paleontology

Marine reptiles called Ichthyosaurs existed millions of years ago within a vast ocean that surrounded the supercontinent known as Pangea. They had streamlined bodies adapted for swift movement in aquatic environments.

Researchers say they have identified a new subspecies thought to be an older and more primitive relative of the Tyrannosaurus rex.

The shrinking shoreline of Lake Powell has revealed a wonder: an extraordinary collection of fossil bones from the Early Jurassic period that offers a glimpse into the life of a now-extinct creature called a tritylodontid.

A field crew documenting fossil tracksites along a stretch of Lake Powell has discovered a bonebed of extremely rare fossils from the early Jurassic period. This marks the first tritylondontid grouping found in the Navajo Sandstone in Utah’s Glen Canyon National Recreation Area.

A remarkable science project is underway at Petrified Forest National Park to uncover the forgotten creatures of the Triassic period. It’s a time best known as the dawn of the dinosaurs, but frogs, lizards, and other small animals have their origins in the Triassic, too. Discovering their story requires microscopes, tweezers and a keen eye for the secrets of the past.

Among the strangest creatures on earth are the Caecilians, a group of worm-like amphibians that live out their lives underground without the need of legs and eyes. They can swim through mud like eels, and mothers care for their babies by feeding them the slime off their backs.

The Grand Canyon was full of wondrous creatures during the last Ice Age, including enormous ground sloths and soaring condors. Now, scientists say they can add an unexpected animal to the list: the American cheetah.

In 2014, paleontologists found an incredible fossil site in Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument in southern Utah. It contained hundreds of tyrannosaurs, hadrosaurs, freshwater turtles, fish, flying reptiles, and more, locked in rock 76 million years old.

An important dinosaur site that has fallen into neglect would be protected as Utah’s 45th state park under a measure being proposed in the state…