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fossil

Specimen nature

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Fossil skeleton of Tianyulong confuciusi at the Chaoyang Paleontological Museum.
Taxa Tianyulong

Fossil skeleton of Tianyulong confuciusi at the Chaoyang Paleontological Museum.

museum fossil Tianyulong skeleton
Crato Formation pterosaur diversity – the dawn of Araripe pterosaur era. We emphasize that the coexistence of the taxa is merely illustrative, since the lack of geological context for most pterosaur fossils from the Araripe Basin prevents a precise inference of contemporaneity.
Taxa Lacusovagus

Crato Formation pterosaur diversity – the dawn of Araripe pterosaur era. We emphasize that the coexistence of the taxa is merely illustrative, since the lack of geological context for most pterosaur fossils from the Araripe Basin prevents a precise inference of contemporaneity.

fossil Lacusovagus Pterosauria formation
A broken concretion with fossils inside; Late Cretaceous Pierre shale, near Ekalaka, Montana.
Formations Pierre Shale

A broken concretion with fossils inside; Late Cretaceous Pierre shale, near Ekalaka, Montana.

Pierre Shale Cretaceous Late Cretaceous fossil
The distictive banding of the Morrison Formation, a group of rock layers that occur throughout Dinosaur National Monument.  The formation originated as muds and sands laid down by ancient rivers, and some of its outcrops have been found to contain 150-million-year-old dinosaur fossils like those found at the monument's Dinosaur Quarry.
Formations Morrison

The distictive banding of the Morrison Formation, a group of rock layers that occur throughout Dinosaur National Monument. The formation originated as muds and sands laid down by ancient rivers, and some of its outcrops have been found to contain 150-million-year-old dinosaur fossils like those found at the monument's Dinosaur Quarry.

Morrison fossil Dinosauria formation
Fossil of Santanadactylus pricei and Anhanguera santanae, an extinct pterosaur- Took the photo at Senckenberg Museum of Frankfurt
Formations Romualdo

Fossil of Santanadactylus pricei and Anhanguera santanae, an extinct pterosaur- Took the photo at Senckenberg Museum of Frankfurt

museum fossil Anhanguera Pterosauria +1
Bituminous claystone, Lower Jurassic, Hesselberg, Middle Franconia.
Sedimentary rock of very thin laminated layers (particles less than 0,0002 mm).

Rock formation is known for its rich fossil findings, ex. Ichthyosaur.
Formations Posidonia Shale

Bituminous claystone, Lower Jurassic, Hesselberg, Middle Franconia. Sedimentary rock of very thin laminated layers (particles less than 0,0002 mm). Rock formation is known for its rich fossil findings, ex. Ichthyosaur.

Jurassic fossil Ichthyosauria formation
Sidersaura is a rebbachisaurid sauropod dinosaur from the Late Cretaceous of Argentina. Rebbachisaurids are the last known dipldocoids, and lived alongside the titanosaurs until fairly late in the Cretaceous before disappearing from the fossil record, presumably going extinct. They have long tails and relatively short necks, by sauropod standards. Sidersaura one of the most recent rebbachisaurids yet found, living in the Cenomanian–Turonian ages of the Late Cretaceous. It was large for a rebbachisaurid, growing to about 20 m in length.
Taxa Sidersaura

Sidersaura is a rebbachisaurid sauropod dinosaur from the Late Cretaceous of Argentina. Rebbachisaurids are the last known dipldocoids, and lived alongside the titanosaurs until fairly late in the Cretaceous before disappearing from the fossil record, presumably going extinct. They have long tails and relatively short necks, by sauropod standards. Sidersaura one of the most recent rebbachisaurids yet found, living in the Cenomanian–Turonian ages of the Late Cretaceous. It was large for a rebbachisaurid, growing to about 20 m in length.

Argentina Cenomanian Cretaceous Late Cretaceous +6
Fossil specimen of Chaoyangopterus zhangi at the Chaoyang Paleontological Museum.
Taxa Chaoyangopterus

Fossil specimen of Chaoyangopterus zhangi at the Chaoyang Paleontological Museum.

museum fossil specimen Chaoyangopterus
Fossil of Coloborhynchus, an extinct pterosaur- Took the photo at Naturalis museum, Leiden
Taxa Maaradactylus

Fossil of Coloborhynchus, an extinct pterosaur- Took the photo at Naturalis museum, Leiden

museum fossil Coloborhynchus Maaradactylus +1
Life restoration of the mosasaurine mosasaurid Eremiasaurus, with unknown portions and soft tissues based primarily on Prognathodon and supplemented with Mosasaurus where needed.
References
Leblanc, A.R.H.; Caldwell, M.W.; Bardet, N. (2012). "A new mosasaurine from the Maastrichtian (Upper Cretaceous) phosphates of Morocco and its implications for mosasaurine systematics". Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology 32 (1): 82–104.
Lindgren, J.; Kaddumi, H.; Polcyn, M. (2013). "Soft tissue preservation in a fossil marine lizard with a bilobed tail fin". Nature Communications 4: 2423. DOI:10.1038/ncomms3423.
Konishi, T.; Brinkman, D.; Massare, J.A.; Caldwell, M.W. (2011). "New exceptional specimens of Prognathodon overtoni (Squamata, Mosasauridae) from the upper Campanian of Alberta, Canada, and the systematics and ecology of the genus". Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology 31 (5): 1026–1046.
Russell, D.A. (1967). "Systematics and morphology of American mosasaurs". Bulletin of the Peabody Museum of Natural History 23: 1–241.
Taxa Eremiasaurus

Life restoration of the mosasaurine mosasaurid Eremiasaurus, with unknown portions and soft tissues based primarily on Prognathodon and supplemented with Mosasaurus where needed. References Leblanc, A.R.H.; Caldwell, M.W.; Bardet, N. (2012). "A new mosasaurine from the Maastrichtian (Upper Cretaceous) phosphates of Morocco and its implications for mosasaurine systematics". Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology 32 (1): 82–104. Lindgren, J.; Kaddumi, H.; Polcyn, M. (2013). "Soft tissue preservation in a fossil marine lizard with a bilobed tail fin". Nature Communications 4: 2423. DOI:10.1038/ncomms3423. Konishi, T.; Brinkman, D.; Massare, J.A.; Caldwell, M.W. (2011). "New exceptional specimens of Prognathodon overtoni (Squamata, Mosasauridae) from the upper Campanian of Alberta, Canada, and the systematics and ecology of the genus". Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology 31 (5): 1026–1046. Russell, D.A. (1967). "Systematics and morphology of American mosasaurs". Bulletin of the Peabody Museum of Natural History 23: 1–241.

tissue ecology museum Canada +11
Fossil samples – e.g. ‘primitive’ bony fish (1, 2), a skull of a temnospondyl ‘amphibian’ (probably a metoposauroid) in dorsal view (3), a skull of an archosaur of the crocodile lineage (probably a phytosaur) in palatal view (4), holotype of the “gliding reptile” Icarosaurus siefkeri [1] (5) and Atreipus-Grallator-type dinosaur tracks (bottom right) – from the Newark Supergroup, i.e. a series of mainly Late Triassic to Early Jurassic sedimentary rocks of eastern North America


↑ Edwin H. Colbert: A gliding reptile from the Triassic of New Jersey. American Museum Novitates, 2230. American Museum of Natural History, New York 1966, digitallibrary.amnh.org, cf. fig. 3 therein.
Taxa Atreipus

Fossil samples – e.g. ‘primitive’ bony fish (1, 2), a skull of a temnospondyl ‘amphibian’ (probably a metoposauroid) in dorsal view (3), a skull of an archosaur of the crocodile lineage (probably a phytosaur) in palatal view (4), holotype of the “gliding reptile” Icarosaurus siefkeri [1] (5) and Atreipus-Grallator-type dinosaur tracks (bottom right) – from the Newark Supergroup, i.e. a series of mainly Late Triassic to Early Jurassic sedimentary rocks of eastern North America ↑ Edwin H. Colbert: A gliding reptile from the Triassic of New Jersey. American Museum Novitates, 2230. American Museum of Natural History, New York 1966, digitallibrary.amnh.org, cf. fig. 3 therein.

museum Early Jurassic Jurassic Late Triassic +9
Title: A descriptive catalogue of the marine reptiles of the Oxford clay. Based on the Leeds Collection in the British Museum (Natural History), London ..
Identifier: descriptivecatal02brit (find matches)
Year: 1910 (1910s)
Authors: British Museum (Natural History). Dept. of Geology; Andrews, Charles William, 1866-1924
Subjects: Reptiles, Fossil
Publisher: London, Printed by order of the Trustees
Contributing Library: Smithsonian Libraries
Digitizing Sponsor: Biodiversity Heritage Library

View Book Page: Book Viewer
About This Book: Catalog Entry
View All Images: All Images From Book
Click here to view book online to see this illustration in context in a browseable online version of this book.

Text Appearing Before Image: 
CATAL.MARINE KEPT. OXFORD CLAY. PART II. PLATE I. pmcc.
Text Appearing After Image: 
>p77ia:. G.M.Woodward del. etlibh. West, Newman imp. PLIOSAURUS FEROX.

Note About Images

Please note that these images are extracted from scanned page images that may have been digitally enhanced for readability - coloration and appearance of these illustrations may not perfectly resemble the original work.
Taxa Liopleurodon

Title: A descriptive catalogue of the marine reptiles of the Oxford clay. Based on the Leeds Collection in the British Museum (Natural History), London .. Identifier: descriptivecatal02brit (find matches) Year: 1910 (1910s) Authors: British Museum (Natural History). Dept. of Geology; Andrews, Charles William, 1866-1924 Subjects: Reptiles, Fossil Publisher: London, Printed by order of the Trustees Contributing Library: Smithsonian Libraries Digitizing Sponsor: Biodiversity Heritage Library View Book Page: Book Viewer About This Book: Catalog Entry View All Images: All Images From Book Click here to view book online to see this illustration in context in a browseable online version of this book. Text Appearing Before Image: CATAL.MARINE KEPT. OXFORD CLAY. PART II. PLATE I. pmcc. Text Appearing After Image: >p77ia:. G.M.Woodward del. etlibh. West, Newman imp. PLIOSAURUS FEROX. Note About Images Please note that these images are extracted from scanned page images that may have been digitally enhanced for readability - coloration and appearance of these illustrations may not perfectly resemble the original work.

book museum Oxford Clay fossil +3
Fossil of Pinacosaurus, an ankylosaurian  dinosaur
Took the photo at Musee d'Histoire Naturelle, Brussels

Fossil of Pinacosaurus, an ankylosaurian dinosaur Took the photo at Musee d'Histoire Naturelle, Brussels

fossil Ankylosauria Dinosauria Eopinacosaurus +1
Fossil of Pinacosaurus, an ankylosaurid dinosaur
Took the photo at Musee d'Histoire Naturelle, Brussels

Fossil of Pinacosaurus, an ankylosaurid dinosaur Took the photo at Musee d'Histoire Naturelle, Brussels

fossil Ankylosauridae Dinosauria Eopinacosaurus +1
Montanoceratops cerorhynchus (Brown & Schlaikjer, 1942) - fossil ceratopsian dinosaur skeleton from the Cretaceous of Montana, USA. (MOR 542, Museum of the Rockies, Bozeman, Montana, USA)
The species name is sometimes incorrectly spelled "cerorhynchos".  The original publication spells it "cerorhynchus".  The genus name is sometimes incorrectly spelled "Montanaceratops".
Ceratopsians are the "horned dinosaurs".  They were large, quadrupedal, herbivorous dinosaurs having a beaked skull and a frill - an extension of bone behind the skull that partially covered the neck.  Ceratopsian dinosaurs are known from the Jurassic and Cretaceous.  The last members of the group died out at the Cretaceous-Tertiary boundary, 65 million years ago.
This is a partial skeleton of a juvenile Montanoceratops, a ceratopsian from the near-latest Cretaceous of western North America.  This type of ceratopsian lacked facial horns.


From exhibit signage:
Sixty-eight million years ago, when the horned dinosaurs Triceratops and Torosaurus inhabited the coastal plain near the inland ocean, primitive "horned" dinosaurs named Montanoceratops lived in uplands near the young Rocky Mountains.  These little protoceratopsians fed on plants with slicing teeth and narrow beaks similar to their giant three-horned relatives.


Classification: Animalia, Chordata, Vertebrata, Reptilia, Archosauria, Dinosauria, Ornithischia, Marginocephalia, Ceratopsia, Leptoceratopsidae
Stratigraphy: St. Mary River Formation, Maastrichtian Stage, Upper Cretaceous
Locality: Little Rocky Coulee, north of the town of Cut Bank, eastern Glacier County, northwestern Montana, USA


Info. at:

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Montanoceratops
Taxa Montanoceratops

Montanoceratops cerorhynchus (Brown & Schlaikjer, 1942) - fossil ceratopsian dinosaur skeleton from the Cretaceous of Montana, USA. (MOR 542, Museum of the Rockies, Bozeman, Montana, USA) The species name is sometimes incorrectly spelled "cerorhynchos". The original publication spells it "cerorhynchus". The genus name is sometimes incorrectly spelled "Montanaceratops". Ceratopsians are the "horned dinosaurs". They were large, quadrupedal, herbivorous dinosaurs having a beaked skull and a frill - an extension of bone behind the skull that partially covered the neck. Ceratopsian dinosaurs are known from the Jurassic and Cretaceous. The last members of the group died out at the Cretaceous-Tertiary boundary, 65 million years ago. This is a partial skeleton of a juvenile Montanoceratops, a ceratopsian from the near-latest Cretaceous of western North America. This type of ceratopsian lacked facial horns. From exhibit signage: Sixty-eight million years ago, when the horned dinosaurs Triceratops and Torosaurus inhabited the coastal plain near the inland ocean, primitive "horned" dinosaurs named Montanoceratops lived in uplands near the young Rocky Mountains. These little protoceratopsians fed on plants with slicing teeth and narrow beaks similar to their giant three-horned relatives. Classification: Animalia, Chordata, Vertebrata, Reptilia, Archosauria, Dinosauria, Ornithischia, Marginocephalia, Ceratopsia, Leptoceratopsidae Stratigraphy: St. Mary River Formation, Maastrichtian Stage, Upper Cretaceous Locality: Little Rocky Coulee, north of the town of Cut Bank, eastern Glacier County, northwestern Montana, USA Info. at: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Montanoceratops

bone museum United States Cretaceous +17
Various fossils pertaining to the holotype of the Triassic ichthyosaur Toretocnemus californicus. This image is derived from plate 24 in Merriam (1903), done by an uncredited artist. The arrangement of the individual figures has been modified from the original.
Original description:
Toretocnemus californicus n. gen. and sp.
Figures reproduced natural size from the type specimen.

Fig. 1. — Inferior side of right posterior limb. t, tibia.
Fig. 2. — Right anterior limb. r, radius.
Fig. 3.— Pelvic arch.
Fig. 4. — Middle dorsal vertebrae and a rib from the same region.
Taxa Toretocnemus

Various fossils pertaining to the holotype of the Triassic ichthyosaur Toretocnemus californicus. This image is derived from plate 24 in Merriam (1903), done by an uncredited artist. The arrangement of the individual figures has been modified from the original. Original description: Toretocnemus californicus n. gen. and sp. Figures reproduced natural size from the type specimen. Fig. 1. — Inferior side of right posterior limb. t, tibia. Fig. 2. — Right anterior limb. r, radius. Fig. 3.— Pelvic arch. Fig. 4. — Middle dorsal vertebrae and a rib from the same region.

limb description Triassic fossil +6
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News

A giant blade-crested spinosaurus, the “hell heron,” discovered in the Sahara
crest predator Niger fossil Dinosauria Spinosauria
Deep in the heart of the Sahara, scientists have uncovered Spinosaurus mirabilis — a spectacular new predator crowned with a massive, scimitar-shaped crest that may once have blazed with color under the desert sun. Discovered in remote inland river deposits in Niger, the fossil rewrites what we thought we knew about spinosaur dinosaurs, suggesting they weren’t fully aquatic hunters but powerful waders stalking fish in forested waterways hundreds of miles from the sea.
23/02/2026 sciencedaily
Triceratops had a giant nose that may have cooled its massive head
fossil Triceratops CT-scan skull
Triceratops’ massive head may have been doing more than just showing off those famous horns. Using CT scans and 3D reconstructions of fossil skulls, researchers uncovered a surprisingly complex nasal system hidden inside its enormous snout. Instead of being just a supersized nose for smelling, it likely housed intricate networks of nerves and blood vessels—and even special structures that helped regulate heat and moisture.
22/02/2026 sciencedaily
This ancient animal was one of the first to eat plants on land
tooth fossil skull
Hundreds of millions of years ago, the first animals to crawl onto land were strict meat-eaters, even as plants had already taken over the landscape. Now scientists have uncovered a 307-million-year-old fossil that rewrites that story: one of the earliest known land vertebrates to start eating plants. The animal, named Tyrannoroter heberti, was a stocky, football-sized creature with a skull packed with specialized teeth designed for crushing and grinding vegetation.
11/02/2026 sciencedaily
These 773,000-year-old fossils may reveal our shared human ancestor
fossil evolution Homo sapiens
Fossils from a Moroccan cave have been dated with remarkable accuracy to about 773,000 years ago, thanks to a magnetic signature locked into the surrounding sediments. The hominin remains show a blend of ancient and more modern features, placing them near a pivotal branching point in human evolution. These individuals likely represent an African population close to the last common ancestor of Homo sapiens, Neandertals, and Denisovans.
07/02/2026 sciencedaily
Baby dinosaurs were the backbone of the Jurassic food chain
hunting predator prey Jurassic fossil Dinosauria
Despite growing into the largest animals ever to walk on land, sauropods began life small, exposed, and alone. Fossil evidence suggests their babies were frequently eaten by multiple predators, making them a key part of the Jurassic food chain. This steady supply of easy prey may explain why early predators thrived without needing extreme hunting adaptations. The findings offer a rare glimpse into how dinosaur ecosystems truly worked.
02/02/2026 sciencedaily
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