Latest news with #fossil
CTV News
a day ago
- Science
- CTV News
Researchers discover ancient predatory, fanged fish that swam in Nova Scotia waters
A research team led by Carleton University's Conrad Wilson has uncovered a new species of ancient predatory fish—Sphyragnathus tyche—shown in this handout illustration, from a fossil found along the Blue Beach cliffs of Nova Scotia. The fossil is the earliest known example of a 'back-fanged' predatory fish. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Handout - Hailey Sexsmith (Mandatory Credit)
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Science
- Yahoo
Previously unknown 76M-year-old, raccoon-sized monstersaur species discovered in Utah
Hank Woolley was visiting the Natural History Museum of Utah one day when he stumbled across a jar labeled 'lizard.' Inside was a 76-million-year-old fossil that paleontologists had uncovered from Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument in 2005. It was eventually transported to the Natural History Museum of Utah in Salt Lake City, where it ended up being stored in a jar. Woolley, a postdoctoral research fellow at the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County's Dinosaur Institute, opened the jar to find a fragmentary skeleton, which inspired him to dig deeper. 'We know very little about large-bodied lizards from the Kaiparowits Formation in Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument in Utah, so I knew this was significant right away,' he explained in a statement. That decision a few years ago is now helping researchers gain a better understanding of the fossil's importance, as it gives them an improved glimpse of what Utah's ecosystem looked like 76 million years ago. Woolley is the lead author of a new study identifying a prehistoric ancestor of the Gila monsters that roam southern Utah and the Southwest U.S. today. His team's findings were published in the journal Royal Society Open Science on Tuesday. 'Discovering a new species of lizard that is an ancestor of modern Gila monsters is pretty cool in and of itself, but what's particularly exciting is what it tells us about the unique 76-million-year-old ecosystem it lived in,' said co-author Randy Irmis, an associate professor at the University of Utah and curator of paleontology at the Natural History Museum of Utah, and one of the study's co-authors. Paleontologists knew the fossil was 'significant' when they first uncovered it two decades ago, Irmis explains. They brought it back to Salt Lake City, where it sat and waited for the right expert to know its gravity. Woolley, who specializes in lizard evolution, happened to be that guy. He quickly got to work assembling the team that pieced together the fossils and then analyzed its skull, vertebrae and limbs, as well as other features. The team discovered that the lizard was much more intact than many lizard species of its time, and that they had uncovered a species previously unknown to experts. The species would have been about the size of a raccoon, making it one of the smaller creatures of its time, which is when southern Utah was more of a subtropical floodplain, researchers point out. The team decided to name the species Bolg amondol, or 'Bolg' for short. It's a nod to the goblin prince from J.R.R. Tolkien's 'The Hobbit,' largely for the lizard's goblin-like skull. 'The fact that Bolg coexisted with several other large lizard species indicates that this was a stable and productive ecosystem where these animals were taking advantage of a wide variety of prey and different microhabitats,' Irmis said. The team says the discovery could help piece together the evolution of lizards, especially since it was a precursor to modern-day species like the Gila monster. Irmis co-authored another study published earlier this year that explored how crocodiles and alligators may have survived extinction, which included species that would have existed at the same time as Bolg. Meanwhile, the researchers also believe there were probably other species like it that existed during the Late Cretaceous Period, which is a more probable theory thanks to Bolg. The next discovery could be waiting to be uncovered in Utah's public lands, or stored safely away in a jar like Borg.
Yahoo
4 days ago
- Science
- Yahoo
A new species of dinosaur was discovered sitting in a jar since 2005
If you purchase an independently reviewed product or service through a link on our website, BGR may receive an affiliate commission. A new species of dinosaur has been discovered after its fossil sat in a jar in a museum for 20 years. The Bolg amondol, which is named after the goblin from J.R.R. Tolkien's The Hobbit, was first discovered in 2005, according to New Scientist. However, its fossil sat in a jar in the back of the Natural History Museum of Utah until recently when Hank Woolley spotted it and finally popped off the top. Woolley, who is the leader author on a new study published in Royal Society Open Science, says, 'I opened this jar of bones labeled 'lizard' at the Natural History Museum of Utah, and was like, oh wow, there's a fragmentary skeleton here.' Today's Top Deals Best deals: Tech, laptops, TVs, and more sales Best Ring Video Doorbell deals Memorial Day security camera deals: Reolink's unbeatable sale has prices from $29.98 Woolley says he then went on to identify the new species of dinosaur as a raccoon-sized lizard. The study was published this month, and breaks down the discovery and what we know about B. amondol so far. The species is believed to be an ancient ancestor to modern Gila monsters and is estimated to have roamed the Earth around 76 million years ago. Finding new species is always an exciting prospect, as it unlocks new information about our planet's storied past. Sure, we're still not 100% sure how life on Earth originated, or even if the these creatures would have continued living had Earth not been struck by the asteroid that killed all the dinosaurs. But with this discovery, we unlock a little more of the story. Woolley says they went with the name of the creature from The Hobbit because he thinks of these lizards as 'goblin-like,' especially when looking at their skulls. This is another example of how huge discoveries like this can sometimes go years without being uncovered, as storage can often become bogged down with skeletons in jars and other collection materials. Still, it's exciting to see a new species of dinosaur added to the list, especially when it is something that was found somewhere like southern Utah. Back when B. amondol roamed the Earth, Utah would have likely been a sub-tropical region. That's a marked difference from the often dusty landscapes we know and love today. More Top Deals Amazon gift card deals, offers & coupons 2025: Get $2,000+ free See the
CTV News
11-06-2025
- Science
- CTV News
A ‘dragon prince' dinosaur is redrawing the tyrannosaur family tree
Lead study author Jared Voris, a postdoctoral scholar at the University of Calgary, can be seen studying a Tyrannosaurus rex fossil as an assembled specimen looms behind him. Darla Zelenitsky via CNN Newsource Scientists have identified a previously unknown 86 million-year-old dinosaur species that fills an early gap in the fossil record of tyrannosaurs, revealing how they evolved to become massive apex predators. Researchers analyzing the species' remains have named it Khankhuuluu mongoliensis, which translates to 'dragon prince of Mongolia,' because it was small compared with its much larger relatives such as Tyrannosaurus rex, whose name means 'the tyrant lizard king.' The newly identified dinosaur was the closest known ancestor of tyrannosaurs and likely served as a transitional species from earlier tyrannosauroid species, according to the findings published Wednesday in the journal Nature. Based on a reexamination of two partial skeletons uncovered in Mongolia's Gobi Desert in 1972 and 1973, the new study suggests that three big migrations between Asia and North America led tyrannosauroids to diversify and eventually reach a gargantuan size in the late Cretaceous Period before going extinct 66 million years ago. 'This discovery of Khankhuuluu forced us to look at the tyrannosaur family tree in a very different light,' said study coauthor Darla Zelenitsky, associate professor within the department of Earth, energy, and environment at the University of Calgary, in an email. 'Before this, there was a lot of confusion about who was related to who when it came to tyrannosaur species. What started as the discovery of a new species ended up with us rewriting the family history of tyrannosaurs.' Multiple migrations over millions of years Tyrannosaurs, known scientifically as Eutyrannosaurians, bring to mind hulking dinosaurs like Tyrannosaurus rex and Tarbosaurus, which weighed multiple metric tons and could take down equally large prey. dinosaur An artist's rendering shows how newly identified dinosaur Khankhuuluu, much smaller than T. rex, might have looked. Masato Hattori via CNN Newsource With short arms and massive heads, they walked on two legs and boasted sharp teeth, Zelenitsky said. But tyrannosaurs didn't start out that way. They evolved from smaller dinosaurs before dominating the landscapes of North America and Asia between 85 million and 66 million years ago, the researchers said. While Tarbosaurus, an ancestor of T. rex, clocked in at between 3,000 and 6,000 kilograms (6,613 pounds and 13,227 pounds), the fleet-footed Khankhuuluu mongoliensis likely weighed only around 750 kilograms (1,653 pounds), spanned just 2 metres (6.5 feet) at the hips and 4 metres (13 feet) in length, according to the study authors. Comparing the two dinosaurs would be like putting a horse next to an elephant —Khankhuuluu would have reached T. rex's thigh in height, Zelenitsky said. 'Khankhuuluu was almost a tyrannosaur, but not quite,' Zelenitsky said. 'The snout bone was hollow rather than solid, and the bones around the eye didn't have all the horns and bumps seen in T. rex or other tyrannosaurs.' Khankhuuluu mongoliensis, or a closely related ancestor species, likely migrated from Asia to North America across a land bridge between Alaska and Siberia that connected the continents 85 million years ago, Zelenitsky said. Because of this migrant species, we now know that tyrannosaurs actually evolved first on the North American continent and remained there exclusively over the next several million years, she said. 'As the many tyrannosaur species evolved on the continent, they became larger and larger.' Due to the poor fossil record, it's unclear what transpired in Asia between 80 million to 85 million years ago, she added. While some Khankhuuluu may have remained in Asia, they were likely replaced later on by larger tyrannosaurs 79 million years ago. dinosaur Alioramus was a small Mongolian tyrannosaur, sometime referred to as a "Pinocchio rex" for its long snout. Jared Voris via CNN Newsource Meanwhile, another tyrannosaur species crossed the land bridge back to Asia 78 million years ago, resulting in the evolution of two related but very different subgroups of tyrannosaurs, Zelenitsky said. One was a gigantic, deep-snouted species, while the other known as Alioramins was slender and small. These smaller dinosaurs have been dubbed 'Pinocchio rexes' for their long, shallow snouts. Both types of tyrannosaurs were able to live in Asia and not compete with each other because the larger dinosaurs were top predators, while Alioramins were mid-level predators going after smaller prey — think cheetahs or jackals in African ecosystems today, Zelenitsky said. 'Because of their small size, Alioramins were long thought to be primitive tyrannosaurs, but we novelly show Alioramins uniquely evolved smallness as they had 'miniaturized' their bodies within a part of the tyrannosaur family tree that were all otherwise giants,' Zelenitsky said. One more migration happened as tyrannosaurs continued to evolve, and a gigantic tyrannosaur species crossed back into North America 68 million years ago, resulting in Tyrannosaurus rex, Zelenitsky said. 'The success and diversity of tyrannosaurs is thanks to a few migrations between the two continents, starting with Khankhuuluu,' she said. 'Tyrannosaurs were in the right place at the right time. They were able to take advantage of moving between continents, likely encountering open niche spaces, and quickly evolving to become large, efficient killing machines.' Revisiting a decades-old find The new findings support previous research suggesting that Tyrannosaurus rex's direct ancestor originated in Asia and migrated to North America via a land bridge and underscore the importance of Asia in the evolutionary success of the tyrannosaur family, said Cassius Morrison, a doctoral student of paleontology at University College London. Morrison was not involved in the new research. dinosaur Voris (left) and Darla Zelenitsky have been studying the evolution of tyrannosaurs. Riley Brandt/University of Calgary via CNN Newsource 'The new species provides essential data and information in part of the family tree with few species, helping us to understand the evolutionary transition of tyrannosaurs from small/ medium predators to large apex predators,' Morrison wrote in an email. The study also shows that the Alioramini group, once considered distant relatives, were very close cousins of T. rex. What makes the fossils of the new species so crucial is their age — 20 million years older than T. rex, said Steve Brusatte, professor and personal chair of Palaeontology and Evolution at the University of Edinburgh. Brusatte was not involved in the new study. 'There are so few fossils from this time, and that is why these scientists describe it as 'murky,'' Brusatte said. 'It has been a frustrating gap in the record, like if you suspected something really important happened in your family history at a certain time, like a marriage that started a new branch of the family or immigration to a new country, but you had no records to document it. The tyrannosaur family tree was shaped by migration, just like so many of our human families.' With only fragments of fossils available, it's been difficult to understand the variation of tyrannosaurs as they evolved, said Thomas Carr, associate professor of biology at Carthage College in Wisconsin and director of the Carthage Institute of Paleontology. Carr was not involved in the new research. But the new study sheds light on the dinosaurs' diversity and clarifies which ones existed when — and how they overlapped with one another, he said. More samples from the fossil record will provide additional clarity, but the new work illustrates the importance of reexamining fossils collected earlier. 'We know so much more about tyrannosaurs now,' Carr said. 'A lot of these historical specimens are definitely worth their weight in gold for a second look.' When the fossils were collected half a century ago, they were only briefly described at the time, Brusatte said. 'So many of us in the paleontology community knew that these Mongolian fossils were lurking in museum drawers, waiting to be studied properly, and apt to tell their own important part of the tyrannosaur story,' he said. 'It's almost like there was a non-disclosure agreement surrounding these fossils, and it's now expired, and they can come out and tell their story.'
BBC News
10-06-2025
- Science
- BBC News
Fossil discovery suggests sauropods didn't chew their food
Scientists say they've made an interesting discovery about one of the largest dinosaurs that ever roamed Earth.A team of experts took a closer look at the fossilised stomach contents of a 95-million-year-old sauropod - nicknamed found that the dino ate leaves from tall conifer trees as well as smaller seed ferns and flowering research also suggests that the sauropod barely chewed its meals due to the size of the pieces of food inside its body. What did scientists discover? The group of scientists, lead by Curtin University in Australia, decided to study the fossilised stomach contents of a sauropod that was originally found in 2017 in the Australian state of dinosaur, a species called Diamantinasaurus matildae, was nicknamed Judy by made this discovery unique, was that Judy's stomach contents had been well preserved, revealing for the first time in detail what it team's research found that the dinos snacked on a variety of plants from various heights above the ground, and that this helped their long-term researcher Dr Stephen Poropat explained: "We also confirmed that sauropods were bulk-feeders – a method still used by herbivorous reptiles and birds today. "This means they would not have chewed their food, instead swallowing it whole and letting their digestive system do the rest of the work," he said. Therefore, sauropods would have relied on fermentation in its guts to process the food it Poropat added that food could have stayed in the dinosaur's digestive system for "up to two weeks" and that discovering what sauropods ate is critical to understanding their "impact on Earth's ecosystems" throughout that time.
