Animals

March 26, 2024

16-Million-Year-Old Skull of Extinct Species of Giant Dolphin Discovered in Peru

About 16 million years ago, the Peruvian Amazon rainforest was covered by a massive lake known as Pebas, one of the most biodiverse ecosystems to ever exist on Earth. Among the species that called it home was the largest freshwater dolphin ever—a creature whose existence remained in the dark until 2018, when paleontologist Aldo Benites-Palomino spotted a fossilized jaw bone during a field expedition around Peru's Napo River.

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March 21, 2024

Tiny Brazilian Flea Toad Might Be the World’s Smallest Vertebrate According to Scientists

Can you picture an animal small enough to  comfortably sit atop your fingernail? It may sound like work of fiction, but such an animal actually exists—the Brazilian flea toad. Don't be fooled by the name though. It is neither a flea nor a toad, but, in fact, a frog. Due to its size, it is believed to be the smallest amphibian and smallest vertebrate in the world.

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March 14, 2024

Newly Discovered Bird Species Named After David Attenborough Sheds Light on Avian Evolution

Sir David Attenborough has inspired many generations to learn about the world around them and pursue a nature-related career. And now, one of the scientists he moved has found a unique way to pay him back. Alex Clark, an evolutionary biologist at the University of Chicago, recently published a study about a newly discovered species of prehistoric birds that may change what we know about avian evolution.

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