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.
Welcome to Prehistoric World
Discover the fascinating creatures that once roamed our planet
Featured Creatures
Featured Creatures
Pachycephalosaurus grangeri
Cretaceous
Pachycephalosaurus, meaning "thick-headed lizard," was the ultimate bonehead dinosaur—and we mean that as a compliment! Living during the Late Cretaceous period, about 70-66 million years ago, this dinosaur had ...
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Dimorphodon macronyx
Jurassic
Dimorphodon was one of the earliest and most unusual pterosaurs ever discovered, living approximately 195-190 million years ago during the Early Jurassic in what is ...
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Acrocanthosaurus atokensis
Cretaceous
Acrocanthosaurus, meaning "high-spined lizard," was one of the largest predators to ever roam North America! Living approximately 116-110 million years ago during the Early Cretaceous, this massive ...
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Latest Discoveries
March 23, 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
March 23, 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
March 23, 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
March 23, 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
March 23, 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
March 23, 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
March 23, 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?
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.
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.
evolution
Largest Flying Animal Ever
Quetzalcoatlus had a wingspan of 10-11 meters—longer than a school bus! This pterosaur was as tall as a giraffe when standing and could fly at 80 mph for days.
discovery
Mary Anning: Fossil Hunting Pioneer
At just 12 years old, Mary Anning discovered the first complete Ichthyosaur fossil in 1811. She became one of history's greatest fossil hunters, despite never receiving formal credit in her time.
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.
discovery
The Great Dying
The Permian-Triassic extinction event, known as "The Great Dying," wiped out about 95% of marine species and 70% of land species.
dinosaur
Not All Dinosaurs Were Giants
While many famous dinosaurs were enormous, the smallest known dinosaur was the Compsognathus, only about the size of a chicken!
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.
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!
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.
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.
environment
The K-Pg extinction
The K-Pg extinction, caused by an asteroid impact 66 million years ago, wiped out 75% of species, including non-avian dinosaurs, due to climate shifts, wildfires, and tsunamis.
discovery
Dinosaurs Got Cancer Too
Scientists diagnosed a 76-million-year-old Centrosaurus with bone cancer (osteosarcoma)—the same cancer that affects humans today! This shows cancer has been around for millions of years.
evolution
The First Flower
The first flowering plants appeared around 130 million years ago, during the Cretaceous period, revolutionizing plant evolution.
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.
environment
Snowball Earth
Around 700 million years ago, Earth was almost completely covered in ice during the "Snowball Earth" period, with temperatures as low as -50°C.
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.
dinosaur
Spinosaurus: A Swimming Dinosaur
Spinosaurus had a paddle-like tail and dense bones for buoyancy—it was semi-aquatic! This 15-meter predator hunted fish in rivers like a giant crocodile-dinosaur hybrid.
evolution
Saber-Toothed Cats Ruled Americas
Smilodon, the famous saber-toothed cat, had 28 cm (11-inch) fangs and lived throughout North and South America. Over 1,200 specimens have been found in the La Brea Tar Pits alone!
discovery
The Fish That Came Back From Extinction
The coelacanth was thought extinct for 65 million years—until one was caught in 1938! Called a "living fossil," it has barely changed in 400 million years and was like finding a living dinosaur.
environment
Pangaea: When All Land Was One
About 335 million years ago, all continents were joined into one supercontinent called Pangaea. You could have walked from Antarctica to the Arctic!
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.
environment
Earth's Oxygen Revolution
About 2.4 billion years ago, the "Great Oxidation Event" dramatically increased Earth's oxygen levels, making complex life possible.