Stories by Riley Black

A famous fossil embryo turns out to be a new species of dinosaur

Telling the difference between human- and hyena-made damage is surprisingly difficult

A fossil skull from China reveals the look of a crested carnivore

Paleontologists are on the fossil trail of how elephants walked out of Africa.

This sharp-toothed mammal was a top carnivore before the heyday of dogs and cats.

A 90-million-year-old bite mark raises questions about what seagoing lizards really ate

After nearly a century, a dinosaur's skull is reunited with its body

Paleontologists add a new feathered dinosaur to their life list

Fossils from Spain offer a rare look at Europe's extinct, bone-crushing carnivore

A reappraised fossil offers a new look at the beginning of Triassic crocodile wannabes.

This long-awaited dinosaur finally has a name.

An exquisite fossil gives this classic dinosaur a new smile

This strange fossil reptile is further proof crocodylians are not "living fossils"

Life was tough for little Maiasaura trying to find their way in the world

Contrary to a popular paleoart trend, Smilodon didn't have a mushy bulldog face

This many-toothed dinosaur was found with remnants of its last meal still inside

The death of Pleistocene beasts forever altered the landscape.

This ancient frog adds to the story of Mesozoic life

Plesiosaurs weren't as flexible as noodle-necked depictions of the marine reptiles suggest

A new study estimates the predatory capabilities of a fearsome fossil beast

New fossils reveal the true nature of a puzzling Mesozoic plant

A new study underscores the enigmatic nature of a particularly puzzling fossil creature

Shared dining habits have fueled a "remarkable" case of evolutionary convergence

This prehistoric marine mammal helps outline the early days of eared seals