Prehistoric life
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.
"We’ve never seen anything like this in any animal before": why this armoured dinosaur is one of the strangest ever discovered
A team of scientists working in Morocco have discovered more bones belonging to the bizarre armoured dinosaur Spicomellus…
Huge dinosaur-eating 'hypercarnivore' as heavy as a grizzly bear discovered in Argentina
The remains of the massive crocodile relative – which may have grown up to 3.5 metres long and weighed as much as 250 kilograms – were found in southern Patagonia.
Fossil hunters find nervous system of ancient predator in North Greenland
Researchers say the remarkable fossils – which also contain digestive systems and muscles – help solve a 500-million-year-old puzzle surrounding the squid-like creature.
This prehistoric sea monster was the size of a car, weighed the same as a rhino, had a deadly hooked beak for tearing flesh and swam alongside plesiosaurs
The prehistoric giant that wasn't a whale or a shark
Is the human race truly one species or the lovechild of various prehistoric hook-ups? Just how interbred are we?
Wooly rhinos, rock-climbing snow sloths and sabre-toothed tigers: Everything you need to know about Apple's new prehistoric TV series
Apple TV's award-winning natural history series is back – and this time, we're meeting prehistoric sub-zero giants
Man finds remains of "little whale with big eyes and a mouth full of slicing teeth" in Australia
The 26-million-year-old fossil – comprising part of a skull with ear bones and teeth – was found on the coast of Victoria in 2019. A new study reveals exactly what the remains are.
In 1978, palaeontologists unearthed an ancient sea reptile from a German quarry. They've only just realised its significance
Researchers have found a new species of prehistoric marine creature that lived alongside the dinosaurs – almost 50 years after its fossil was first dug up.
Dinosaur scientists test bite strength of 18 prehistoric predators. Here's what they discover
New research reveals tyrannosaurs had powerful crushing bites, while other carnivorous giants evolved lighter skulls designed for ripping and slashing.
Mega volcanoes, asteroid impacts and global cooling: The five deadly mass extinctions that changed life on Earth as we know it forever
What is a mass extinction – and how many of them have there been? Will Newton takes a look the 'big five' extinction events
It turns out we aren't as unique as we think we are: Here are 5 ancient human species that once lived alongside us
We may be the only human species alive today, but just a few hundred thousand years ago there was a remarkable diversity of humans living across the world…
Why half-a-billion-year-old animals unearthed in Grand Canyon have got evolution experts so excited
The astounding collection of soft-bodied Cambrian fossils was found buried in the walls of the vast US canyon.
Dinosaur hunters make “chilling” discovery deep in Canadian badlands
Palaeontologists find remarkable set of dinosaur footprints – including those of two large tyrannosaurs – at Dinosaur Provincial Park in Alberta.
5 ancient human species that lived BEFORE us: Meet the prehistoric pioneers who changed history forever
We're not the first species of ‘human’ to walk the Earth; thousands of years before us there was a rich diversity of hominins…
11 gruesome cannibal animals: Discover the surprising creatures that feast on their own kind
It may seem gruesome, but many animals have been recorded feeding on their own species. Here are 11 cannibalistic animals, including some that might surprise you.