evolution
First Land Animals
Tiktaalik, living 375 million years ago, was one of the first vertebrates to venture onto land, with primitive lungs and leg-like fins.
Welcome to Prehistoric World
Discover the fascinating creatures that once roamed our planet
Featured Creatures
Featured Creatures
Giraffatitan brancai
Jurassic
Giraffatitan, meaning "titanic giraffe," was one of the tallest dinosaurs ever to exist! Living during the Late Jurassic period, about 150-145 million years ago, this magnificent giant towered over the African landscape ...
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Anomalocaris canadensis
Cambrian
Anomalocaris, meaning "abnormal shrimp," was the first apex predator in Earth's history! Living during the Cambrian period, approximately 500 million years ago, this bizarre creature ruled the ancient seas long ...
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Majungasaurus crenatissimus
Cretaceous
Majungasaurus was the apex predator of ancient Madagascar—a medium-sized theropod with a distinctive horn on its head and a dark reputation as one of the ...
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Latest Discoveries
May 22, 2026
Charnia
Proterozoic
Charnia is one of the most important fossils ever discovered! This mysterious frond-shaped organism lived during the Ediacaran period, approximately 575 to 555 million years ago, making it one of Earth's oldest known complex life forms. Charnia was the...
Location: England, Canada, Australia, Russia
Scientific Name: Charnia masoni
May 22, 2026
Tribrachidium
Proterozoic
Tribrachidium is one of the strangest creatures to ever exist! Living during the Ediacaran period about 558-555 million years ago, this bizarre disc-shaped organism had three-fold symmetry — a body plan found in no living animal today. It...
Location: Australia, Russia, Ukraine
Scientific Name: Tribrachidium heraldicum
May 22, 2026
Spriggina
Proterozoic
Spriggina is one of the most intriguing fossils from the Ediacaran period, living approximately 550-560 million years ago. With its distinctive horseshoe-shaped head and segmented body, it has sparked decades of debate about whether it represents...
Location: Australia
Scientific Name: Spriggina floundersi
May 22, 2026
Wiwaxia
Cambrian
Wiwaxia is one of the strangest creatures from the Cambrian Explosion, living approximately 508 million years ago. This bizarre armored slug-like animal was covered in overlapping scales and tall defensive spines, making...
Location: Canada (Burgess Shale), China
Scientific Name: Wiwaxia corrugata
May 22, 2026
Pikaia
Cambrian
Pikaia is one of the most important fossils ever discovered—it may be one of our earliest ancestors! This small, leaf-shaped swimmer lived approximately 508 million years ago during the Middle Cambrian period....
Location: Canada (Burgess Shale)
Scientific Name: Pikaia gracilens
May 22, 2026
Olenoides
Cambrian
Olenoides serratus is one of the most famous and scientifically important trilobites ever discovered! Living approximately 508 million years ago during the Middle Cambrian, this trilobite is celebrated for its exceptional...
Location: Canada (Burgess Shale), USA
Scientific Name: Olenoides serratus
May 22, 2026
Ottoia
Cambrian
Ottoia was a fearsome predatory worm that terrorized the Cambrian seafloor approximately 508 million years ago. As the most abundant worm in the famous Burgess Shale, this priapulid (penis worm) used its...
Location: Canada (Burgess Shale), USA (Utah)
Scientific Name: Ottoia prolifica
February 2, 2026
Dickinsonia
Proterozoic
Dickinsonia is one of the most mysterious and ancient creatures ever found! Living during the Ediacaran period about 558-555 million years ago, it was one of Earth's earliest complex life forms. This bizarre oval-shaped organism lived...
Location: Australia, Russia, Ukraine
Scientific Name: Dickinsonia costata
February 2, 2026
Orthoceras
Ordovician
Orthoceras was an ancient straight-shelled nautiloid—an early relative of today's squids and octopuses! Living from the Ordovician to Triassic periods (around 485-200 million years ago), these jet-propelled hunters had long, cone-shaped shells and were among the...
Location: Worldwide (Morocco, Sweden, North America)
Scientific Name: Orthoceras regulare
February 2, 2026
Birkenia
Silurian
Birkenia was a tiny jawless fish that swam in ancient Silurian seas about 430 million years ago! At only 10 cm (4 inches) long, this small but important fish was an anaspid—one of the early vertebrates that...
Location: Scotland, Norway
Scientific Name: Birkenia elegans
February 2, 2026
Tiktaalik
Devonian
Tiktaalik is one of the most important fossils ever discovered—a 375-million-year-old "fishapod" that shows the transition from fish to land animals! Found in the Canadian Arctic in 2004,...
Location: Arctic Canada (Ellesmere Island)
Scientific Name: Tiktaalik roseae
February 2, 2026
Phorusrhacos
Neogene
Phorusrhacos was one of the most terrifying "terror birds"—giant flightless predatory birds that ruled South America for millions of years! Standing 2.5 meters (8 feet) tall with a massive hooked beak, this apex...
Location: South America (Argentina)
Scientific Name: Phorusrhacos longissimus
February 2, 2026
Smilodon
Quaternary
Smilodon, the famous "saber-toothed cat," was one of the most iconic predators of the Ice Age! Living from about 2.5 million to 10,000 years ago, this powerful cat had enormous canine teeth that could...
Location: North and South America
Scientific Name: Smilodon fatalis
February 2, 2026
Woolly Rhinoceros
Quaternary
The Woolly Rhinoceros was a massive, shaggy beast that roamed the frozen steppes of Ice Age Europe and Asia! Living from about 350,000 to 10,000 years ago, this incredible animal was perfectly...
Location: Europe, Asia
Scientific Name: Coelodonta antiquitatis
February 2, 2026
Gorgonops
Permian
Gorgonops was one of the most fearsome predators of the Late Permian period, approximately 260-252 million years ago! Named after the Gorgons of Greek mythology (monsters with snakes for hair), this...
Location: South Africa
Scientific Name: Gorgonops torvus
Did You Know?
dinosaur
Stegosaurus: Ancient Even to T-Rex
Stegosaurus and T-Rex never met—they lived 80 million years apart! In fact, we are closer in time to T-Rex than T-Rex was to Stegosaurus.
dinosaur
Velociraptors Were Turkey-Sized
Real Velociraptors were only about 0.5 meters tall and weighed 15 kg—roughly the size of a turkey! The "raptors" in Jurassic Park were actually based on the larger Deinonychus.
evolution
Sharks Are Older Than Trees
Sharks have been swimming in Earth's oceans for about 450 million years—that's 100 million years before the first trees appeared! They survived all five mass extinctions.
dinosaur
Ankylosaurus: The Living Tank
Ankylosaurus had a tail club that could swing with 7,000-8,000 Newtons of force—enough to shatter bones, even a T-Rex's! The club was made of fused bone and could weigh over 20 kg.
evolution
Pterosaurs Were Not Dinosaurs
Despite flying alongside dinosaurs for 150 million years, pterosaurs were NOT dinosaurs—they were flying reptiles in a completely separate group. Some had fur-like covering called pycnofibers!
dinosaur
T-Rex vs Triceratops: Real Rivals
T-Rex and Triceratops actually lived at the same time and place! The Hell Creek Formation contains both—Triceratops makes up 40% of fossils there, T-Rex 24%. They definitely encountered each other.
evolution
Crocodiles Outlived the Dinosaurs
Crocodilians have existed for over 200 million years, surviving the asteroid that killed the dinosaurs. They've barely changed because their design is nearly perfect for their lifestyle.
discovery
Dinosaurs Were Caring Parents
Fossils show dinosaurs brooding their eggs like birds! A 70-million-year-old Oviraptor was found sitting on a nest of 24 eggs, proving dinosaurs were devoted parents who cared for their young.
discovery
Dinosaurs May Have Been Colorful
By studying fossilized melanosomes (pigment cells), scientists discovered some dinosaurs had bright colors! Sinosauropteryx had a striped tail like a raccoon.
environment
Oxygen Made Giant Insects Possible
During the Carboniferous period, oxygen levels reached 35% (vs 21% today). This allowed insects to grow huge—millipedes reached 2.5 meters (8 feet) long!
discovery
Dinosaurs Lived on Every Continent
Dinosaur fossils have been found on all seven continents, including Antarctica! When dinosaurs lived, Antarctica was much warmer and connected to other landmasses.
dinosaur
T-Rex: Strongest Bite Ever on Land
T-Rex could bite with a force of up to 57,000 Newtons—like having a medium-sized elephant sit on you! This is the strongest bite force of any land animal that ever lived.
evolution
Horseshoe Crabs: 450 Million Years Old
Horseshoe crabs have remained virtually unchanged for 450 million years—they existed before dinosaurs, survived all mass extinctions, and still live today! They're older than trees and sharks.
dinosaur
Duck-Billed Dinosaurs: 300+ Teeth
Hadrosaurs had the most complex teeth ever—up to 300 teeth per jaw arranged in "dental batteries." These constantly replaced themselves and could grind the toughest plants.
evolution
Birds Are Living Dinosaurs
Modern birds are actually living theropod dinosaurs, having evolved from a group of dinosaurs called maniraptors.
dinosaur
Fastest Dinosaurs Hit 70 km/h
Ornithomimus and Gallimimus were the speed champions, reaching up to 70 km/h (43 mph)—faster than a horse! Their ostrich-like build was perfect for running.
discovery
Dinosaurs Traveled in Herds
Trackway evidence proves many dinosaurs traveled in herds! Parallel footprints in Texas and Colorado show sauropods moving together, and the "Dinosaur Freeway" in Colorado stretches 40 miles.
evolution
Tiny Mammals Lived With Dinosaurs
Small mammals existed for over 160 million years alongside dinosaurs! They were mostly nocturnal and mouse-sized, waiting in the shadows until the dinosaurs went extinct.
discovery
Mammoths Met the Pyramids
Woolly mammoths were still alive when the Egyptian pyramids were built! The last mammoths survived on Wrangel Island until about 1650 BCE—over 1,000 years after the Great Pyramid.
discovery
Amber: 230-Million-Year Time Capsules
The oldest creatures preserved in amber are 230 million years old! These tiny mites from Italy are 100 million years older than any other amber fossils, perfectly frozen in tree resin.
discovery
Dinosaurs Didn't Roar Like in Movies
Scientists believe dinosaurs made closed-mouth sounds like cooing, booming, or growling—similar to crocodiles and ostriches today—not the dramatic roars from Jurassic Park!
environment
Hangenberg event
The Hangenberg event, about 359 million years ago, was a mass extinction at the Devonian-Carboniferous boundary, caused by global cooling and anoxic oceans, wiping out many marine species.
discovery
SUE: The Most Famous T-Rex
SUE is the largest and most complete T-Rex ever found—90% of the skeleton! The Field Museum paid $8.4 million for SUE in 1997, the most ever paid for a fossil at auction.