Stories by Riley Black

A fossil skeleton found in California leads to the discovery of a new mastodon species.

A huge T. rex was crowned as king of the tyrants. But the bones may tell a different tale

A fossil snout connects flying reptiles from the Iberian Peninsula and China

Counter to expectations, an apparent drop in dinosaur diversity at the end of the Cretaceous indicates there are many species yet to be found

A bitten bone shows how a young tyrannosaur fed

Bones uncovered in Arizona help fill a gap in the great amphibian backstory

The partial skull and additional bones represent a dinosaur species never found before

A rare amber inclusion underscores the importance of carnivores to the fossil record

Bajadasaurus had a neck covered in long spikes. The question is "Why?"

A partial skeleton significantly updates the history of a major, extinct bird family

Small eyes and decorative plates make this Triassic creature stand out

A beautiful skull of Prestosuchus updates what paleontologists thought they knew about this Triassic reptile

Gut contents reveal what the early whale Basilosaurus ate.

A fossil tooth hints at a startling interaction between an ancient shark and a flying reptile.\

Paleontologists are still puzzling over why dinosaurs succeeded while crocodile cousins faded away

The skeleton of a new carnivorous dinosaur bears damage caused by seagoing invertebrates

Sabercat skulls hint at the different ways these carnivores tackled their prey

A unique anatomical setup helped some herbivorous dinosaurs crunch through their Cretaceous world

Fossils from Alabama revise the reconstruction of an ancient sea turtle

Paleontologists are still searching to uncover the deep history of nature's hitchhikers. 

A new analysis gives the fossil bird Confuciusornis an updated look.

A damaged frill bone allows us to revisit a brief moment in prehistoric time

A new study proposes that all dinosaurs shared a basic lung anatomy which may have given them an evolutionary edge

A new analysis asks whether eating plants or different ways of breathing influenced the shape of dinosaur hips