Prehistoric life
Super predators over 10 metres long once dominated our oceans – unlike anything seen today, say scientists
A team of researchers reconstructed an ancient marine ecosystem – and discovered a previously unseen seventh layer in its food chain
Scientists at the American Museum of Natural History investigated its own archives – and made amazing discoveries
The American Museum of Natural History, in New York, has released a list of 70 species new to science in 2025
50 years ago, an enormous animal 'cemetery' was found in Qatar's desert. Experts just figured out what happened
The bonebed contains the 21-million-year-old remains of sea cows, sharks, barracuda-like fish, prehistoric dolphins and sea turtles.
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Deadly prehistoric snakes the length of a bus, 7 tonne crocodiles and supersized penguins almost 2 metres high - 11 animals that used to be bigger
Discover the extraordinary prehistoric giants – from mega-sloths to monster sharks – that once made today’s animals look miniature.
Bones of giant anacondas found in Venezuela. Here's what scientists discovered when they pieced them together
A new study has revealed South America’s wetlands have been home to 5.2m-long anacondas for more than 12 million years…
Mega-shark remains found on beach in Australia. Experts say it was absolutely massive
After examining the fossils, scientists think the huge prehistoric predator would have measured up to eight metres in length and weighed significantly more than today's great white sharks.
Which animals were the first to lock lips and kiss? Scientists astounded by evidence of kissing long before humans
According to a recent study, our ancestors have been smooching for more than 21 million years…
Enormous hoard of black dinosaur bones discovered in Transylvania. That's not all that was found
The newly discovered bonebed contained more than 800 vertebrate fossils, belonging to at least 17 species, including dinosaurs, pterosaurs, crocodiles and turtles.
One of the biggest fish ever, this deadly prehistoric killer was the size of a small car, had lethal jaws that resembled a guillotine and the biting power of a T rex
This prehistoric arachnid monster was the size of a house cat with a deadly sting in its tail...
You wouldn't want to come across one of these in the woods
It might look like a dinosaur but this remarkable new discovery is actually a fearsome, deadly prehistoric crocodile that's even older than dinosaurs
Meet a prehistoric ancestor of today's crocodiles
Soft tissue of 40,000-year-old Siberian mammoth offers astonishing glimpse into final moments of its life
For the first time ever, scientists have successfully extracted RNA from a woolly mammoth, with analysis supporting suggestions the Ice Age animal was attacked by cave lions shortly before his death.
“A mouse can’t be ‘stretched out’ to the size of an elephant.” How to make the largest animal that could ever live – according to an evolutionary biologist
Supersized animals should not be taken for granted – Earth’s great, hulking giants are biological phenomenons
When scientists sent drones into Dinosaur Provincial Park, they made a remarkable discovery
What the drones found in the rugged and remote Canadian hills could "revolutionise how palaeontologists search for fossils," say scientists
Before they shrunk: 6 huge prehistoric ancestors of animals you know today
Long before evolution downsized them, these giant prehistoric ancestors roamed the Earth, giving rise to the animals we know today.
Formidable crocodile-like predator discovered in Egyptian desert
Fossils of the four-metre-long prehistoric crocodile were found in the sun-baked Western Desert.
10 petrifying, huge prehistoric beasts that would have utterly terrified early man, from a 3-metre tall primate to massive deadly eagles and the infamous Smilodon
Our time on this planet has been relatively short, yet in this time we’ve come face to face with some of Earth’s most infamous beasts. From giant cats with canines the size of our forearms to killer eagles capable of snatching children, here are 10 creatures that would have made our ancestors run away in terror…
100-year-old mystery of Wyoming’s duck-billed dinosaur ‘mummies’ finally solved
A new study has revealed the exceptionally preserved skin, spikes and hooves of Wyoming’s famous duck-billed dinosaur ‘mummies’ aren’t fossilised flesh, but rather clay moulds formed by microorganisms during decay.
10 horrifying, prehistoric sea monsters: Discover menacing, deadly creatures that once ruled our oceans – and be glad they don't live today...
The seas have been home to some monstrous creatures over the course of the last 500 million years. Here are 10 that you’ll be glad are long extinct…
Rare 'sword dragon' with bite marks on skull found on UK coast. Experts know what killed it
After more than 20 years gathering dust in the bowels of a museum, an ichthyosaur skeleton from the UK’s Jurassic Coast has finally been studied and identified as a new species.
10 gigantic, deadly, prehistoric insects – from acid-spaying ants to cat-sized scorpions – that are among the most terrifying bugs that have ever lived
Entomophobes look away now! Here are some of the largest, deadliest, and most terrifying bugs to ever live…
Exquisite dome-headed dinosaur unearthed in Mongolian desert is oldest ever found
The skull of the newly described dinosaur species was found “exposed on a cliff like a cabochon jewel” in the Eastern Gobi Desert.
"Our hearts stopped": scientists unearth 150-million-year-old animals in Germany. Post-mortem reveals violent thing that killed them
Analysis of two exquisitely preserved baby pterosaurs fossils shows both animals had a broken wing when they died.
1.1-million-year-old mammoth discovered in Siberian wilderness. What scientists find in its DNA has got them excited
A groundbreaking study has shed new light on the microbiomes of mammoths by examining hundreds of remains, including those of a steppe mammoth found near the Adycha River in northeastern Russia.