{"id":41293,"date":"2024-08-23T15:54:48","date_gmt":"2024-08-23T13:54:48","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/71ba3239-e856-41c1-88c3-569ab1f647a9"},"modified":"2024-08-23T17:27:31","modified_gmt":"2024-08-23T15:27:31","slug":"dinosaur-footprints-ancient-crocodiles-and-the-biggest-snake-to-ever-live-10-most-epic-prehistoric-discoveries-of-2024","status":"publish","type":"rss_feed","link":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbcwildlife\/rss_feed\/dinosaur-footprints-ancient-crocodiles-and-the-biggest-snake-to-ever-live-10-most-epic-prehistoric-discoveries-of-2024\/","title":{"rendered":"Dinosaur footprints, ancient crocodiles and the biggest snake to ever live: 10 most epic prehistoric discoveries of 2024"},"content":{"rendered":"

From swamp monsters and giant snakes, to horned dinosaurs and flying lizards, here are 10 of the most amazing prehistoric finds of the year so far. <\/p>

By Daniel Graham\n <\/p>

Published: Friday, 23 August 2024 at 13:54 PM<\/p>

\n\n

What could be more exciting than digging up the remains of an ancient monster that once roamed the planet? <\/strong><\/p>

Already this year, scientists around the world have made some truly incredible prehistoric discoveries, from a giant salamander-like creature with a head shaped like a toilet seat to a half-a-billion-year-old slug that looks like a plastic bag. We take a look at 10 of the most epic prehistoric finds of 2024 so far.<\/p>

William Reyes, a doctoral student at the Jackson School of Geosciences, examines an aetosaur specimen on display at the New Mexico Museum of Natural History and Science. Credit: William Reyes.<\/figcaption><\/figure>

10 astonishing prehistoric discoveries of 2024<\/h2>

Swamp monster with toilet-seat head dug up in Namibia<\/h3>
\"Scientists
Scientists dug up the giant swamp predator on Namibia’s Skeleton Coast. Credit: Roger M.H. Smith<\/figcaption><\/figure>

The remains of a giant salamander-like creature<\/a> found on Namibia’s Skeleton Coast were described as belonging to a new species \u2013 Gaiasia jennyae<\/em>.<\/p>

When alive,\u00a0Gaiasia<\/em>\u00a0would have looked vaguely like a cross between a big salamander and a moray eel. It was huge for animals of its sort, probably approached four metres in length, and was entirely aquatic. Its body was long and flexible, and it likely had a deep tail fin like that of a gigantic\u00a0newt<\/a>. Its limbs are unknown, but the team suspect that these were tiny, and possibly absent altogether. Its head was broad and flat, with a squared-off snout, kind of like a toilet seat, according to the scientists who described the new species.\u00a0<\/p>

The discovery of this unusually large \u2018stem-tetrapod\u2019 sheds light on evolution in the cool south, long before the\u00a0dinosaurs<\/a>.<\/p>

Mammoth tooth found in Vancouver Island playground<\/h3>
\"Herd
The tooth was found by a child in the gravel of a playground \u2013 imagine that! Credit: Getty<\/figcaption><\/figure>

A piece of mammoth tooth<\/a> found by a child in a playground on Vancouver Island has helped scientists create the clearest picture yet of when these huge prehistoric animals roamed the Pacific Coast island.<\/p>

The specimen was one of more than 30 mammoth samples analysed in a new study, which suggests that the extinct Pleistocene mammals lived on Vancouver Island for much longer than was previously thought.<\/p>

Largest snake to ever live discovered in an Indian mine<\/h3>
\"Snake
The new species of giant snake has been named\u00a0Vasuki Indicus:\u00a0Vasuki\u00a0referring to the mythical snake worn round the neck of Shiva, the Hindu deity; and\u00a0Indicus indicating India, its country of discovery. Credit: Getty<\/figcaption><\/figure>

Scientists in India discovered the remains of an ancient snake species<\/a> in a mine in Gujarat State, India. Later studies suggest that the new species may have reached lengths of up to 15 metres \u2013 that’s longer than a bus. <\/p>

The snake dates to the Middle Eocene period, approximately 47 million years ago, and would have been an ambush predator that constricted its prey to death, according to the experts.<\/p>

Crocodile-like animal uncovered in Nevada<\/h3>
\"Benggwigwishingasuchus
The new species of extinct crocodile was named Benggwigwishingasuchus eremicarminis – try saying that out loud. Credit: Jorge Gonzalez<\/figcaption><\/figure>

The remains of a new species of\u00a0extinct crocodile relative<\/a> were found in the rugged Favret Formation in Nevada’s fossil-rich Augusta Mountains. “What the hell is this?” was the reaction of one scientist involved in the study that identified the new species of pseudosuchian archosaur<\/em> \u2013 a group of living and extinct animals that includes modern\u00a0crocodilians<\/a>. \u00a0<\/p>

Described in a study<\/a> published in\u00a0Biology Letters<\/em>, the discovery of\u00a0Benggwigwishingasuchus eremicarminis<\/em> reveals that while giant\u00a0ichthyosaurs<\/a>\u00a0ruled the world’s oceans during the Middle Triassic (247.2 to 237 million years ago), it was ancient pseudosuchian archosaurs that dominated the shores.<\/p>

According to the scientists, the discovery rewrites the story of life along Earth’s coasts during the Middle Triassic.<\/p>

Giant worms found in Greenland<\/h3>
\"A
Scientists established that the newly discovered worm is a distant relative of arrow worms that are still found in oceans which feed on microscopic zooplankton. Credit: Bob Nicholls Art<\/figcaption><\/figure>

Scientists in North Greenland discovered the fossils of a new group of\u00a0predatory worms<\/a>\u00a0 more than half a billion years old that are totally new to science. The large worms may be among the earliest carnivorous animals to have colonised ancient seas, revealing a past dynasty of predators that scientists didn\u2019t know existed.<\/p>

Named\u00a0Timorebestia<\/em>, meaning \u2018terror beasts\u2019 in Latin, the worms had fins down the sides of their body, a distinct head with long antennae, massive jaw structures inside their mouth and grew to more than 30cm in length, making them some of the largest swimming animals at the time.<\/p>

Colossal octopus-eating lizard unearthed in Australia<\/h3>
\"Haliskia
Based on the shape of its skull, arrangement of teeth and the shoulder bone, a research team identified the specimen as an anhanguerian pterosaur, a group of flying lizards that lived across the world. Credit: Gabriel Ugueto<\/figcaption><\/figure>

The fossilised remains of a\u00a0prehistoric\u00a0creature discovered in western Queensland in 2021 were identified as belonging to a new species of pterosaur<\/a>, which lived around 100 million years ago and would have hunted fish and cephalopods. The formidable flying reptile, which lived alongside the\u00a0dinosaurs<\/a>, has been named\u00a0Haliskia peterseni<\/em>.<\/p>

\u201cWith a wingspan of approximately 4.6 metres,\u00a0Haliskia<\/em>\u00a0would have been a fearsome predator,” says curator at the\u00a0Kronosaurus Korner<\/a>\u00a0museum Kevin Petersen, who found the bones.<\/p>

Half-a-billion-year-old slug from China<\/h3>
\"Shishania
Only a few centimetres long, the specimens are covered in small, spikes made of chitin, a material also found in the shells of modern crabs and insects. Credit: G Zhang\/L Parry<\/figcaption><\/figure>

Scientists were thrilled to discover the fossils of a new species of extinct marine mollusc<\/a> (Shishania aculeata<\/em>) from eastern Yunnan Province in southern China. Dating from the early Cambrian period approximately 514 million years ago, the astonishing find reveals that the most primitive molluscs were flat, shell-less slugs covered in protective spiny armour.<\/p>

Sea lizard with dagger-like teeth found in Morocco<\/h3>
\"Khinjaria
Khinjaria acuta fossil \u2013 scientists think the animal would have measured 7-8 metres in length. Credit: Nick Longrich<\/figcaption><\/figure>

Palaeontologists discovered the fossilised remains of an enormous new species of marine lizard<\/a> in a phosphate mine south-east of Casablanca in Morroco. <\/p>

According to the study, which analysed the skull and parts of the skeleton,\u00a0Khinjaria acuta<\/em>\u00a0lived 66 million years ago, was 7-8 metres long \u2013 roughly the size of an orca<\/a> \u2013 and had extremely powerful jaws with teeth like daggers. The findings suggest that our oceans were once far more predator-rich than they are today.<\/p>

Giant dinosaur with ‘bizarre’ horns dug up in Montana<\/h3>
\"Lokiceratops
Reconstruction of Lokiceratops in the 78-million-year-old swamps of northern Montana, USA. Credit: Fabrizio Lavezzi<\/figcaption><\/figure>

A new dinosaur with a colossal pair of blade-like spikes on the back of its frill was named from Montana. Lokiceratops rangiformis<\/em><\/a>, one of the largest and most ornate horned dinosaurs ever found, is part of a rapidly evolving story that demonstrates strong region-specific\u00a0evolution<\/a>\u00a0in this group of giant herbivores<\/a>.<\/p>

The new dinosaur is a ceratopsid<\/em> \u2013 a four-legged, horned plant-eater akin to Triceratops<\/em>\u00a0\u2013 from 78 million years ago in the Late Cretaceous.\u00a0<\/p>

Largest marine reptile to ever live found in UK<\/h3>
\"Gigantic
Artist’s impression of a Ichthyotitan severnensis carcass washed up on the beach. Credit: Sergey Krasovskiy<\/figcaption><\/figure>

Remnants of an enormous jawbone more than two metres long found on a beach in Somerset in south-west England were identified as a new species of giant ichthyosaur<\/a>.<\/p>

Experts believe the gigantic oceanic reptile would have been more than 25 metres long \u2013 as big as a blue whale<\/a>, and lived during the Late Triassic period, more than 200 million years ago.\u00a0<\/p>

Giant crocodile with epic ‘suit of armour’ identified in Texas<\/h3>
\"An
An artist\u2019s interpretation of the newly identified aetosaur Garzapelta muelleri (spiked reptile in mid-ground on right). Credit: Marcio L. Castro.<\/figcaption><\/figure>

After 30 years hidden away in a Texas university, the fossil of an aetosaur<\/em><\/a> \u2013 a heavily armoured ancestor of modern crocodiles \u2013 was identified as a new species.<\/p>

During a trip to\u00a0Texas Tech University, William Reyes encountered the remains and decided to study them, eventually concluding that it was a new species. The animal was a heavily armoured cousin of modern crocodiles that ruled the world long before dinosaurs, and its discovery helps sheds light on the evolution of aetosaur<\/em> armour.<\/p>

Extinct walrus-like animal remains from England<\/h3>
\"Ontocetus
The newly described species (pictured) is a relative of the modern-day walrus. Credit Jaime Bran<\/figcaption><\/figure>

Teeth found in Norwich<\/a> (UK) and Antwerp (Belgium) were identified as belonging to a newly described species of extinct marine carnivore.<\/p>

What\u2019s particularly intriguing about the animal, which was named\u00a0Ontocetus posti<\/em>, is its similarity to the modern-day walrus. The unique combination of features on its mandibles is enough for the scientists to both describe it as a new species, and to suggest that it was able to suction-feed, like a walrus.\u00a0<\/p>

Dinosaur tracks uncovered in Alaska<\/h3>
\"Dinosaur
The research team found approximately 75 fossil tracks, including theropod footprints. Credit: Fiorillo et al. Geosciences 2024<\/figcaption><\/figure>

Scientists in Alaska found a remarkable set of dinosaur tracks<\/a>, fossilised plants and tree stumps in the far north-west of the American state.\u00a0The discovery sheds new light on climate and movement of animals near the time when they began travelling between Asia and North America roughly 100 million years ago.\u00a0<\/p>

The find is particularly significant as it corresponds to the emergence of the Bering Land Bridge, an expanse of land that once connected the two continents, says the study.<\/p>

New species of mini-ape identified in Germany<\/h3>
\"Bonobo\"
The\u00a0bonobo (pictured here)\u00a0is the world\u2019s smallest living\u00a0great ape. Earlier this year, scientists in Germany discovered the smallest great ape to ever live. Credit: Getty<\/figcaption><\/figure>

The partial remnants of two teeth and one patella of an ape species were dug up at Hammerschmiede clay pit in Bavaria, Germany. The size and shape of these remains are distinct from all other apes, said the scientist who studied the specimens, including\u00a0Danuvius guggenmosi,\u00a0<\/em>a larger\u00a0extinct species of great ape that lived in the same area 11.6 million\u00a0years ago. Analysis suggests that the\u00a0new species of great ape<\/a>\u00a0was tiny, weighing just 10kg.<\/p>

More amazing stories from around the world<\/strong><\/p>