Prehistoric Fossils
- All
- News
-
444-Million-Year-Old Inside-Out Fossil Without Head And Legs Found In South Africa
Two fossils of an ancient arthropod named Keurbos susanae have been discovered in South Africa. The creature lived 444 million years ago during the Late Ordovician period. Its soft tissues, including muscles and guts, were found preserved but its shell, legs and head were missing. Researchers believe the species lived in low-oxygen conditions. The ...
-
Neanderthal Genetic Bottleneck 110,000 Years Ago May Explain Their Decline
A study suggests that Neanderthals experienced a population bottleneck 110,000 years ago, drastically reducing their genetic diversity. CT scans of their inner ear bones revealed a sharp decline in variation, indicating a drop in population size. This event may have made Neanderthals more vulnerable to environmental and competitive pressures, contr...
-
Never-Before-Seen Skull Unveils Secrets Of A Deadly Hunter From 30 Million Years Ago
The fossil comes from a crucial time period when Earths climate was changing from warm to cool.
-
Rare Pterosaur Neck Bone Discovery Shows Crocodilian Bite From 76 Million Years Ago
A fossilised neck bone from a juvenile Cryodrakon boreas has been unearthed in Alberta, showing evidence of a crocodilian bite. The discovery highlights predator-prey dynamics from 76 million years ago, where ancient crocodilians preyed on or scavenged young pterosaurs. This specimen, identified through micro-CT scans, provides rare evidence of int...
-
1.95-Million-Year-Old Evidence of Hominin Activity Discovered in Romania
A discovery in Romania’s Grăunceanu site has unearthed evidence of hominin activity dating back approximately 1.95 million years, much earlier than previously believed. The find, including butchered animal remains with cut marks, reveals that early humans were adapting to temperate environments long before expected. This reshapes our understandi...
-
Pterosaur Tails Combined Aerodynamic Precision and Display Adaptations, Reveal New Study
Early pterosaurs featured long tails ending in leaf-shaped vanes, supported by a sophisticated tensioning system. This system, revealed through laser-stimulated fluorescence analysis of fossils, included criss-crossing fibres and tube-like structures that provided stiffness. These tails served a dual purpose: aiding flight by stabilising the vanes ...
-
Giant Horned Dinosaur Fossils Rediscovered in Egypt, WWII Lost Treasures
Researchers have uncovered long-lost photographs of giant horned dinosaur fossils from Egypt, which were destroyed during a WWII bombing. The fossils, originally discovered in 1914 in the Bahariya Oasis, have now been identified as belonging to a new species, Tameryraptor markgrafi. The newly discovered images revealed key differences from previous...
-
Dorset's Fossil Forest: A Jurassic Landscape Preserved by Microbial Fossilisation
The Fossil Forest in Dorset, England, preserves tree stumps from the late Jurassic period through unique microbial fossilisation. Found along the Jurassic Coast, these remains showcase the ancient Protocupressinoxylon cypress species and offer insight into prehistoric ecosystems. Rising sea levels submerged the forest, but microbes encased the root...
-
Rare Fossils From Extinct Elephants Document Earliest Instance of Butchery in India’s Kashmir Valley
In the Kashmir Valley, rare fossils from extinct elephants reveal the earliest evidence of human butchery in India, dating back 300,000 to 400,000 years. The discovery includes stone tools used to extract bone marrow, offering insight into early human behaviour in the region. These fossils, from the extinct elephant species Palaeoloxodon turkmenicu...
-
Head of Prehistoric Car-Size Millipede Finally Discovered, Sheds Light on Unsolved Evolutionary Link
The first fossilised head of Arthropleura, a prehistoric millipede-like creature, has been unearthed. This car-sized arthropod lived 346 to 290 million years ago. The discovery of its head helps solve a long-standing evolutionary mystery regarding its relationship with modern arthropods like millipedes and centipedes. The fossil reveals Arthropleur...
-
Young Girl Uncovers Dinosaur Footprints on South Wales Beach
In an extraordinary turn of events, 10-year-old Tegan’s beach outing in South Wales led to the remarkable discovery of dinosaur footprints dating back over 200 million years. While exploring Lavernock Point in the Vale of Glamorgan, Tegan and her mother Claire stumbled upon five large footprints, which palaeontologists believe were made by a came...
-
200-Million-Year-Old "Well-Preserved" Dinosaur Fossil Found After Brazil Flood
Torrential rains causing historic flooding in southern Brazil have revealed a "very well-preserved" dinosaur fossil dating back some 200 million years, according to the research team who discovered it.
-
Fossil Of Giant Prehistoric Spider Found In Australia
The fossil is about 16 million years old. Scientists have named it Megamonodontium mccluskyi.
-
Human Ancestors May Have Butchered And Eaten Each Other, New Study Finds
A fossilized leg bone bearing cut marks made by stone tools might be the earliest evidence that ancient humans butchered and ate each other's flesh
-
Scientists Find Fossil Of Prehistoric Bear-Dog That Lived In France 12 Million Years Ago
Scientists said the jawbone they found had a unique lower premolar, suggesting it belonged to a genus of the predator species never seen before.
-
444-Million-Year-Old Inside-Out Fossil Without Head And Legs Found In South Africa
Two fossils of an ancient arthropod named Keurbos susanae have been discovered in South Africa. The creature lived 444 million years ago during the Late Ordovician period. Its soft tissues, including muscles and guts, were found preserved but its shell, legs and head were missing. Researchers believe the species lived in low-oxygen conditions. The ...
-
Neanderthal Genetic Bottleneck 110,000 Years Ago May Explain Their Decline
A study suggests that Neanderthals experienced a population bottleneck 110,000 years ago, drastically reducing their genetic diversity. CT scans of their inner ear bones revealed a sharp decline in variation, indicating a drop in population size. This event may have made Neanderthals more vulnerable to environmental and competitive pressures, contr...
-
Never-Before-Seen Skull Unveils Secrets Of A Deadly Hunter From 30 Million Years Ago
The fossil comes from a crucial time period when Earths climate was changing from warm to cool.
-
Rare Pterosaur Neck Bone Discovery Shows Crocodilian Bite From 76 Million Years Ago
A fossilised neck bone from a juvenile Cryodrakon boreas has been unearthed in Alberta, showing evidence of a crocodilian bite. The discovery highlights predator-prey dynamics from 76 million years ago, where ancient crocodilians preyed on or scavenged young pterosaurs. This specimen, identified through micro-CT scans, provides rare evidence of int...
-
1.95-Million-Year-Old Evidence of Hominin Activity Discovered in Romania
A discovery in Romania’s Grăunceanu site has unearthed evidence of hominin activity dating back approximately 1.95 million years, much earlier than previously believed. The find, including butchered animal remains with cut marks, reveals that early humans were adapting to temperate environments long before expected. This reshapes our understandi...
-
Pterosaur Tails Combined Aerodynamic Precision and Display Adaptations, Reveal New Study
Early pterosaurs featured long tails ending in leaf-shaped vanes, supported by a sophisticated tensioning system. This system, revealed through laser-stimulated fluorescence analysis of fossils, included criss-crossing fibres and tube-like structures that provided stiffness. These tails served a dual purpose: aiding flight by stabilising the vanes ...
-
Giant Horned Dinosaur Fossils Rediscovered in Egypt, WWII Lost Treasures
Researchers have uncovered long-lost photographs of giant horned dinosaur fossils from Egypt, which were destroyed during a WWII bombing. The fossils, originally discovered in 1914 in the Bahariya Oasis, have now been identified as belonging to a new species, Tameryraptor markgrafi. The newly discovered images revealed key differences from previous...
-
Dorset's Fossil Forest: A Jurassic Landscape Preserved by Microbial Fossilisation
The Fossil Forest in Dorset, England, preserves tree stumps from the late Jurassic period through unique microbial fossilisation. Found along the Jurassic Coast, these remains showcase the ancient Protocupressinoxylon cypress species and offer insight into prehistoric ecosystems. Rising sea levels submerged the forest, but microbes encased the root...
-
Rare Fossils From Extinct Elephants Document Earliest Instance of Butchery in India’s Kashmir Valley
In the Kashmir Valley, rare fossils from extinct elephants reveal the earliest evidence of human butchery in India, dating back 300,000 to 400,000 years. The discovery includes stone tools used to extract bone marrow, offering insight into early human behaviour in the region. These fossils, from the extinct elephant species Palaeoloxodon turkmenicu...
-
Head of Prehistoric Car-Size Millipede Finally Discovered, Sheds Light on Unsolved Evolutionary Link
The first fossilised head of Arthropleura, a prehistoric millipede-like creature, has been unearthed. This car-sized arthropod lived 346 to 290 million years ago. The discovery of its head helps solve a long-standing evolutionary mystery regarding its relationship with modern arthropods like millipedes and centipedes. The fossil reveals Arthropleur...
-
Young Girl Uncovers Dinosaur Footprints on South Wales Beach
In an extraordinary turn of events, 10-year-old Tegan’s beach outing in South Wales led to the remarkable discovery of dinosaur footprints dating back over 200 million years. While exploring Lavernock Point in the Vale of Glamorgan, Tegan and her mother Claire stumbled upon five large footprints, which palaeontologists believe were made by a came...
-
200-Million-Year-Old "Well-Preserved" Dinosaur Fossil Found After Brazil Flood
Torrential rains causing historic flooding in southern Brazil have revealed a "very well-preserved" dinosaur fossil dating back some 200 million years, according to the research team who discovered it.
-
Fossil Of Giant Prehistoric Spider Found In Australia
The fossil is about 16 million years old. Scientists have named it Megamonodontium mccluskyi.
-
Human Ancestors May Have Butchered And Eaten Each Other, New Study Finds
A fossilized leg bone bearing cut marks made by stone tools might be the earliest evidence that ancient humans butchered and ate each other's flesh
-
Scientists Find Fossil Of Prehistoric Bear-Dog That Lived In France 12 Million Years Ago
Scientists said the jawbone they found had a unique lower premolar, suggesting it belonged to a genus of the predator species never seen before.
