Dinosaurs Content

Reanalysis Shows Dinosaurs Not So Warm-Blooded

Andy Fell — September 07, 2023 - 12:09pm

Modern birds and mammals are “warm-blooded” or endothermic, maintaining a constant body temperature and generating heat internally, while reptiles rely on heat from their surroundings. It has been known for some time that at least some dinosaurs, including the direct ancestors of modern birds, were also endotherms.

Investigating the Prehistoric Origins of Plant-Eating

Andy Fell — June 23, 2023 - 2:41pm

Few modern birds and reptiles feed exclusively on plants, except for energy-dense nuts and seeds. How did dinosaurs evolve to digest plants?

Dating the Dinosaur Pompeii

Andy Fell — April 16, 2021 - 8:39am

Northeastern China is home to one of the world’s most remarkable collections of dinosaur fossils. The Jehol biota contains fossils of dinosaurs, plants, insects and fish, many of them preserved in unusual detail with traces of skin and feathers, dating back to the Early Cretaceous period 101 to 143 million years ago.

New Fossil Changes Ideas About Marine Reptile Evolution

Andy Fell — May 23, 2016 - 11:00pm

A newly discovered fossil is changing ideas about the evolution of the dolphin-like ichthyosaurs, marine reptiles that lived at the same time as the dinosaurs on land, and shows how quickly life rebounded from a catastrophic mass extinction 250 million years ago.