Latest articles by Pete Buchholz

fossils
about 4 years ago by Pete Buchholz

Unusual reptile glided over Poland 230 million years ago

Powered flight evolved three times in vertebrates, all converting their forelimbs into wings. The body plan modifications among gliders however are far more diverse, including a new Triassic reptile with long legs bearing a wing membrane.
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fossils
about 4 years ago by Pete Buchholz

Paleontologists find fossil bird with iridescent feathers

A 120-million-year-old fossil bird specimen has been discovered in Lower Cretaceous rocks of northeastern China with traces of the original feather pigments. Analysis of the feathers and comparison to modern birds indicates that this bird was largely iridescent on its head, neck, and body.
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fossils
about 4 years ago by Pete Buchholz

Macropredatory sperm whales

Although living sperm whales focus on squid, ten-million-year-old fossils from Peru show that ancient sperm whales were top predators. They ate primarily marine mammals, and filled niches once occupied by mosasaurs and currently filled by orcas.
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plants and animals
about 4 years ago by Pete Buchholz

The natural history of the turkey

Although they share their name with a Eurasian nation-state, turkeys are thoroughly American birds. Turkeys are large, flamboyent members of an American lineage of gamebirds that also includes grouse and ptarmigans.
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fossils
over 4 years ago by Pete Buchholz

Triassic "three-eyed" reptile discovered in Texas

A strange reptile called Triopticus primus increases the known diversity of reptiles from the dawn of the Age of Dinosaurs and helps scientists understand the repeated evolution of body types across the Mesozoic.
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Pete
Buchholz

Senior Writer