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A newly discovered reptile that lived 250 million years ago even before the dinosaurs has been named after a Lord of the Rings character. The new species, called Elessaurus gondwanoccidens, was discovered among rocky deposits not far from the Argentina border. E. gondwanoccidens is named after the Elvish name (Elessar) of Aragorn from Lord of … Read more
Two hawks from different species mated to create a rare hybrid, baffling experts who say the cross would be similar to a house cat coupling with a jaguar Researchers in Sonoma County observed two distant hawk species procreate The hawks were not just different species but entirely different genera Other animals sometimes mate across species … Read more
A new species from the prehistoric group of flying reptiles known as pterosaurs has been found in Morocco by British scientists. The new species, named Afrotapjara zouhrii, belongs to a group of pterosaurs called tapejarids from the Cretaceous period, between 145 million years and 66 million years ago. Tapejarids were small to medium-sized pterosaurs with … Read more
A spider that resembles Vincent van Gogh’s famous ‘Starry Night’ painting has been discovered in Australia. This male, named Maratus constellatus, is no more than four millimeters in length and was spotted in the Little Desert National Park. The colorful arachnid is one of seven new species of Peacock spiders, which are tiny, harmless creatures … Read more
Dragons of the desert: Scientists discover three new species of flying reptiles that lived in the Sahara more than 100 million years ago Professor David Martill, a palaeontologist at University of Portsmouth, led study It revealed a community of pterosaurs that inhabited prehistoric Morocco Identified from chunks of jaws and teeth and had wingspans of … Read more
New species of flying reptile with spiked teeth discovered that formed part of an ancient river ecosystem in the Sahara 100 million years ago Pterosaurs lived in a river ecosystem in the Sahara and caught fish in the air The flying reptile species had a wingspan of up to 13 feet and spiked teeth They … Read more
It’s a butterfly high! Half of Britain’s best-loved species see numbers increase as warmer summers boost caterpillar growth rates The warm spring and summer is believed to have helped caterpillars grow faster It was also wet enough to provide plenty of wildflower leaves to munch Latest figures collected by more than 2,500 volunteers across the … Read more
53 different species of fish are at elevated risk of extinction thanks to cattle farms around the Colorado River basin, which have depleted the region’s freshwater supplies to grow water-hungry feed crops like alfalfa A new study shows cattle farms are responsible for 55 percent of the water taken from the Colorado River every year … Read more
Newly discovered differences in red panda genes reveal there may actually be TWO different species – and it could affect conservation efforts A new study sheds light on genetic differences between regional red pandas It suggests red pandas in Sichuan and the Hiamalyas may be different species Findings may also have implications on conservation efforts … Read more
Wonky skull of five-metre-long Styracosaurus named ‘Hannah’ with a fan of long horns leads scientists to question previous theory that all dinosaurs had symmetrical faces The intact Styracosaurus skull has wonky horns and was discovered in Canada Asymmetrical face suggests more morphological variability than thought Scientists fear incomplete skulls have been mistakenly classed as new species … Read more