Latest articles by Pete Buchholz

fossils
about 3 years ago by Pete Buchholz

Small extinct whale echolocated like dolphins

A fossil whale collected by a group of undergrads from a drainage ditch two decades ago has turned out to be an important transition from archaic to modern species. This and three other newly discovered specimens of Albertocetus, an early dolphin-like species, provide important anatomical information about the earliest ancestors of the living toothed whale lineage.
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fossils
over 3 years ago by Pete Buchholz

Dinosaur fossils show that they were bruisers

Big, fearsome, and dangerous. Dinosaurs remind many people of fantastic combat scenes that result in grave injuries, or a painful death. In reality, fighting is no more than just a tiny slice of any animal’s life. However, fossils found with evidence of injuries tell a tale of how the extinct animals interacted with one another.
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fossils
over 3 years ago by Pete Buchholz

Plant-eating dinosaur had huge chisel-shaped teeth

Rhabdodontids are known from Cretaceous rocks in Europe. They evolved a unique way to break down fibrous plants: scissor-like jaws and teeth. Individual teeth lined up and worked together to form blade-like surfaces capable of slicing tough palm leaves.
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fossils
over 3 years ago by Pete Buchholz

Saber-toothed kittens were born bruisers

The robust forelimbs of saber-toothed cats are thought to have helped wrestle struggling prey to the ground before using their long teeth to slash a killing blow. This burly build was needed to ensure the long teeth weren’t broken by struggling prey.
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fossils
over 3 years ago by Pete Buchholz

Plant-eating duck-billed dinosaurs sometimes ate rotten wood and crustaceans

Detailed examination of fossilized dung, technically known as coprolites, from plant-eating dinosaurs revealed two surprising things: large amounts of rotten wood, and crab shells. The coprolite producers, probably duck-billed dinosaurs are usually considered to be herbivores, and this behavior might have been related to egg-laying.
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Pete
Buchholz

Senior Writer