What happens when a species has not been seen by anyone for decades? Environmentalists think of these as "lost species." We do not know if they've gone extinct, or if it's simply that nobody has looked for them.
Body coverings such as hair and feathers have played a central role in evolution. They enabled warm-bloodedness by insulating the body, and were used for courtship, display, deterrence of enemies and, in the case of feathers, ...
Over the past 100,000 years, Australia and New Guinea's large animal communities have been disrupted by extinctions and invasive species, altering entire ecosystems and threatening the conservation of remaining species.
Beneath the scales of Australia's iconic monitor lizards (commonly known as goannas), scientists have discovered an unexpected secret: a hidden layer of bony skin structures known as osteoderms. These structures, which have ...
An ancient leg bone uncovered in Africa might provide a step forward in understanding how dinosaurs and their close relatives evolved.
A new study has uncovered evidence that a giant marine reptile from the Early Jurassic period used stealth to hunt its prey in deep or dark waters—much like owls on land today.
Animal behavior and cognition experts at the University of Lincoln, U.K., have made new discoveries about reptile sentience which could reshape how they are cared for in captivity.
A Smithsonian-led team of researchers have discovered North America's oldest known pterosaur, the winged reptiles that lived alongside dinosaurs and were the first vertebrates to evolve powered flight.
Paleontologists have identified a new ancient reptile from the Solnhofen limestone slabs, thanks to a chance discovery. A Ph.D. student recently found the counterpart of the original fossil at the Natural History Museum in ...
For over a century, scientists have puzzled over a fundamental mystery in our evolutionary history: how did mammals go from sprawling like lizards to striding like cats and dogs? This transition—from a sprawled stance (like ...
