What are the different types of dinosaurs found in the dinosaur family tree? What makes these ancient reptiles different from the lizards and snakes we see today? And what features do they share with the living dinosaurs—birds? Find out in the latest video on our YouTube channel!
Welcome back to Trilobite Tuesday! Every trilobite fossil tells a story, including this large 6.7-in- (17-cm-) long Ectinaspis. Notice the coral branch on the upper-left corner? Such specimens provide insight into the marine environments in which trilobites, like this one, inhabited during the Paleozoic Era.
Welcome back to Trilobite Tuesday! Did you know? Eldredgeops is a Devonian genus named in honor of Museum Curator Emeritus Niles Eldredge. These trilobites, which are some of the most common and popular in the world, are best-known from a quarry in Sylvania, Ohio. The specimen pictured is from a quarry in Milan, Michigan; the larger trilobite is 2.8 in (7.1 cm) long.
Ammonites were some of the most diverse organisms in the ancient ocean. The Museum holds one of the world’s largest collections of ammonites, containing nearly two million specimens that represent 300 million years of Earth’s history!
Research alert! New insights into mammalian tooth, jaw, and ear evolution, gleaned from analyzing fossils of two Jurassic-era mammal species from China, are reshaping how scientists think about early mammals. This research, led by scientists at the Museum and the Chinese Academy of Sciences, focuses on two new species of fossil mammals—Feredocodon chowi and Dianoconodon youngi—that offer new evidence about early mammalian evolution.
“Scientists have been trying to understand how the mammalian middle ear evolved since Darwin’s time,” said Jin Meng, a curator in the Museum’s Division of Paleontology and a corresponding author on both papers. “These new fossils bring to light a critical missing link and enrich our understanding of the gradual evolution of the mammalian middle ear.”
Image: Chuang Zhao
It’s Trilobite Tuesday! Pictured is a rare, complete example of a trilobite of the genus Radiaspis. This 2-in- (5.1-cm-) long specimen was found in the Jorf Devonian outcrops of eastern Morocco. It took more than 30 hours to free this spinose critter from the surrounding limestone matrix.
Join us on Monday, October 23, for a fascinating discussion with paleontologists from around the world on the latest in dinosaur research. Discover what it means to be a paleontologist or paleobiologist working today, and how these scientists got into the field. Hear about their experiences on Museum expeditions and how their investigations continue to shed light on the interrelationships of major dinosaur lines, new molecular signatures in the evolution of dinosaurs, and more. Don't miss out on this dynamic gathering of experts in the field!
This panel will be moderated by the Museum’s Macaulay Curator of Paleontology Roger Benson; panelists will include Kimberely Chapelle, Diego Pol, and Jasmina Weimann.
For more details and to reserve tickets, visit: https://bit.ly/3Qf4rqX
This Fossil Friday, let’s travel back to the Triassic to meet the mighty Prestosuchus chiniquensis. With large claws, a huge head, and sharp-toothed jaws, you might think this animal was a dinosaur. But, Prestosuchus was actually closely related to crocodylomorphs, a group that includes living crocs and their extinct relatives! At around 20 ft (6 m) long and 900 lbs (408 kg), Prestosuchus was one of the most formidable predators of its time—inhabiting what is now modern-day Brazil some 210 million years ago. Photo: Image no. ptc-6435 © AMNH (circa 1996) #amnh #museum #fossils #fossilfriday #paleontology #paleoart https://www.instagram.com/p/CqdKaLmrbNk/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=
What a croc! 🐊 This Fossil Friday, let’s take a bite out of the weekend with Deinosuchus—a giant crocodilian that lived alongside the dinosaurs some 75 million years ago. Reaching lengths of more than 35 feet (10.7 m) and weighing more than 8,000 lbs (3628.7 kg), Deinosuchus was as long as a school bus and as heavy as an elephant, making it one of the most powerful predators in its ecosystem. In fact, partially healed bite marks found on the bones of a tyrannosaur in North America match this giant croc’s teeth, suggesting Deinosuchus could go toe to toe with even the most formidable of dinosaurs. This image is a historical reconstruction from 1942 and is not representative of current size estimates. Photo: Image no. 318634 © AMNH Library #paleontology #fossils #dinosaurs #fossilfriday #amnh #museum https://www.instagram.com/p/CqLMKD5M5cW/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=
Have you ever heard of the “luck of the Irish?” ☘️ Well, this deer didn’t have it. Meet the Irish Elk, Megaloceros giganteus. It was originally discovered in bog deposits in Ireland. Once ranging from western Europe to China, this animal went extinct during the Pleistocene some 10,000 years ago. It was one of the largest known species of deer, weighing up to 1,500 pounds (680 kg). Its antlers, which could reach an incredible 13-foot- (4-m-) spread, were used in ritualized combat between males. Photo: M. Pelczar © AMNH #paleontology #fossils #history #naturalhistory #museum #amnh https://www.instagram.com/p/Cp5Kk0PL_7Y/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=
It’s a bird! It’s a plane! It’s… a dinosaur? Nope to all of the above. This Fossil Friday, let’s talk about pterosaurs—the first animals after insects to evolve powered flight. Though they were related to dinosaurs, pterosaurs evolved on a separate branch of the reptile family tree. They ruled the skies for more than 150 million years, evolving into dozens of different species. Some were as small as a paper airplane while others, like Pteranodon pictured here in the Museum's Hall of Late Dinosaurs circa 1940-1960, had a wingspan of more than 20 feet (6 m). Photo: Image no. ptc-217 © AMNH Library #fossils #paleontology #dinosaurs #science #museum #amnh https://www.instagram.com/p/CpnOox-r0-w/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=
Happy Fossil Friday! With sharp teeth, long legs, and sickle claws, Deinonychus antirrhopus was likely a formidable predator. This dinosaur, which could reach lengths of about 7 feet (2.1 m) from nose to tail, lived during the Early Cretaceous, some 107 million years ago. It belonged to a group of dinosaurs called maniraptors, or “hand-robbers.” Its hands and feet were equipped with sharp claws for catching and grasping prey. Like modern day birds, Deinonychus had hollow bones. Fun fact: The Deinonychus on display in the Museum is a real fossil skeleton—and the only one of its kind on display anywhere in the world! Photo: E. Louis © AMNH #dinosaurs #paleontology #fossils #museum #amnh https://www.instagram.com/p/CoxIGTyNZMw/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=
Who’s up for a game of hide-and-seek this Trilobite Tuesday? Pictured is Arctinurus boltoni, a 420-million-year-old trilobite from the Rochester Shale Quarry of New York. It’s preserved alongside a crinoid—a marine organism that used feather-like arms to catch drifting food particles. Though they resemble plants, crinoids are actually animals. The proximity of these two ancient organisms, frozen together in time, makes for some interesting speculation. Could this trilobite have been hiding behind a crinoid? And if so, why? #fossils #paleontology #trilobite #scienceisforeveryone #amnh https://www.instagram.com/p/CoFbfbaLoBw/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=
🛡️This #FossilFriday, get to know Scutosaurus karpinskii, or the “shield lizard!” 🦎It lived about 253 million years ago during the Late Permian. Scutosaurus is one of the pareiasaurs, a group of early sauropsids that were probably related to the smaller procolophonids. The pareiasaurs had spikes and thickened knobs around the skull. Their teeth were simple pegs, presumably adapted for eating plants. Pareiasaur fossils have been found in Africa, Europe, and Asia. Spot this one in the Museum’s Hall of Vertebrate Origins! Photo: E. Louis/ © AMNH #amnh #NaturalHistory #fossils #paleontology #Scutosaurus #dyk #museums #nyc #uws (at American Museum of Natural History) https://www.instagram.com/p/Cki6zL6u-3n/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=
🐢If you ever wanted to see a turtle with cow-like horns and a large, bony tail club, you can find one in the Museum’s Hall of Vertebrate Origins! 🦴This #FossilFriday, get acquainted with Meiolania platyceps. It lived about 120,000 years ago, during the Late Pleistocene and was discovered on Lord Howe Island, a volcanic island about 400 miles (643 kilometers) from Australia. Specimens have also been found in Cenozoic rocks in South America, Australia, and on Pacific islands. #AnimalFacts #NaturalHistory #nature #turtles #fossils #paleontology #museums (at American Museum of Natural History) https://www.instagram.com/p/Cikm2C3rXGW/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=
Happy #FossilFriday! A close evolutionary cousin of the famous horned dinosaur Triceratops, Styracosaurus had a husky body, with stout legs supporting a barrel-chested torso. It also had huge spikes sticking out from its frill, the bony collar that projects rearward from the skull. See Styracosaurus up close in the Museum’s Hall of Ornithischian Dinosaurs! Photo: E. Louis/ © AMNH #fossils #paleontology #dinosaurs #amnh #nyc (at American Museum of Natural History) https://www.instagram.com/p/CiSR8WirQG_/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=
🐟Here's a ferocious fossil fish for #FossilFriday: Xiphactinus audax. It lived during the Late Cretaceous some 85 million years ago. Xiphactinus and its relatives were large predators with strong jaws and many teeth. 🌊It swam in the great inland sea that covered most of North America at the end of the Age of Dinosaurs. Pictured is a skeleton cast that’s suspended from the ceiling of the Museum’s Hall of Vertebrate Origins—and a fossil specimen of this fish is on display in a case beneath it. The Museum is open daily from 10 am–5:30 pm. Plan your trip! Photo: E. Louis/© AMNH #AnimalFacts #fish #dyk #fossils #AncientAnimals #Cretaceous #amnh #museums #AncientOcean (at American Museum of Natural History) https://www.instagram.com/p/CiAWWpJgu-Q/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=
