The Cretaceous is a geologic period spanning approximately 145 to 66 million years ago, forming the final period of the Mesozoic Era. It is characterized by high eustatic sea levels, extensive epicontinental seas, and a warm greenhouse climate with minimal polar ice. Tectonically, it saw continued breakup of Pangea, expansion of the Atlantic Ocean, and major episodes of oceanic plateau and large igneous province formation. Biologically, it is marked by diversification of angiosperms, complex marine plankton communities, and dominant non-avian dinosaurs, and it terminates at the Cretaceous–Paleogene boundary, defined globally by a mass extinction horizon and an iridium-rich layer.
An international team of researchers, led by paleontologists of the University of Liège, has investigated the biting capabilities of extinct predatory marine reptiles, revealing how these formidable predators could coexist ...
Paleontology & Fossils
Apr 3, 2026
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The mass extinction at the boundary between the Cretaceous and Paleogene periods was catastrophic, wiping out much of life on Earth. Vertebrate groups that dominated at the time, such as dinosaurs and many large marine reptiles, ...
Evolution
Mar 25, 2026
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A major gap in South Korea's prehistoric record has been filled with the discovery of Onggwanoolithus aphaedoensis, the first known bird-type dinosaur eggs from the Cretaceous period of South Korea. The find, which is detailed ...
The oceans of the Cretaceous of North America teemed with life. Gigantic fish and enormous marine reptiles hunted the Western Interior Sea. A unique new fossil demonstrates rare evidence of direct conflict between these apex ...
Paleontology & Fossils
Mar 13, 2026
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Tyrannosaurus rex is one of the most recognizable names of the dinosaur world, a hulking and terrifying meat-eating behemoth. While fossil remains have been extensively studied, not much is known about its family history ...
A research team led by Dr. Márton Rabi from the Biogeology Department of the University of Tübingen, together with Máté Szegszárdi and Professor Attila Ősi from the Hungarian Eötvös Loránd University, is challenging the hypothesis ...
Ecology
Mar 5, 2026
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431
Earth experienced a period of intense, large-scale volcanism during the early Aptian. Around that time, it also experienced widespread ocean deoxygenation during the Oceanic Anoxic Event 1a (OAE1a) as well as the onset of ...
Earth Sciences
Mar 4, 2026
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New minuscule fossils of Purgatorius, the earliest-known relative of all primates—including humans—have been unearthed in a more southern region of North America than ever before, and the breakthrough is providing paleontologists ...
Evolution
Mar 3, 2026
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In a study published in Historical Biology, Dr. Mohammed Naimi and his colleagues report the discovery of the first plesiosaurian remains from Algeria. Additionally, the fossil, dated to the Late Coniacian, is one of only ...
Powerful, fierce and the king of the Cretaceous world, Tyrannosaurus rex was the ultimate apex predator. But it was also surprisingly dainty on its feet, according to new research. Findings published in the journal Royal ...
