Dinosaurs

A strange fossil discovered in Antarctica almost a decade ago has finally been identified. Researchers at the University of Texas at Austin have determined that the object is a giant, soft-shell egg, most likely laid by an ancient marine reptile.

Palaeontologists have gathered fascinating new insights into dinosaurs from the stomach contents of an incredibly well-preserved nodosaur. They can tell not just what its last meal was, but how it browsed for food and even what time of year it died.

While a gigantic asteroid slamming into the Earth is never a sign of good luck, a new study has shown that the dinosaur-killing asteroid hit the planet at the deadliest possible angle, maximizing the devastating climate change that followed.

Paleontologists in Australia have uncovered a strange new species of dinosaur. It's an elaphrosaur, placing it in the theropod family along with the Tyrannosaurus rex and Velociraptor – but this one had a long neck, no teeth and an unusual diet.

If the Jurassic Park movies are to be believed, Tyrannosaurus rex spent a lot of time quickly chasing down its prey. According to a new study, though, its legs were probably designed more for endurance than for speed.

The first fossil of a Spinosaurus tail has been discovered, revealing large spines that indicate a paddle shape like a crocodile’s tail. That means this gigantic predator was a proficient swimmer, making it the first aquatic dinosaur.

Most fossils are just bones, but occasionally striking specimens turn up bearing skin or feathers, encased in gemstones, and even preserving traces of DNA against all odds. Here's a look at some of the most incredible fossil finds of recent years.

Made famous in the movie Jurassic Park, the raptor dinosaurs are scientifically known as the dromaeosaurids. A newly-discovered member has recently been added the group, and it was likely one of the last raptors to exist.

A tiny, 99-million-year-old skull found in a piece of Burmese amber in Myanmar may not only be the smallest known dinosaur of the Mesozoic era, but it could also provide new insights into the evolution of birds.

Earth’s rotation is changing how many hours are in a day and days in a year. Now palaeontologists have managed to precisely measure how long days and years were back in the age of the dinosaurs – and it’s all thanks to a humble mollusk fossil.

Palaeontologists claim to have discovered evidence of cartilage cells, proteins, chromosomes and even DNA preserved inside 75-million year old dinosaur fossils, suggesting these molecules can survive for far longer than we thought.

An older relative of the famous Tyrannosaurus rex with the very cool name meaning "reaper of death" has been identified by paleontologists. Uncovered in Alberta, Thanatotheristes degrootorum lived 79 million years ago.