Category: Prehistoric

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Planet Earth Animals Astronomy Evolution Life on Earth Prehistoric Solar System

Top 10 Misconceptions about Earth

The Blue Marble: Apollo 17 Earth image
In December 1972, Apollo 17 spacecraft took a photo of Earth from space, at a distance of about 45,000 kilometers (28,000 miles). This image, with the official NASA designation AS17-148-22727, became known as "The Blue Marble", one of the most iconic photos of Earth from space. In fact, it was not the first clear image of Earth taken from space - similar photos had already been taken as early as 1967. But, the 1970s were the scene of a big surge in environmental activism. For example, on April 22, 1970, the first "Earth Day" was organized by Gaylord Nelson, former senator of Wisconsin, and Denis Hayes, a Harvard graduate student. Millions of people gather in the United States for the event. So, in today's terms, image AS17-148-22727 went "viral" and became a symbol of the environmental movement, as a depiction of Earth's frailty, vulnerability, and isolation amid the vast expanse of space. According to NASA archivist Mike Gentry, it is among the most widely distributed images in human history.

Our home planet is a complex and wondrous place, brimming with mysteries and surprises. Yet, in the vast expanse of knowledge we hold about Earth, some misconceptions have taken root. These widely held but incorrect beliefs often stem from outdated textbooks, misunderstood science, or the oversimplification of complex concepts for ease of learning. They range from ideas about the shape of the Earth and the causes of the seasons to beliefs about the composition of the atmosphere and the workings of Earth’s ecosystems.

Dispelling these misconceptions is not just about correcting facts; it’s about deepening our understanding of the world around us and fostering a more informed appreciation of our place within it. Here are the top ten misconceptions about Earth.

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Prehistoric Animals Life on Earth

7 Reasons Why Crocodiles Survived When Dinosaurs Died

Dinosaurs
Image source: Deposit Photos

The extinction event that led to the demise of the majestic dinosaurs is an enduring puzzle of natural history. However, while these behemoths vanished, a few robust creatures like crocodiles managed to thrive. So, what was the secret of their resilience? Why, and how, crocodiles survived when dinosaurs died?

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Prehistoric Animals Life on Earth Oceans

How big was the Megalodon? [New Studies]

Megalodon 3D illustration
Megalodon 3D illustration. Image source: Deposit Photos

The ancient seas once teemed with the terrifying presence of Otodus megalodon – the largest shark species ever known. This prehistoric predator, commonly called the Megalodon, thrived approximately 23 to 3.6 million years ago during the Early Miocene to the Pliocene epochs. As the largest predatory fish in history, it dominated the oceans. But just how big was the Megalodon?

Unearthing the actual size of this extinct marine behemoth has been a challenge for scientists due to the limited fossil records, which predominantly include teeth and vertebrae. The great white shark considered the closest living relative of the Megalodon, is often used as a reference point in size estimations.

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Prehistoric Animals Life on Earth

8 Largest Prehistoric Crocodiles Ever

Sarcosuchus
Sarcosuchus was one of the largest crocodiles ever lived in history (about 12 meters long, or 40 ft). They lived in the Early Cretaceous in the Sahara Desert some 110 million years ago before camels and Tusken Raiders became the dominant species. In the Cretaceous, the Sahara was once filled with waterways and lush jungles. Massive dinosaurs like Paralititan were hunted by predators like Carcharodontosaurus. In the water, however, Sarcosuchus would have reigned unchallenged. Its name means "Flesh Crocodile Emperor". S. imperator probably had a generalized diet similar to that of the Nile crocodile. A diet that would have included large terrestrial prey such as the abundant dinosaurs that lived in the same region. Photo: photos-albums.com

In the prehistoric ages, some animals were much bigger than today’s counterparts – including crocodiles. Crocodiles have long been some of the most feared and respected creatures on the planet, and their prehistoric ancestors were no different. Some of the largest and most terrifying crocodiles to ever exist walked the Earth millions of years ago, making even the largest modern crocodile look like a mere lizard by comparison. From the massive Deinosuchus to the impressive Sarcosuchus imperator, this article will explore eight of the largest and most impressive prehistoric crocodiles ever discovered, giving readers a glimpse into a long-lost world of giant reptiles and ferocious predators.

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Animals Evolution Life on Earth Prehistoric

15 Largest Birds in the World [With Photos]

An Ostrich pair
An Ostrich pair (female, left, male, right) with chicks. Photographed in Namibia. Source: Deposit Photos

Birds come in a remarkable range of sizes, with species varying dramatically in size from the tiny bee hummingbird to the towering ostrich. This incredible diversity in bird size allows different species to adapt to various ecological niches, enhancing their chances of survival in changing environments. Here are the 15 largest birds in the world (the largest living bird species).

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Prehistoric Animals Life on Earth

Largest dinosaurs ever lived [2023 update]

Dinosaurs
Image source: Deposit Photos

Identifying the largest dinosaurs ever lived isn’t an easy task, because it’s very rare to unearth a complete fossil. Furthermore, only a tiny percentage of these amazing animals were ever fossilized, and most of these “lucky” bodies will remain buried underground forever. So, we may never know exactly what dinosaur was the biggest (or the tiniest) ever.

Despite this fact, size always has been one of the most interesting aspects of these prehistoric animals. There are extreme variations in their size, from the tiny hummingbirds, which can weigh as little as three grams, to the titanosaurs, which could weigh as much as 70 tonnes, or even more.

Here are the largest dinosaurs ever lived.

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Animals Evolution Life on Earth Prehistoric

The Visual History of Fish

Computer generated 3d illustration with the prehistoric crocodile dakosaurus and the prehistoric fish dunkleosteus.
Computer generated 3d illustration with the prehistoric crocodile dakosaurus and the prehistoric fish dunkleosteus. Photo by PantherMediaSeller on Deposit Photos

Everybody knows most life came from the water, but how did it start? And how did it get where it is now?

In this article, we cover approximately 200 million years of fish evolution, from the first pre-vertebral filter feeders to the first tetrapod walking on land to the development of modern sharks – and everything in between.

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Prehistoric Animals Life on Earth

The Visual History of Dinosaurs

How many Tyrannosaurus rex walked the Earth?
Tyrannosaurus rex (rex meaning "king" in Latin), often called T. rex or colloquially T-Rex, is one of the best represented of the large theropods. How many Tyrannosaurus rex walked the Earth? Tyrannosaurus rex spanned all of ancient North America, and about 20,000 lived at once.

Dinosaurs were a very unique group of reptiles that existed as early as 243 million years ago. This extinct group had incredible diversity and roamed the earth for over 165 million years. As the earth itself went through drastic changes, dinosaurs changed too. From the skies to the seas, these prehistoric reptiles adapted and were able to live in many different environments.

From 3 different extinctions, the rise of the first dinosaurs, to the origins of the T. rex, if you are curious about the story of the dinosaurs, keep reading…

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Prehistoric Life on Earth

7 Reasons Why Dinosaurs Continue Fascinating Humans

Tyrannosaurus model
Tyrannosaurus rex was one of the largest land carnivores of all time; the largest complete specimen, located at the Field Museum of Natural History under the name FMNH PR2081 and nicknamed Sue, measured 12.3 meters (40 ft) long, and was 4 meters (13 ft) tall at the hips. Mass estimates have varied widely over the years, from more than 7.2 metric tons (7.9 short tons), to less than 4.5 metric tons (5.0 short tons), with most modern estimates ranging between 5.4 metric tons (6.0 short tons) and 6.8 metric tons (7.5 short tons). One study in 2011 found that the maximum weight of Sue, the largest Tyrannosaurus, was between 9.5 and 18.5 metric tons (9.3–18.2 long tons; 10.5–20.4 short tons), though the authors stated that their upper and lower estimates were based on models with wide error bars and that they "consider [them] to be too skinny, too fat, or too disproportionate". Packard et al. (2009) tested dinosaur mass estimation procedures on elephants and concluded that those of dinosaurs are flawed and produce over-estimations; thus, the weight of Tyrannosaurus could have been much less than previously thought. Other estimations have concluded that the largest known Tyrannosaurus specimens had masses approaching or exceeding 9 tonnes. This image is a full-size model in Poland, depicting Tyrannosaurus with both feathers and scales. Photo: wikipedia

Dinosaurs’ stories have been captured in paintings, films, comics, literature, and museums. Since the dawn of time, dinosaurs have captured the human imagination and sparked creative thought. Scaled monsters and gentle giants are two of the many ways described in the literature.

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Prehistoric Animals Life on Earth

How many Tyrannosaurus rex walked the Earth?

How many Tyrannosaurus rex walked the Earth?
Tyrannosaurus rex (rex meaning "king" in Latin), often called T. rex or colloquially T-Rex, is one of the best represented of the large theropods. How many Tyrannosaurus rex walked the Earth? Tyrannosaurus rex spanned all of ancient North America, and about 20,000 lived at once.

Tyrannosaurus rex (rex meaning “king” in Latin) lived throughout what is now western North America 68 to 66 million years ago, during the Upper Cretaceous period. Back then, there was a big island (an island continent) called “Laramidia” there. But, how many Tyrannosaurus rex walked the Earth? At the same time, and in total?

Ashley Poust, University of California, Berkeley and Daniel Varajão de Latorre, University of California, Berkeley

The Research Brief is a short take about interesting academic work.

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