I am always amazed when I see a bird dive into the water, only to emerge moments later, flying again with a prize fish dinner secured in its beak. The two things, birds and the water, seem opposed to me. So imagine how I feel reading report after report that the frighteningly enormous theropod Spinosaurus […]
Latest News
Ugrunaaluk Kuukpikensis Arctic Dinosaur Discovered
Did dinosaurs, like modern reptiles, need to bask in the sun and heat to survive? Or were they warm-blooded, like the birds that would become their only surviving descendants — able to survive in the cold and dark? Erickson and Druckenmiller’s new species shows that the answer may be quite complicated. A duck-billed dinosaur similar […]
Did Dinosaurs Get High From Ergot?
Recent research suggests that dinosaurs may perhaps have experienced the mind altering effects of ergot – a drug similar to LSD in it’s effects – after a 100 million year old sample of ergot fungus has been discovered. A piece of amber excavated from a mine in Myanmar by German paleontologist Joerg Wunderlich encases a […]
Qijianglong, The Chinese “Dragon” Dinosaur Discovery
If you’ve been keeping an eye on the news then undoubtedly know that there was a recent dino discovery in China. Although the dinosaur is being referred to as a “dragon” dinosaur, the Qijianglong is actually a Mamenchisauridae thought to have lived during the late Jurassic period. Estimates put this new find at 50 feet […]
Dinosaurs And Continental Drift
Strewn Dinosaur Species and Continental Drift It is a fairly well-known concept today that continental drift is responsible for the seven separate continents we have today on Earth (schools of perception vary—some claiming the existence of six or even five continents today; however, this is beside today’s topic). It is also fairly well-known that much […]
Recent Dinosaur News
Recent Dinosaur News Recap If you’re serious about paleontology then you likely keep up with dinosaur news as often as possible. Unfortunately for me, due to the multiple roles that I play in my life, I sometimes find that I am falling behind in the latest headlines. Today I wanted to take a look back […]
Dinosaur Roadside Attractions
Down-home Traditional Kitsch—Dinosaur Roadside Attractions Just say “roadside dinosaurs” and everyone knows what to expect in our modern age of—well, NO dinosaurs. Most dinosaur roadside attractions are inaccurate representations of the real creatures that roamed the earth millions of years ago. However, they are still just that—representations. They are interesting depictions of real creatures that […]
Dinosaur Feathers Abound, Mystify and Satisfy
Dinosaur Feathers Were Colored It is official—dinosaur feathers were often sported with color pigments. It is also probable that all dinosaurs (at least all predatory dinos) had at least some feathering. Until recently, our only hope of accurately determining the skin texture of prehistoric creatures like dinosaurs was in artistic representations based upon a myriad […]
The Prehistoric Dinosaur Opisthotonus Hypothesis
The Dinosaur Opisthotonus Hypothesis Scientists have postulated for years on the most likely reasoning behind the frequent positioning (opisthotonus) of many prehistoric dinosaur fossils in an extreme supine position, where the body exhibits severe hyperextension and a specimen’s head, neck and spinal column transform themselves into a complete backward arch. In the case of dinosaurs, […]
Propanoplosaurus Tracks and Prints
Propanoplosaurus—Making Maryland Proud, 2012 Long ago in a flooding plain of the prehistoric Cretaceous Period, at least one 13 centimeter long tiny baby nodosaurid dinosaur was overcome by water or possibly by other fleeing creatures in the wake of a flood. Ultimately, the little dinosaur drowned and was covered by sediment to be unveiled 112 […]
New Widespread Prehistoric Discoveries
Prehistoric Discoveries Are Constant It seems almost every day we can learn of new information regarding old life and times prehistoric. Dinosaur and other animal life can be better understood each day we move forward, thanks to tireless efforts of scientists young and old. Prehistoric Discoveries Unveil Color and Camouflage Many new prehistoris discoveries have […]
Carnotaurus Neck Was Huge, Researchers Say
Carnotaurus Neck Was Hefty A recent discovery in the world of prehistoric times yielded a dinosaur yet seen—Carnotaurus. Its fossilized skeleton was found in Chubut Province, Patagonia, Argentina at the “Pocho Sastre” farm near Bajada Moreno, Telsen Dept., in 1985 by paleontologist Joseph F. Bonaparte. Sediments that trapped the remains of Carnotaurus correspond to the […]
Project Kickstarter: Digital Dinosaur Dryptosaurus
Paleoartist Tyler Keillor Reconstructs a Digital Dinosaur The Digital Dinosaur project is part of Project Kickstarter. If you have never seen nor heard of Project Kickstarter before then you are missing out on some of the most brilliant minds in the world. The website is dedicated to helping these minds seek the funding that they […]
Martharaptor Discovered in Utah
Utah Yields Martharaptor Remains Hayden-Corbett Quarry of Cedar Mountain formation, Utah, yields another preserved prehistoric dinosaur, Martharaptor. A Utah researcher and volunteer who serves the Utah Friends of Paleontology and works for the Utah Geological Survey is the recent namesake of Martharaptor, one of Utah’s most recent prehistoric fossil finds. Evaluated by scientists from Fayetteville […]
James Cameron, Dinosaurs and Aliens
Jurassic Dinosaurs and Aliens not out of Mind While many may not be surprised upon hearing that Hollywood director James Cameron would have presented aliens into the Jurassic Park stew of prehistoric dinosaurs, there are those who might be surprised to know: That, in real life, Pentagon spokesperson Paul Springer has acknowledged at least the […]
Mongolian Dinosaur Could Be A Composite
“Frankenstein” Mongolian Dinosaur, Tarbosaurus bataar “Political Trophy” or anti-regulation “Finders Keepers”? Paleontologists, attorneys and buffs around the world are looking forward to this December’s upcoming court session regarding the apparently Mongolian “Frankenstein” Tarbosaurus bataar composite skeleton, which went up for auction on May 20 earlier this year. Nearly halted completely, the auction did go on, […]
Tracking Dinosaurs
Tracking Dinosaurs Through Footprints In the Liujiaxia Dinosaur National Geopark in the Gansu Province of China, there are 71 two-toed imprints left behind by the feet of an Early Cretaceous dinosaur. Two-toed tracks have been found at numerous sites all over the world, but most of them are in China. This set of footprints was […]
The Dinosaur Bends
Marine Reptiles Show Signs of the “Dinosaur” Bends Marine reptiles and similar creatures might have sustained injuries from diving to great depths or swimming at great depths for too long. A study was completed on fossilized Ichthyosarians that brought attention to bone deformities that are consistent with bone deformities of humans suffering from decompression sickness, […]
South African Fossil Exhibit
A Journey Through Time With a South African Fossil Exhibit At a noted South African fossil exhibit an extraordinary and very rare collection of original fossils dating back more than 120 million years are on display. These fossils, a small selection from the institutes prized collection, date back even further than the earliest hominids and […]
Sauropod Armor
Sauropod Armor is Not Something Frequently Referenced The sauropods, known for their huge size and extremely long necks and tails on a stout body, aren’t instantly associated with having armor like the Ankylosaurs. It has always been thought that the huge size of the sauropods kept these herbivores safe from predators, but how much do […]
Dinosaurs vs. Aliens
Dinosaurs vs. Aliens, Directed By Barry Sonnefeld Bought to you by director/filmaker Barry Sonnefeld (The Addams Family, Men In Black) and graphic novel creator Grant Morrison (Batman, The Invisibles, All-Star Superman) together with sci-fi artist Mukesh Singh and the artists at Liquid Comics Dominion: Dinosaurs vs Aliens is a cross-platform sci-fi project like never seen […]
Feathered Dinosaurs Were More Common Than We Thought
Feathered Dinosaurs or Scaled Dinosaurs? Is the widespread concept of dinosaurs as big scaly lizards on its way out? New fossil findings suggest that paleontologists may have to rethink the idea. A recent discovery of an exceptionally well-preserved fossil of a meat-eating dinosaur shows evidence of having a fluffy feathered tail. The creature did not […]
Paleontologists Take A Look At Dinosaur Arthritis
Dinosaur Arthritis Existed 150 Million Years Ago Palaeontologists from Bristol University, England have discovered that a degenerative condition similar to human arthritis existed 150 million years ago when the dinosaurs roamed the earth. Giant Marine Reptile Jaw Bone Discovered A fossilized jaw bone from a giant Pliosaurus dating back to the Upper Jurassic period was […]
Lighter Dinosaurs Make News
Lighter Dinosaurs Could Have Been 75% Lighter A team of international scientists have discovered that dinosaurs were actually much lighter in weight that previously though. Some of which weighed less than half of what was first estimated. Lighter Dinosaurs Calculated with Laser Technology Biologists at the University of Manchester in England together with U.S scientists […]
Dinosaur Flatulence Media Coverage Stinks
Dinosaur Flatulence Story Gets Blows Out of Proportion After the paper of a recent study about dinosaur flatulence was released by researchers David Wilkinson, Graeme Ruxton, and Euan Nisbet, several news outlets including FOX News, the Daily Mail, and Gawker blew the story way out of proportion. In the paper, the researchers speculated about the […]
The Dinosaur Creationism Debate
The Dinosaur Creationism Debate is a Touchy Subject I debated whether or not to touch this topic because it’s such a sensitive one for some people. The thing is though, that I have something to say to those who believe that all dinosaur lovers are “heathens” – we’re not. Can There Be Such a Thing […]
Real Jurassic Park?
Clive Palmer Plans a Real Jurassic Park Clive Palmer, an eccentric mining billionaire from Queensland, Australia, has been rumored to be planning a real-life Jurassic Park tourist attraction, an add on for his $3 billion luxury Palmer resort on the Sunshine Coast in Southern Queensland, north of Brisbane. This isn’t the first ambitious goal (read: […]
Dinosaur Sex Revealed
Palaeontologists Discover Dinosaur Sex Theory Paleontologists think they have now figured out how dinosaurs had sex. That has long been a challenge for scientists, even though they have been studying the fossils for centuries. Soft tissue is rarely found in fossils and it is even more rare to find skeletons that were in the midst […]
4 Awesome Dinosaur Discoveries
There Are Too Many Dinosaur Discoveries to Note As a true fan of dinosaurs you may find yourself asking just how one dinosaur discovery outdoes the other simply because they’re all so intriguing. The thing is though, that while all dinosaur discoveries are awe inspiring, some make such an impact that they stand out from […]
Scientists Solve Mystery of Diplodocus Feeding Behavior With Dinosaur 3d Modeling
Dinosaur 3D Modeling Reveals Dinosaur Eating Habits A team of British researchers have just discovered a secret of herbivorous dinosaur eating habits using CT scans and bio-mechanical analysis with FEA, or finite element analysis. FEA is most commonly used to design race cars, airplanes, and for engineering of medical devices. The researchers, who were from […]
Dinosaur Vigilantes And Why You Should Consider Doing A Guest Post For Me
In Which Amy Falls Behind in Recent Research… Two days ago here on Dinopit I shared some of the “popular” theories on just why dinosaurs got to be so large. Not too long after posting I received a comment from a man that I greatly respect not only for his wealth of knowledge, but also […]
280 Million Year Old Mesosaur Embryos Discovered
Mesosaur Embryos Suspected To Be 280 Million Years Old Embryos of fossil reptiles, from ca. 280 million years ago, have been discovered by a team of international palaeontologists. Their research article, published in the journal Historical Biology, contains reports of well-preserved mesosaur amniotic embryos. Mesosaurs are an ancient group of aquatic reptiles that lived during […]
Dicynodonts Lived On Every Continent
Dicynodonts Fossil Found in Tasmania A leisurely beach stroll on the Tasmanian Peninsula has led to a significant fossil discovery by a couple, Bob and Penny Tyson. The fossils are of a dicynodont, a strange-looking species that pre-dates the dinosaurs by 30 million years, and it confirms its existence in Australia. Furthermore, this discovery confirms […]
Online Paleontology Programs
Online Paleontology Programs Are Becoming More Popular Palaeontology: Studying fossils ranging in age from any number of thousand years to several billion years, followed by a reconstruction of the history of life on earth from early forms of life through to the Palaeolithic. More and more this study field is becoming an important part […]
Disney Pixar’s The Good Dinosaur
The Good Dinosaur is Slated For 2014 Release News of a new dinosaur movie by Disney’s Pixar studio was announced in April this year. With a release date of 30 May 2014, ‘The Good Dinosaur’ is a much-anticipated movie that has been the subject of much speculation. The plot revolves around a scenario where that […]
Was Climate Change Caused By Dinosaur Gas?
Did Dinosaur Gas Contribute to Global Warming? New research is making the startling claim that enough greenhouse gases were produced by large plant-eating dinosaurs passing wind, for a change in climate to be possible. Sauropods Are Being Labeled As the Biggest Dinosaur Gas Producers The culprits were sauropods, a widespread group of vegetarian dinosaurs that […]
Yutyrannus: The Fuzzy Dinosaur
Yutyrannus Had Primitive Feathers Isn’t science awesome? Palaeontologists announced that a giant, feather-covered dinosaur (a type of tyrannosaur) has recently been discovered and described. It was named Yutyrannus huali by the authors of the description, Xu Xing et al. Three well-preserved skeletons were found of the carnivorous species that reached nearly 30 feet in adult […]
The Age of the Dinosaurs
What is the Age of the Dinosaurs? How would one understand dinosaurs without having a concept of time? To understand how a species of dinosaur fitted into the greater scheme of things it is important to know when it lived. Yet estimates of ‘Deep Time’, spanning millions of years, are frequently bandied about, making it […]
Largest Dinosaur Eggs Ever Discovered
Up to 40 of the World’s Largest Dinosaur Eggs Were Discovered The largest dinosaur eggs in the world have been discovered in Russia. That is the claim made by scientists based at the Chechen State University, in the Chechnya republic. The cluster of fossils was found in a mountainside during the process of blasting through […]
An Early Decline of the Dinosaurs
How the Decline of the Dinosaurs Occurred is a Mystery The cause of extinction for the non-avian dinosaurs remains a mystery. Yes, there are many theories about this, and palaeontologists have whittled them down to a few, e.g. an asteroid striking the Earth, huge volcanic eruptions, changes in sea level and climate change; yet how […]
Pachycephalosaur Head Butting In The News
Pachycephalosaur Head Butting is a Well Rumored Theory Pachycephalosaurus. A thick-skulled dinosaur with a head shaped like a dome. Could the purpose of such a dome be to butt heads with an opponent? Bighorn sheep indulge in such behavior nowadays, but did these dinosaurs ever do so? This question may seem trivial, but it has […]
Dinosaurs Unearthed, a Dinosaur Vacation Destination
Dinosaurs Unearthed Showcases at the Connecticut Science Center Inhabitants of Hartford may have been puzzled by the recent arrival of a new feature along Columbus Boulevard. If you have not seen it yet, take a drive down to the corner of Grove and Columbus, where an animated dinosaur will greet you. The life-size model is […]
Was It Just An Asteroid That Killed The Dinosaurs?
The Asteroid that “Killed the Dinosaurs” was 6 Miles Wide When your time is up, your time is up. For the dinosaurs the end came in the form of an asteroid, 65.5 million years ago. With a diameter of 10 km (6 miles), the asteroid created a crater 180 km (110 miles) wide off the […]
Dinosaur Fleas Didn’t Jump
Dinosaur Fleas Were Ten Times Bigger Than Fleas Today The discovery of large flea-like fossils, about ten times bigger than the fleas we see today, is enough to make your skin crawl. Imagine the poor dinosaur that had to endure a painful bite from such a paleo-pest crawling onto its soft under-belly. The only consolation […]
New Smithsonian Dinosaur Hall Funded
$35 Million Funds New Smithsonian Dinosaur Hall $ 35 million. The single largest donation made to the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History in its 102-year history. And it is all in aid of building a new Smithsonian Dinosaur Hall. This exciting news was recently made public, and in response to this the Smithsonian Board […]
The Truth About Dinosaur Parenting
Researchers Say Dinosaur Parenting Involved Nesting Early dinosaur mothers cared for their young in nests, according to a recent research article published in the Journal of the National Academy of Science. This discovery was made in South Africa’s Golden Gate Highlands National Park, where numerous clutches of fossil eggs were found. Nesting behavior has previously […]
The Power of a Tyrannosaurus Rex Bite
The Tyrannosaurus Rex Bite was the Most Powerful Bite to Ever Exist It’s official. The most powerful bite that ever existed was the Tyrannosaurus rex bite. Generating a bite force of up to 13,000 Pounds (or 57 000 Newtons), it is three and a half times greater than the bite of the Great White Shark, […]
San Remo, Melbourne Dinosaur Discovery
Melbourne Dinosaur Discovery Creates a Lot of Buzz The coastal town of San Remo, is the unlikely site of a Melbourne dinosaur discovery that has Australian palaeontologists abuzz. Erich Fitzgerald, a palaeontologist from Museum Victoria, studied the fossilized remains of a 2.4 inch wide ankle bone that was discovered in 2006 by an amateur palaeontologist, […]
The Pre-Dinosaur Extinction Wiped Out Many Sea Species
The Pre-Dinosaur Extinction Happened 252 Million Years Ago The Great Dying. When an estimated 95% of marine species went extinct. It happened 252 million years ago and no, it was not the great dinosaur extinction of the Cretaceous period, but rather one with far greater catastrophic consequence: the Permian Extinction. Not only marine life suffered; […]
Warner Brothers Dinosaur Movie Announced
Warner Brothers Dinosaur Movie Slated For 2015 Anticipation is mounting for a new thriller Warner Brothers dinosaur movie, apparently set for release in 2015. Warner Bros. acquired the rights to an as-yet-untitled movie set in Los Angeles, using state-of-the art special effects to recreate dinosaurs. The plot is rumored to involve a rogue pack of […]