Paleontology - Atlas Obscura
Places near me Random place

118 Items Tagged

Paleontology

Share Tweet
Bogotá, Colombia

Museo Geológico Nacional José Royo y Gómez

A small museum filled with unique fossil finds, including one of the oldest specimens of ground sloths found in Colombia.
science

Iowa’s Ancient Apex Predator Was the ‘T. rex’ of Its Day

The monstrous menace known as Whatcheeria hints that our distant ancestors may have been more like us than we thought.
Gemma Tarlach December 2, 2022
Las Vegas, Nevada

Tule Springs Fossil Beds

This arid landscape was once a lush wetland. Today, it's a paleontological site filled with fossilized mammoths, sabertooth cats, and more.
dinosaurs

A ‘Weird’ Ancient Marine Reptile Surfaces Thanks to the ‘Bone Biddies’

The unique plesiosaur defies the fossil rulebook—just ask the “paleogrannies” who prepared it for study.
Gemma Tarlach September 28, 2022
science

In Prehistoric Ethiopia, Otters Were as Big as Lions

But they didn’t eat our ancestors—probably.
Sarah Durn September 21, 2022
Ann Arbor, Michigan

Longest Known Mastodon Trackway

See prehistoric footprints, plus two complete mastodon skeletons.
Toronto, Ontario

Acrotholus Audeti

The remains of the oldest bone-headed dinosaur in North America.
animals

What's the Biggest Bird in the World?

From a flightless giant heavier than a polar bear to a super-glider with a 24-foot wingspan, avians ancient and modern compete for the crown.
Jackie Mead July 19, 2022
dinosaurs

Behold Meraxes, Argentina’s Ancient ‘Giant Dragon’

With a ‘Swiss Army knife’ head, tiny arms, and no relation to T. rex, a new dino find is providing intriguing evolutionary insights.
Gemma Tarlach July 7, 2022
dinosaurs

In Egypt's ‘Land of Death,’ Dinosaurs Were Supersized—and Hungry

Fossils unearthed in the Bahariya Oasis tell a story of giant predators hunting on land and in the water.
Abe Musselman July 5, 2022
science

The Intriguing Life, Death, and Afterlife of an Indiana Mastodon

Scientists have pieced together a detailed biography—including a search for love and a violent end.
Gemma Tarlach June 14, 2022
Blasdell, New York

Penn Dixie Fossil Park

More than 350 million years ago, western New York was covered in a vast sea. Today, you can dig up the remains of the plants and animals that lived there.
science

Podcast: The Various Ends of the World

Join us for a daily celebration of the world’s most wondrous, unexpected, even strange stories.
The Podcast Team April 18, 2022
Karonga, Malawi

Karonga Museum

A cultural center on the shores of Lake Malawi dedicated to preserving Karonga’s past and present, including the fossilized remains of the Malawisaurus.
science

An Ancient Croc Stepped in Poop and Created a Portal to the Past

Scientists braved rain, mud, and a close encounter at a crocodile farm to learn what fossilized feces reveal about life 33 million years ago.
Kate Golembiewski February 28, 2022
dinosaurs

Did the Dinosaurs Die on a Pleasant North Dakota Spring Day?

Fish fossils may put "the single worst day for multicellular life on Earth" on the calendar.
Gemma Tarlach February 23, 2022
science

The Story of George McJunkin, a Hidden Figure in North American Archaeology

The self-taught naturalist found a site that would transform scientific views about Native Americans in North America.
Stephen E. Nash February 21, 2022
dinosaurs

The World Has Two New Flying Dinosaurs

Or at least it used to. What can these recently identified dino-birds teach us about extinction?
Sarah Durn February 18, 2022