Although no bigger than chickens, a pair of 50-million-year-old fossil birds turn out to be some of the earliest known ancestors of today’s giant, flightless birds, like the ostrich and the emu.
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‘Audacious’ New Species of Horned Dinosaur Discovered in Montana
She lived much of her life in pain, with a cockeyed appearance. But to paleontologists, she left behind something beautiful.
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New ‘Sword-Horned’ Dinosaur Unearthed in Utah
Because of its unusual horns, a new dinosaur species found in Utah has been named after a fearsome eponym: Cronus, the Greek god who castrated his father with a scythe.
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Dinosaur Fossil From Utah May Be Oldest Ceratopsid Ever Found
A 100 million-year-old fossil from Utah may be evidence of the oldest ceratopsid yet found.
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Tyrannosaur Tracks Discovered in Wyoming Reveal Dinosaur’s Speed
Dinosaur tracks discovered in Wyoming are the first known multiple footprints that can be attributed to Tyrannosaurus rex, researchers say.
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Pterosaur Fossil Found Near Dallas Shows That Flying Reptiles Spread From Europe
The fossil of a pterosaur discovered just outside Dallas may change what we know about the evolution and spread of the West’s giant flying reptiles, scientists say.
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Strange Scrapes Discovered in Colorado Are First Evidence of Dinosaur ‘Foreplay,’ Study Says
Paleontologists believe the marks are evidence of what they call “prehistoric foreplay” among the dinosaurs of Cretaceous Colorado.
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New Dinosaur Discovered in Montana Reveals How Duckbills Got Their Crests
A huge dinosaur with distinctive headgear may have cut an unusual figure in its day 79 million years ago, but to scientists today, it fits as snugly as a puzzle piece in the history of its dinosaur family.
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Top 5 Fossil Finds in the American West in 2015
Enormous arthropods and dinosaurs that looked like ostriches are among the fossil finds that captured your imagination this year. Check out the five most-read paleontology stories of 2015, and learn all about the year’s top discoveries from around the ancient West.
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Dinosaur Discovered With Feathers, Skin Intact ‘Looked a Lot Like an Ostrich’
A uniquely well-preserved dinosaur found in Alberta is revealing never-before-seen traits that make the animal live up to its name: “the bird mimic.”
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Giant Feathered Dinosaur, With ‘Unprecedented’ Features, Discovered in South Dakota
Two “exceptionally large” feathered dinosaurs have been discovered in a quarry in South Dakota, a find that may help answer some crucial questions about life in the ancient West.
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T. Rex Fossil Found in Wyoming Reveals Cannibalism Among Tyrannosaurs
A fossil bone from a Tyrannosaurus rex, recently discovered in Wyoming sandstone, bears the telltale signs of having been gnawed and stripped clean of its meat — by another tyrannosaur….
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‘Strange’ New Species of Marine Mammal Discovered in Alaska Fossils
An odd set of fossils that were once on display at a tribal office in Alaska have turned out to be a “strange” new species of marine mammal unlike any…
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Montana Dinosaur Species Grew Fast, Died Young, May Have Been Warm-Blooded
It walked on two feet when it was young, but on four when it was old. It could grow up to 3 meters in a single year — if it…
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Northernmost Dinosaur Discovered in ‘Lost World’ of Animal Fossils in Alaska
Scientists exploring a remote riverbank on Alaska’s North Slope have made a surprising find — the discovery of the northernmost species of dinosaur ever found — and it’s just one…
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‘Incredibly Bizarre’ Giant Sea Scorpion Discovered in Iowa Fossil
It lived a half-billion years ago, was as large as a man, and feasted on pretty much everything that was smaller than it was — which was most things. A…
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