Articles tagged with Animal Fossils
Researchers at the University of Leicester identified the ancient 'Tully Monster' as a vertebrate, solving a 300 million-year-old mystery. The discovery was made possible by analyzing the fossil's melanosomes, which contain melanin, and revealed two distinct shapes, indicating that the creature had good vision.
Researchers developed mathematical models to identify areas in Australia with high potential for fossil discovery. The models combined factors such as species distribution, geological suitability, and ease of discovery to predict ideal locations for fossil hunting.
Researchers have found ancient multicellular marine algae fossils over 555 million years old, providing crucial insights into the earliest evolution of multicellular life. The discovery helps scientists understand life in the Ediacaran Period and its correlation with Earth's ancient environments.
Field Museum scientists, along with colleagues, have solved the mystery of the Tully monster, a bizarre aquatic animal found in Illinois 307 million years ago. The team determined that the monsters are jawless fish similar to today's lampreys, based on analysis of over 2,000 specimens from the Field's collection and X-ray scans.
Researchers have discovered a 520-million-year-old fossilized nervous system, providing the most detailed example yet found. The fossil, from southern China, has revealed individual nerves visible for the first time in a fossil of this age.
A team of researchers from China and CU Boulder confirms the existence of a massive, flightless bird called Gastornis that roamed the Arctic 53 million years ago. The fossil evidence includes a single toe bone found on Ellesmere Island, which was previously discussed but never closely examined.
The discovery of ancient tortoise and turtle fossils in the Andes Mountains suggests that the region was less than a kilometer above sea level 13 million years ago. The findings support alternative estimates to a recent study and provide insights into climate change caused by rising mountains.
A nearly complete skeleton of a well-preserved early carnivorous mammal, Galecyon, has shed light on the ecology and evolutionary relationships of hyaenodontids. The fossil, dating back to the Eocene Epoch, suggests that these ancient animals were adaptable ground-dwelling creatures, unlike their tree-climbing or runner relatives.
A team of researchers has discovered fossils of kinorhynch worms, also known as mud dragons, dating back over 530 million years. The historic find provides crucial insights into the evolution of body segmentation among animals.
A newly discovered skeleton of the hyaenodontid Galecyon provides insight into the ecology and evolution of early mammalian carnivores. The study reveals diverse habitat preferences among early hyaenodontids, explaining how they coexisted despite similar diets and body sizes.
A new analysis of the jaw of Haramiyavia clemmenseni clarifies the timeline of early mammalian evolution. The study found complex teeth and chewing motions adapted for an herbivorous diet, indicating diverse feeding adaptations evolved early among proto-mammal lineages.
Researchers have discovered a mouse-sized mammal fossil dating back to the Middle Jurassic, which belonged to a single species of 'stem therian' mammal. The new findings indicate that three previously recognized species are actually one, providing novel information about early mammal evolution.
Researchers from the University of Oxford discovered a 170-million-year-old fossil on the Isle of Skye that challenges the existence of three previously recognized species. The find reveals that the three species are actually one, with differences in tooth shape being present in the single lower jaw found on the Isle of Skye.
Researchers detect melanin in fossilized tissues of fish, frogs, and other ancient animals, revealing their original color patterns. The discovery sheds light on the evolution of color recognition in ancient life forms.
Smithsonian scientists have discovered a new genus and species of river dolphin, Isthminia panamensis, from a fossil specimen found in Panama. The ancient creature is estimated to be around 9 feet long and lived in the salty waters of a Caribbean Sea before the full closure of the Panama Isthmus.
The discovery of Tetrapodophis amplectus, a four-legged snake fossil from Brazil's Crato Formation, supports the idea that snakes evolved from burrowing ancestors. The species' unique features, including short snout and flexible jaw, suggest it was adapted for grasping prey or clasp during mating.
A new study has definitively identified the head of a 500-million-year-old creature, revealing a ring of teeth and simple eyes. The discovery helps scientists reconstruct the common ancestor of ecdysozoans, a group including insects, spiders, and crustaceans.
A new bat species, Mystacina miocenalis, lived 16 million years ago and walked on four limbs, weighing 40 grams, three times heavier than its living cousin. The discovery helps understand the capacity of bats to establish populations on islands.
A team of scientists from the University of Leicester has discovered a new species of 425-million-year-old fossil, which is the first parasite of its kind to be found intact with its host. The fossil species, named Invavita piratica, is a 'tongue worm' that was previously known only from isolated juvenile specimens.
Researchers have discovered a 425-million-year-old fossil of an ancient tongue worm parasite, providing significant insights into the origins of parasitism. The new species, Invavita piratica, is remarkably well-preserved and has been found attached to its host animal, an ostracod, in Herefordshire, England.
A new study from the University of Cambridge has enabled researchers to identify previously unrecognised fossil specimens by reconstructing the teeth of penis worms in fine detail. The results have aided in the identification of fossilised teeth from a number of species around the world.
Researchers used UV light to reveal coloration patterns on ancient seashells, showing 28 species with unique patterns, 13 of which are new species. The study helps understand relationships between ancient and modern cone snail species.
A team of researchers from the Universities of Bristol and Cambridge created a 3D reconstruction of the skull of Acanthostega gunnari, a 360 million-year-old near-ancestor of land vertebrates. The new reconstruction shows that early tetrapods had more modern-like crocodile skulls than previously thought, with surprising results.
Fossil discoveries in Libya's Sirt Basin reveal a unique group of ancient mammals, shedding light on climate change and environmental shift. The findings suggest that global cooling and drying led to habitat fragmentation, promoting allopatric speciation and altering the evolution of primates.
Researchers have discovered the earliest known fossil of the genus Homo, dating back to 2.8-2.75 million years ago, in the Afar region of Ethiopia. The fossils provide insights into the environment and ecological community where early Homo lived, suggesting a mixed grassland habitat with gallery forests.
A new open-source resource, Fossil Calibration Database, provides carefully vetted fossil data to calibrate molecular clocks and reveal the ages of plant and animal groups. The database addresses the issue of improper use of fossil record data in 'divergence dating,' a field crucial for understanding biodiversity origins.
A new study reviews fossils from the Weng'an biota, revealing evidence of cellular, tissue, and reproductive differentiation in ancient red algae and animal embryos. The findings support the evolutionary transition into complex multicellularity and shed light on the early evolution of eukaryotic multicellularity.
Researchers have discovered that bacteria play an active role in the decay and preservation of soft-bodied organisms, leading to their fossilization. The study, published in Nature Communications, sheds new light on the process of fossil formation and how it can inform our understanding of early animal evolution.
A rare 520 million-year-old fossil shaped like a 'squashed bird's nest' has been discovered in China, providing new insights into life in ancient seas. The fossil, Nidelric pugio, is a probable 'chancelloriid', a group of bizarre, balloon-shaped animals with defensive spines.
A team of researchers found that most fossil plant lineages from Patagonia are older than the dates predicted by molecular clocks. This study refutes a widely-held idea about how plants and animals arrived at their current distributions, suggesting that molecular clocks may be biased.
New radiocarbon dates reveal American mastodons only lived in the Arctic and Subarctic for a limited time around 125,000 years ago. The results indicate that mastodons suffered local extinction several tens of millennia before human colonization or climate changes at the end of the ice age.
A team of researchers has found fossils indicating complex multicellularity in ancient organisms around 600 million years ago, contradicting previous interpretations. This discovery sheds new light on the evolution of multicellular life and could have significant implications for our understanding of the Cambrian Explosion.
The discovery of three new extinct squirrel-like species confirms that mammals originated at least 208 million years ago in the late Triassic period. The findings support earlier research suggesting a common ancestor for mammals existed during this time, and provide new insights into ancient mammalian evolution.
Scientists have named an extinct swamp-dwelling creature after Mick Jagger due to its oversized lips. The Jaggermeryx naida fossils, found in Egypt's desert, belonged to a family of ancient hoofed animals called anthracotheres.
Research suggests that ancient synapsid relatives, including the famous Dimetrodon, had eyes best suited for low-light conditions at night, 100 million years before the evolution of modern mammals. The findings indicate that nocturnal activity may have evolved in some synapsids as early as 300 million years ago.
A new study estimates the pre-human extinction rate to be 0.1 extinctions per million species per year, 10 times lower than previously thought. This means the current rate is 100 times worse, with extinctions occurring 1,000 times more frequently than in the past.
A 560-million-year-old fossil discovery in Newfoundland, Canada, has provided the oldest evidence of muscle tissue in animals. The find, named Haootia quadriformis, is a rare example of an Ediacaran animal with bundles of fibres similar to those found in modern cnidarians.
Researchers have discovered a definitive link between ancient worm-like creature Hallucigenia and modern velvet worms. A new study reveals that claws play a crucial role in the connection between these two groups, shedding light on the evolutionary tree of life.
A new study reveals ancient hedgehog and tapir fossils from Driftwood Canyon Provincial Park in British Columbia, which lived around 52 million years ago. The discovery fills a significant gap in the geographic distribution of mammals during this period.
Researchers discovered a new fossil organism, Plexus ricei, resembling a tapeworm or modern flatworm, with bilateral symmetry unlike any other Precambrian fossils. The discovery sheds light on the earliest origins of bilaterian animals and their evolutionary history.
A new study finds early fossil sponges exhibiting tetraradial symmetry, a four-fold arrangement of spicules, in well-preserved fossils from the Cambrian period. This symmetry was previously unknown in living sponges and suggests a more complex ancestry than previously thought.
Researchers discovered an ancestor of modern crustaceans with a sophisticated cardiovascular system, including a heart and blood vessels. The finding sheds light on the evolution of body organization in the animal kingdom and suggests that even ancient creatures had internal systems similar to those found in their modern descendants.
Researchers exposed biochemical structure of fossil leaves to visualize the chemistry of exceptionally preserved fossil leaves. The study reveals that the distribution of copper, zinc, and nickel in fossil leaves is almost identical to modern leaves.
Researchers have discovered a new Burgess Shale fossil site in Kootenay National Park, which may be the world's most important animal fossil discovery in decades. The site has yielded over 50 animal species in just 15 days of field collecting, contributing to our understanding of early animal evolution during the Cambrian Period.
Research by Robert Boessenecker uncovers a record of 21 marine mammal species from the San Francisco Bay Area's Purisima Formation, dating back 5-2.5 million years. A new species of fossil whale, Balaenoptera bertae, is discovered, closely related to minke and fin whales.
Journalists Sybille Hildebrandt and Chelsea Wald have been awarded the EGU Science Journalism Fellowship for their projects on palaeontology and soil sciences. They will receive funding to pursue research trips to Canada and Scotland, respectively, in order to investigate key scientific questions.
A team of researchers, including a scientist from Case Western Reserve University, have announced the discovery of a new species of fossil horse from 4.4 million-year-old deposits in Ethiopia. The newly named Eurygnathohippus woldegabrieli had three-toed hooves and grazed grasslands and shrubby woods.
The study provides evidence for the Xingmeng area being in a marine or mainly marine environment at the end of the late Permian period. The discovery of bryozoan and other marine fossils in the upper part of the Linxi Formation supports this finding.
A new fossil species, Niassodon mfumukasi, has been discovered in Mozambique, providing new data on the evolution of ancient mammal relatives. The fossil, dated to approximately 256 million years ago, belongs to a group of synapsids that dominated land communities during the Late Permian period.
A newly discovered species, Rugosodon eurasiaticus, has provided critical insights into the evolution of multituberculates, which dominated Earth's landscapes for over 100 million years. The fossil's well-preserved anatomy reveals adaptations for gnawing plants and animals alike, as well as highly mobile ankle joints.
Scientists have discovered a remarkable diversity of flying reptiles, including 30 species and five genera, from the Cretaceous period in England. The fossils show varying head crests and teeth sizes, suggesting different feeding preferences.
A new species of saber-toothed cat, Rhizosmilodon fiteae, has been discovered in Florida, with fossils dating back 5 million years. The discovery provides significant insight into the evolution and taxonomy of these iconic predators.
A team led by Dr. Natalia Rybczynski has identified the first evidence for an extinct giant camel in Canada's High Arctic, dating back 3.4 million years. The discovery extends the range of camels in North America northward by 1,200 km and suggests a possible adaptation to polar environments.
Researchers reveal extraordinary fossil find of fuxianhuiid arthropod with legs used to shovel sediment into the mouth, shedding light on one of Earth's earliest evolutionary examples of complex animal life. The discovery also features the oldest known post-cephalic nervous system, dating back 520 million years.
A new fossil discovery in southern California challenges earlier claims of a 'killer walrus' existing. The ancient creature was found to have a diet rich in fish, contrary to initial estimates that it preyed on marine mammals.
The discovery of a new fossil in Tunisia reveals that African sea cow ancestors lived in freshwater environments, predating those found in Jamaica. This finding provides crucial insights into the evolutionary origins of these marine mammals.
Researchers use high-energy X-rays and new data extraction protocol to study 360 million year old fossils, shedding light on how early vertebrates moved from water onto land. The discovery reveals a new understanding of the backbone's structure and its functional evolution.
Researchers have identified previously unseen anatomy preserved in fossils using synchrotron-based imaging techniques. The study reveals that a 50 million-year-old lizard skin contains teeth, changing the understanding of this fossil animal.
Geologist Gregory Retallack proposes that ancient Ediacaran fossils, dated to 542-635 million years ago, were remnants of land-dwelling lichen or microbial colonies. The fossils are preserved in iron-colored impressions similar to plant fossils and microbes in fossil soils.
An international team of researchers has discovered a new species of ostracod, a type of crustacean, in 425 million-year-old rocks. The fossils are exceptionally well-preserved, including the shell and soft tissues such as body, limbs, eyes, gills, and alimentary system.