Newly discovered / described fossil species 2021

September 03, 2020: News flash people, Jason Statham lied to you. Is this our most anatomically accurate look at megalodon (Otodus megalodon) yet?

• Study: Body dimensions of the extinct giant shark Otodus megalodon : a 2D reconstruction | Scientific Reports
• Article: Scientists Reconstruct Body Dimensions of Megalodon | Paleontology | Sci-News.com

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@Hipporex Do you really think this recent life restoration of Megalodon is really that accurate?

 

@Matthew Guimac Catalina Pimiento was involved in this study and she is a true expert on the megalodon, so I trust the conclusions.

 

Every non-avian dinosaur genus named in 2020:

 

August 28, 2020: New species of 6.4-million-year-old colobine monkey from China (Mesopithecus pentelicus).

Study: Oldest colobine calcaneus from East Asia (Zhaotong, Yunnan, China) - ScienceDirect
Article: Fossils of 6.4-Million-Year-Old Monkey Found in China | Paleontology | Sci-News.com (sci-news.com)

September 10, 2020: New pterosaur species that had likely used its beak to probe dirt and mud for hidden prey (Leptostomia begaaensis).

Study: A long-billed, possible probe-feeding pterosaur (Pterodactyloidea: ?Azhdarchoidea) from the mid-Cretaceous of Morocco, North Africa - ScienceDirect
Article: Small Pterosaur from Mid-Cretaceous Period Had Adaptations for Sediment Probing | Paleontology | Sci-News.com (sci-news.com)

October 22, 2020: Study shows two Chinese membrane-winged dinosaurs sucked at gliding.

Study: Aerodynamics Show Membrane-Winged Theropods Were a Poor Gliding Dead-end: iScience (cell.com)
Article: Membrane-Winged Dinosaurs Yi and Ambopteryx were Poor Gliders | Paleontology | Sci-News.com (sci-news.com)

 

December 16, 2020: New species (Messelopython freyi) shows pythons could be found in Europe as early as 48 million years ago.

Study: Pythons in the Eocene of Europe reveal a much older divergence of the group in sympatry with boas | Biology Letters (royalsocietypublishing.org)
Article: Pythons Lived in Europe as Early as 48 Million Years Ago | Featured, Paleontology | Sci-News.com (sci-news.com)

December 2020: Saber-toothed cat Smilodon had a unique growth strategy that combined a growth rate that is similar to a tiger and the extended growth period of a lion.

Study: Smilodon fatalis siblings reveal life history in a saber-toothed cat (cell.com)
Article: Saber-Toothed Tigers Had Unique Growth Strategy among Big Cats | Paleontology | Sci-News.com (sci-news.com)

January 13, 2021: The dire wolf was not a member of the genus Canis and is now considered a species within the genus Aenocyon.

Study: Dire wolves were the last of an ancient New World canid lineage | Nature
Article: Dire Wolves Split from Living Canids 5.7 Million Years Ago: Study | Genetics, Paleontology | Sci-News.com (sci-news.com)

 

January 7, 2021: Study finds humans feeding leftover lean meat to wolves during harsh winters may have had a role in the early domestication of dogs

Study: Excess protein enabled dog domestication during severe Ice Age winters | Scientific Reports (nature.com)
Article: Sharing Leftover Meat Enabled Dog Domestication during Harsh Ice Age Winters: Study | Paleontology | Sci-News.com (sci-news.com)

January 19, 2021: Study reconstructs the butthole of the ceratopsian dinosaur Psittacosaurus.

Study: A cloacal opening in a non-avian dinosaur: Current Biology (cell.com)
Article: Paleontologists Reconstruct Cloacal Opening of Non-Avian Dinosaur | Paleontology | Sci-News.com (sci-news.com)

January 20, 2021: New family, genus, and species of Cretaceous beetle family found in a piece of mid-Cretaceous amber from northern Myanmar. The sole specie, Cretophengodes azari, had a light-producing organ on the abdomen which presumably served a defensive function.

Study: Cretophengodidae, a new Cretaceous beetle family, sheds light on the evolution of bioluminescence | Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences (royalsocietypublishing.org)
Article: 99-Million-Year-Old Bioluminescent Beetle Found Preserved in Amber | Paleontology | Sci-News.com (sci-news.com)

 

I have just seen this study from July 2020 about the fossil species recorded in the Oltet River Valley of Romania from the early Pleistocene.

Animals found include several species of deer, bovids, a giraffid (Mitilanotherium), a pig, horses, rhinoceros, canids (including the raccoon dog Nyctereutes megamastoides), a badger, a bear, hyenas, as many as five cat species (two sabre-tooth cats - Homotherium and Meganteron, a lynx Lynx issiodorensis, a cougar Puma pardoides and possibly the giant cheetah Acinonyx pardinensis), the large monkey Paradolichopithecus, a crested porcupine, both the giant and modern Eurasian beaver, turtles and birds (including the giant ostrich Pachystruthio).

For me, the most interesting find was that a pangolin formerly referred to as Manis cf. hungarica was actually found to be from the modern African ground pangolin genus Smutsia - this animal was intermediate in size between the Temminck's ground and giant pangolins and is currently referred to as Smutsia sp. nov. with additional descriptions forthcoming.

The full paper is included here:
Early Pleistocene fauna of the Olteţ River Valley of Romania: Biochronological and biogeographic implications - ScienceDirect

 

Description of the earliest-known fossil primate species, Purgatorius mckeeveri, from the early Paleocene of northeastern Montana. The species lived just after the extinction of the non-avian dinosaurs.

The Leakey Foundation | Earliest-known fossil primate discovered in Montana
Oldest known euarchontan tarsals and affinities of Paleocene Purgatorius to Primates

 

A new 95 million year old fossilised cartilaginous fish referred to as the 'eagle shark' or Aquilolomna milarcae has been discovered in northeastern Mexico. No teeth were found with the fossil but the shape of its body and its thin six-foot long pectoral fins suggest it was probably a slow-moving filter feeder.

An article, with artist impressions, is included below:
Discovery of a 95-Million-Year-Old 'Eagle Shark' Fossil Makes Waves | Smart News | Smithsonian Magazine

 

May 20, 2021: Two new species of horse-like mammals (Leptolophus cuestai and Leptolophus franzeni) that lived in Spain.

Study: Full article: New Leptolophus (Palaeotheriidae) species from the Iberian Peninsula and early evidence of hypsodonty in an Eocene perissodactyl (tandfonline.com)
Article: Several Species of Pseudo-Horses Lived in Spain 37 Million Years Ago | Paleontology | Sci-News.com

June 17, 2021: New species of giant hornless rhinoceros (Paraceratherium linxiaense) that lived in northwestern China.

Study: An Oligocene giant rhino provides insights into Paraceratherium evolution | Communications Biology (nature.com)
Article: Fossils of New Giant Rhino Species Found in China | Paleontology | Sci-News.com

July 7, 2021: New species of hadrosauroid dinosaur (Portellsaurus sosbaynati) from Spain.

Study: A new styracosternan hadrosauroid (Dinosauria: Ornithischia) from the Early Cretaceous of Portell, Spain (plos.org)
Article: New Dinosaur Species Identified in Spain | Paleontology | Sci-News.com

 

Meet the prehistoric eagle that ruled Australian forests 25 million years ago

The parched deserts of the South Australian outback were once a rainforest filled with a rich variety of birds and animals. Now, thanks to a new fossil discovery, we know the apex predator of this lush ecosystem was a newly discovered eagle that lived 25 million years ago.

We discovered the fossil remains of this species, named Archaehierax sylvestris, in prehistoric sediments at Lake Pinpa, 400 kilometres north of Adelaide.

The fossil, unearthed in March 2016, is described in a newly published paper in the journal Historical Biology.

It is one of the most complete raptor fossils from this time period found anywhere in the world. It comprises 63 bones, which is truly exceptional; most fossil birds are named on the basis of just a single bone.

Meet the prehistoric eagle that ruled Australian forests 25 million years ago

 

Sierraceratops turneri, a new chasmosaurine ceratopsid from the Hall Lake Formation (Upper Cretaceous) of south-central New Mexico

Copy-Pasted below is the abstract of this paper;

"The horned dinosaurs (Ceratopsidae) were a diverse family of herbivorous dinosaurs originating in the Late Cretaceous in western North America (Laramidia). As one of the most species-rich dinosaur groups, their diversity and distribution are important to understanding Cretaceous dinosaur evolution. Ceratopsids have previously been hypothesized to have high levels of endemism despite inhabiting a relatively small land mass with few barriers to dispersal. Here, we document a new chasmosaurine ceratopsid, Sierraceratops turneri gen. et sp. nov., from the Upper Cretaceous (latest Campanian–Maastrichtian) Hall Lake Formation of south-central New Mexico, consistent with the hypothesis that southern Laramidia supported an endemic dinosaur fauna. Sierraceratops is distinguished by its relatively short, robust, and mediolaterally compressed postorbital horns; a flattened medial ridge on the posterior end of the pterygoid; a jugal with pronounced anterior flanges; a long pyramid-shaped epijugal horncore; a D-shaped cross section of the median parietal bar; and a squamosal with a pointed tip and low episquamosal ossifications. Phylogenetic analysis recovers Sierraceratops as sister to Bravoceratops and Coahuilaceratops, part of a clade endemic to the southwestern United States and Mexico. Sierraceratops adds to the diversity and disparity of the Chasmosaurinae in the Late Cretaceous and provides additional evidence for Laramidian endemism. Together with Sierraceratops, the Hall Lake Formation dinosaur fauna suggests that the latest Cretaceous of southern Laramidia was characterized by endemic clades and distinct community structures."

Sierraceratops turneri, a new chasmosaurine ceratopsid from the Hall Lake Formation (Upper Cretaceous) of south-central New Mexico - ScienceDirect

 

Enigmatic Fossils From The Isle of Wight Reveal 2 New Predatory Dinosaurs

Paleontologists in the UK have found bones at the Isle of Wight that they believe belong to two new species of predatory dinosaur.

The bones suggest their owners were both species of spinosaurid – the family of theropods that includes the well-known Spinosaurus genus.

Enigmatic Fossils From The Isle of Wight Reveal 2 New Predatory Dinosaurs

 

New Fossils of Jurassic Ophiurid Brittle Stars (Ophiuroidea; Ophiurida) provide evidence for early Clade Evolution in the Deep Sea; Ophiogojira labadiei, Ophiogojira andreui & Ophioduplantiera noctiluca

Abstract

Understanding of the evolutionary history of the ophiuroids, or brittle stars, is hampered by a patchy knowledge of the fossil record. Especially, the stem members of the living clades are poorly known, resulting in blurry concepts of the early clade evolution and imprecise estimates of divergence ages. Here, we describe new ophiuroid fossil from the Lower Jurassic of France, Luxembourg and Austria and introduce the new taxa Ophiogojira labadiei gen. et sp. nov. from lower Pliensbachian shallow sublittoral deposits, Ophiogojira andreui gen. et sp. nov. from lower Toarcian shallow sublittoral deposits and Ophioduplantiera noctiluca gen. et sp. nov. from late Sinemurian to lower Pliensbachian bathyal deposits. A Bayesian morphological phylogenetic analysis shows that Ophiogojira holds a basal position within the order Ophiurida, whereas Ophioduplantiera has a more crownward position within the ophiurid family Ophiuridae. The position of Ophioduplantiera in the evolutionary tree suggests that family-level divergences within the Ophiurida must have occurred before the late Sinemurian, and that ancient slope environments played an important role in fostering early clade evolution.

Species New to Science: [Paleontology • 2021] New Fossils of Jurassic Ophiurid Brittle Stars (Ophiuroidea; Ophiurida) provide evidence for early Clade Evolution in the Deep Sea; Ophiogojira labadiei, Ophiogojira andreui & Ophioduplantiera noctiluca

 

Fossilised long-legged giant penguin identified as new species

Skeleton found by children in New Zealand helps fill in gaps in natural history

In January 2006 a group of children in summer camp in Waikato, New Zealand, went on a fossil-hunting field trip with a seasoned archaeologist. They kayaked to the upper Kawhia harbour, a hotspot for this sort of activity, and they expected to find fossils of shellfish and the like, as they regularly did on these Hamilton junior naturalist club expeditions.

But on this day, just before heading home, close to where they’d left the kayaks and well below the high tide mark, they noticed a trace of fossils that looked like much more than prehistoric crustaceans. After careful extraction, an archaeologist later identified it as the most complete fossilised skeleton of an ancient giant penguin yet uncovered.

https://amp-theguardian-com.cdn.amp...egged-giant-penguin-identified-as-new-species

 

Raddogceratops?

 

Rodent-Like Mammal from Cretaceous Period Lived in Colonies

Filikomys primaevus, a new genus and species of multituberculate mammal that lived during the Late Cretaceous epoch, has been identified from multi-individual aggregates of skulls and skeletons found at a dinosaur nesting site in Montana, the United States. The well-preserved fossils indicate that Filikomys primaevus engaged in multi-generational, group-nesting and burrowing behavior, representing the first example of social behavior in a Mesozoic mammal

Rodent-Like Mammal from Cretaceous Period Lived in Colonies | Paleontology | Sci-News.com

 

Prehistoric Giant Rat the Size of a Human Discovered in Brazil

An giant rat the size of a human has been found in South America. Thankfully for the squeamish, it wasn’t alive. Archaeologists working at the Acre dig site in the western Brazilian Amazon uncovered 2 fossil skulls – one almost completely preserved, the other a fragment. The creature, named ‘Neoepiblema acreensis’, existed 10 million years ago and has become the focus of a new brain study.

https://lm.facebook.com/l.php?u=htt...fwxlfQ0bJtj8NNnrrrAlEXBVM7qznaVzdSSxZbkGZpN9g

 

Paleontologists discover four-legged whale fossil, name it Phiomicetus anubis after Egypt's god of death

Scientists have discovered a 43 million-year-old fossil of a previously unknown amphibious four-legged whale species in Egypt.

The newly discovered whale belongs to the Protocetidae, a group of extinct whales that falls in the middle of their transition from land to sea, the Egyptian-led team of researchers said in a statement.

Its fossil was unearthed from middle Eocene rocks in the Fayum Depression in Egypt's Western Desert — an area once covered by sea that has provided a rich seam of discoveries showing the evolution of whales — before being studied at Mansoura University Vertebrate Palaeontology Centre (MUVP).

The new whale, named Phiomicetus anubis, had an estimated body length of about 3 metres and a body mass of about 600kg, and was likely a top predator, the researchers said.

Paleontologists discover four-legged whale fossil, name it Phiomicetus anubis after Egypt's god of death

 

New Dinosaur Discovered in Missouri After Scientists Find Juvenile Skeleton

The St. Louis-based news station KTVI was first to speak with paleontologist Guy Darrough about his find. Darrough said during an interview with the station that he uncovered the juvenile skeleton of a Parrosaurus missouriensis, a dinosaur species described as duck-bill that grew to be 25 to 30 feet in length.

"I can't imagine anything that's more impressive than what we've discovered here," Darrough told the station. He described the find as a "world-famous discovery."

New dinosaur discovered in Missouri after scientists find juvenile skeleton