Fossils

Scientists at the University of Buffalo have found a very useful clue shedding light on the migration of canines to the Americas, in the DNA of an ancient bone fragment thought to be the oldest confirmed dog remains in the region.

Just last year, scientists declared that Spinosaurus was the first dinosaur known to swim through the water, preying upon fish as it did so. A new study, however, suggests that it was probably more of a shore-based feeder.

Probably the world's most famous family of dinosaurs, the tyrannosaurs included the 40-ft (12-m) Tyrannosaurus rex within their ranks. Newly studied fossils now suggest that the reptiles were about "the size of a border collie" when first hatching.

For decades, scientists have sought to understand how the present-day starfish came to be. Newly analyzed fossils should help, as they represent a transitional step between the starfish and the family tree it branched off of.

Tyrannosaurus rex may have ruled the land in the time of the dinosaurs, but the mosasaur was likely the most ferocious reptile in the sea. A new species of the creature was recently classified, which distinguished itself with teeth like those of a shark.

Paleontologists have found and described what may be the last dinosaur body part we didn’t know anything about – the butthole. Better yet, it seems like it might have evolved to look and yes, even smell, nice to suitors.

A gold miner in Canada has discovered what may be the most complete wolf pup mummy ever found. Locked in the permafrost for 57,000 years, the pup is so well preserved that scientists can learn a lot about her diet, genetics, life and death.

Paleontologists have discovered a new species of dinosaur that’s a real show-off. Ubirajara jubatus is a small creature found with strange spikes sticking out of its shoulders, which scientists speculate were used as ornaments, like a peacock’s tail.

Ichthyosaurs were intriguing prehistoric aquatic creatures, in that they looked kind of like dolphins but were actually reptiles. Scientists have now classified a previously-unknown species, that distinguished itself by diving deep.

A tyrannosaur and a triceratops, locked in combat for 67 million years, will soon be on public display for the first time. Known as the Dueling Dinosaurs, the incredible fossil captures predator and prey preserved together, seemingly mid-battle.

The bones of the only dinosaurs to be found on the island of Ireland have been confirmed by researchers. The two bone fragments were found to belong to two different individuals and date from the early Jurassic period, or about 200 million years ago.

Sharks pre-date even the earliest dinosaurs, so it's not surprising to hear that they've changed over the years. It was recently discovered, for instance, that they were once able to rotate the two sides of their jaw outwards, helping them to feed.