Paleontologists say they've uncovered the fossil of a creature that lived 240 million years ago and, according to one scientist, closely resembled the "mythical Chinese dragon."
Plesiosaur fossils discovered in the Sahara imply that they were not exclusively aquatic creatures. Small plesiosaur fossils, long-necked marine reptiles from the dinosaur era, were found in the Sahara Desert of Morocco, a 100 million year old river system. This finding shows that some plesiosaur species may have resided in freshwater, previously believed to be marine creatures.
The two-meter skull of the earliest known species of giant ichthyosaur sheds new light on the marine reptiles' rapid growth into behemoths of the Dinosaurian oceans. It helps us better understand the journey of modern cetaceans (whales and dolphins) to become the largest animals ever to inhabit the Earth.
One of the most intact dinosaur embryos ever discovered lies snuggled beneath the dimpled surface of the ancient egg, according to scientists in the journal iScience this week.