Prehistoric life
Is this the world's most gruesome – and unluckiest – death? Ancient human attacked by two deadly predators at once
As far as gruesome, prehistoric deaths go, none are worse than the death experienced by a Homo habilis known as OH 7.
10 gruesome deaths preserved as fossils: Nature’s most brutal final moments frozen in time
To become a fossil, an animal has to die. However, not all deaths are equal and some are a lot more gruesome than others…
Any animals standing within 1,500km of the impact would have been instantly vaporised: 10 terrible times to be alive
Over the course of its 4.5-billion-year history, the Earth has witnessed its fair share of terrible times…
“Everything is bigger in Texas”: fossil hunters unearth 'giant' animal in Big Bend National Park
Palaeontologists say the ancient remains belong to the largest Palaeocene marsupial ever found in North America.
10 fearsome prehistoric dogs that roamed the Earth millions of years ago: Are these the deadliest canine hunters of all time?
They may be closely related to today’s domestic dogs, but you certainly wouldn’t want to pet these extinct canids… Meet 10 deadly prehistoric dogs
Was this the largest, deadliest and most terrifying wolf of all time?
Once feared across Ice Age America, dire wolves were bone-crushing predators.
From a car-sized millipede and armoured worms to the spider-scorpion ‘hybrid’ – these are the weirdest prehistoric creepy crawlies
If you thought there were some strange bugs living today, wait until you meet these oddballs from prehistory…
Why ancient 'goblin' bones found in Utah are a truly monstrous discovery
The skeletal remains of a strange-looking animal were dug up in southern Utah in 2005 – palaeontologists just worked out what they belonged to...
Is this the most dangerous birth in prehistoric oceans?
BBC computer-animated footage reveals one of the deadliest births in the ancient oceans of the Jurassic
100-million-year-old fossil found INSIDE belly of gigantic dinosaur in Australian desert
In a world-first discovery, fossilised gut contents from a sauropod reveal what these enormous dinosaurs ate.
83 whale bone tools pulled from Bay of Biscay caves are oldest ever discovered
New research, based or remains found in Spain and France, shows ancient humans used whale bones as tools as far back as 20,000 years.
Many prehistoric animals – especially dinosaurs – were absolutely enormous. A scientist explains why they were so darn big
The Earth has always been home to giants, but during prehistory there were a lot more giants than there are today - why is that?
"Exceptional" stegosaur skull unearthed in Spanish crop field stuns dinosaur scientists
It's the most complete stegosaur skull ever found in Europe and offers fresh insight into the evolution and diversity of these iconic plated dinosaurs.
The biggest-ever penguin was a prehistoric monster that weighed as much as a sumo wrestler
Tipping the scales at nearly 160kg, Kumimanu is by far the largest penguin that has ever lived and heavier even than today’s largest living bird, the common ostrich…
How old is life on Earth? Well, it depends on what you mean by 'life'
Ever wondered how old life on Earth is? Well, it depends on your definition of 'life', says Will Newton
Are humans really descended from fish?
Our evolutionary origins can be traced far back through Earth’s long history, but are we really related to those strange fish that crawled out of water 375 million years ago?
What is the largest shark of all time? Meet the ocean giant with a bite force ten times stronger than a great white
Ever wondered what the largest shark of all time is? Will Newton take a look at the evidence
What was the first ever shark? Meet the prehistoric predator that survived five mass extinctions
Sharks are one of the greatest modern day apex predators – but what was the first shark? And was it just as terrifying as we find them today?
"Stunned" fossil hunters just found the oldest ever reptile footprints on a riverbank in Australia
The incredible discovery rewrites the history of when animals evolved to live on land, say experts.
It's only 15cm long, looks like a weird mouse, outlived the dinosaurs – and humans are descended from it
Meet the tiny mammal that survived the dino-killing asteroid to became our earliest ancestor
10 deadly, utterly terrifying prehistoric fish
The saying ‘there’s always a bigger fish’ rings particularly true when looking at these monsters from prehistory…
"It's like a renaissance": tooth of enormous ancient predator found on Caribbean roadside
The fossil – which belonged to a crocodile-like carnivore that grew up to six metres long, armed with sharp teeth and bony armour – changes our understanding of the Caribbean's ancient ecosystems, say scientists.
"Extremely rare event": why an ancient bone found at Dinosaur Cove in Australia has got evolution scientists so excited
The small bone was discovered 30 years ago, but it wasn't until now that its significance was fully understood.
This fossilised 'hell ant' found in a Brazilian museum has been hiding a mighty secret
Experts say the 113-million-year-old fossil is the oldest ant specimen ever discovered.