWII, but more recently, abundant Spinosaurus fossils have been discovered in the Kem Kem Beds of Morocco.

520-Million-Year-Old Fossilized Larva Discovered with Intact Brain and Nervous System

520-Million-Year-Old Fossilized Larva Discovered with Intact Brain and Nervous System

Paleontologists have unearthed a 520-million-year-old fossilized larva from the Cambrian period, remarkably preserving its internal organs, including a brain and digestive tract. This discovery challenges previous assumptions about the fossilization of soft-bodied organisms, as such delicate tissues typically decompose before mineralization can occur. Lead researcher Martin Smith expressed surprise at the level of detail maintained over half a billion years. The specimen, an ancient ancestor of arthropods like insects, crabs, and lobsters, offers a rare glimpse into the early organization of life during the Cambrian Explosion. Advanced imaging technology, specifically synchrotron X-ray tomography, was used to create 3D reconstructions of the larva, revealing a preserved brain, digestive glands, a primitive circulatory system, and nerve fibers connected to its limbs and eyes. Co-author Katherine Dobson highlighted the almost perfect preservation achieved through natural fossilization.

Oxford Study Suggests Animal Origins May Predate Current Fossil Record by 200 Million Years

Oxford Study Suggests Animal Origins May Predate Current Fossil Record by 200 Million Years

New research from the University of Oxford, published in Science Advances, indicates that animal life on Earth may have originated between 700 million and 800 million years ago, pushing back their estimated appearance by as much as 200 million years. This challenges traditional reliance on fossil evidence, which places the oldest unambiguous animal fossils around 574 million years ago, just before the Cambrian Period. The study re-evaluated the significance of fossil absence in well-preserved geological formations, such as the Weng’an Biota in China (590 million years old) and the Kheseen Biota in Mongolia (over 40 million years younger than Weng’an). Despite exceptional preservation conditions in these sites, no definitive animal fossils were found, suggesting that fossilization conditions might not always capture the presence of early, soft-bodied animals. By incorporating the ages of even older formations, like Norway’s Svanbergfjellet Formation and Arizona’s Chuar Group (850 to 730 million years old), ...

Scientists just found a crocodile they never knew existed

Scientists just found a crocodile they never knew existed

A new species of extinct crocodile has been identified from fossils originally discovered in the same limestone used to build the Great Sphinx.

Scientists Determine Tyrannosaurus Rex Body Temperature at 97°F, Confirming Warm-Blooded Nature

Scientists Determine Tyrannosaurus Rex Body Temperature at 97°F, Confirming Warm-Blooded Nature

UCLA scientists have successfully measured the body temperature of the Tyrannosaurus rex, finding it to be approximately 97°F (36°C), a temperature comparable to that of humans. This groundbreaking research, published in Science Advances, utilized a refined method to analyze the chemical bonds of rare isotopes of carbon and oxygen within fossilized tooth enamel. The number of these bonds decreases in warmer temperatures, allowing researchers to act as a 'geologic thermometer.' The study used small portions of two teeth from 'Thomas the T. rex,' a well-preserved specimen from the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County. This finding provides empirical evidence supporting theories that T. rex was a warm-blooded, active predator or scavenger, rather than a cold-blooded, slow-moving reptile. The method involved using a dental drill to remove enamel, dissolving the powder in phosphoric acid to release carbon dioxide gas, and then measuring isotope ratios with a mass spectrometer. This advanced technique re...

Tunnel Boring Machine Unearths Mastodon Remains in Virginia

Tunnel Boring Machine Unearths Mastodon Remains in Virginia

During the Hampton Roads Bridge-Tunnel expansion project in Virginia, a 46-foot tunnel boring machine named Mary, operating 110 feet beneath the harbor, unearthed mastodon remains. An operator at the slurry treatment plant spotted a mastodon tooth among the excavated material, leading to the discovery. The machine processes up to 16,000 gallons of slurry per minute, and operators are primarily trained to identify objects that could damage the cutterhead, such as metal. The mastodon tooth, with its distinctive pointed ridges, stood out from typical seabed contents. This discovery marks only the third mastodon found in Virginia. The project's soil data suggests the remains are between 12,000 and 50,000 years old. Experts from the Virginia Museum of Natural History, William & Mary, and Virginia’s historic-resources department believe the animal likely died in a mud pit within a freshwater river that once flowed through the area when sea levels were lower.

New Study Suggests Animals May Have Evolved 200 Million Years Earlier Than Previously Thought

New Study Suggests Animals May Have Evolved 200 Million Years Earlier Than Previously Thought

A new study led by the University of Oxford suggests that animals may have evolved up to 200 million years earlier than current fossil evidence indicates. Published in *Science Advances*, the research challenges the conventional understanding that animal life appeared relatively suddenly just before the Cambrian Period (539 to 487 million years ago). The study re-evaluates how scientists have used the fossil record to set a maximum age for the origin of animals. Previously, the 590-million-year-old Weng'an Biota in China, which preserves microscopic organisms but no definitive animals, led scientists to infer that animals originated after this period. However, the research team, including members from the University of California, Berkeley, ETH Zürich, and Yale University, conducted a comprehensive survey of microfossils from the Kheseen Biota in Mongolia. This biota is over 40 million years younger than Weng'an, and while it also shows exceptional preservation of microfossils, it lacks definitive animal f...

New Study Suggests Animal Life May Have Evolved 200 Million Years Earlier Than Previously Thought

New Study Suggests Animal Life May Have Evolved 200 Million Years Earlier Than Previously Thought

A new study led by the University of Oxford, published in Science Advances, suggests that the animal kingdom may have begun significantly earlier than indicated by the oldest undisputed animal fossils. Researchers propose that animals could have evolved between 800 and 700 million years ago, pushing back the estimated origin by up to 200 million years. This re-evaluation challenges the long-held belief that animal origins were tied to the Ediacaran Period, around 590 million years ago, based on the Weng'an Biota in southern China. The Oxford-led team re-examined the logic behind this timeline by studying the younger Kheseen Biota in Mongolia. Despite excellent preservation of microfossils, no animal remains were found there, even though animals were known to exist elsewhere at that time. This finding weakened the argument that the absence of animal fossils in the Weng'an Biota meant animals hadn't yet appeared. By recalibrating molecular clock analyses with older geological anchors from Norway, Australia, ...