[Paleontology • 2026] Haolong dongi • Cellular-level Preservation of cutaneous spikes in an Early Cretaceous iguanodontian Dinosaur

 Haolong dongi 

Huang, Wu, Mao, Bertozzo, Dhouailly, Robin, Pittman, Kaye, Manucci, He, Wang & Godefroit, 2026  

DOI: doi.org/10.1038/s41559-025-02960-9  

Researchgate.net/publication/400539444

Abstract

The near-complete and articulated skeleton of a new iguanodontian dinosaur, Haolong dongi gen. et sp. nov., from the Lower Cretaceous of northeastern China, preserves exquisitely fossilized skin. The integument includes large overlapping scutate scales along the tail and tuberculate scales around the neck and thorax markedly different from the scale pattern described in other iguanodontians. Remarkably, these scales are interspersed with cutaneous spikes preserved at the cellular level. Tomographic and histological analyses reveal a hollow, cylindrical structure composed of a cornified stratum corneum overlying a pluristratified epidermis with keratinocytes preserved to the level of nuclei, surrounding a porous central dermal pulp. These spikes differ structurally from known protofeathers in non-avian dinosaurs and scaly spines in extant squamates, suggesting a distinct evolutionary origin. Their morphology and distribution imply a primary role in predator deterrence, with potential secondary functions in thermoregulation or mechanoreception. This discovery provides unprecedented insight into the microanatomy of non-avian dinosaur skin and highlights the complexity of skin evolution in ornithischian dinosaurs.

 Haolong dongi gen. et sp. nov.

Jiandong Huang, Wenhao Wu, Lei Mao, Filippo Bertozzo, Danielle Dhouailly, Ninon Robin, Michael Pittman, Thomas G. Kaye, Fabio Manucci, Xuezhi He, Xuri Wang and Pascal Godefroit. 2026.  Cellular-level Preservation of cutaneous spikes in an Early Cretaceous iguanodontian Dinosaur. Nature Ecology & Evolution. 10; 203–210. DOI: doi.org/10.1038/s41559-025-02960-9 [06 February 2026]

 Researchgate.net/publication/400539444_Cellular-level_preservation_of_cutaneous_spikes_in_Cretaceous_iguanodontian_dinosaur

[Paleontology • 2026] Tyrannoroter heberti • Carboniferous recumbirostran elucidates the origins of terrestrial herbivory

Tyrannoroter heberti 

Mann, Xiong, Calthorpe, Sues & Maddin, 2026

 

DOI: doi.org/10.1038/s41559-025-02929-8

Abstract

The evolution of herbivory is one of the most important ecological events in the evolution of terrestrial vertebrates and impacted the ecosystems they inhabited. Herbivory independently developed in a number of tetrapod clades during the Late Carboniferous and Permian, eventually leading to the establishment of the basic structure of modern terrestrial ecosystems. Here we describe a Late Carboniferous pantylid ‘microsaur’, Tyrannoroter heberti gen. et sp. nov., with expansive occluding palatal and coronoid dental batteries. The shape of the teeth, as revealed by high-resolution micro-computed tomography data, indicates wear from both shearing and grinding motions consistent with herbivory. New data from historical pantylid fossils show that similar adaptations can be traced back as far as the Bashkirian (~318 million years ago), indicating that terrestrial herbivory was already widespread within this group, and originated rapidly following the terrestrialization of tetrapods. The placement of recumbirostran ‘microsaurs’ on the amniote stem suggests that terrestrial herbivory is not an amniote innovation, although the phylogenetic position of ‘microsaurian’ tetrapods remains uncertain. Under any phylogenetic scenario, the data presented here reveal that pantylids acquired adaptations to herbivory independently, probably via durophagous omnivory, feeding on insects, shelled animals and tough plant material.

Tyrannoroter heberti gen. et sp. nov.

Arjan Mann, Zifang Xiong, Ami S. Calthorpe, Hans-Dieter Sues and Hillary C. Maddin. 2026. Carboniferous recumbirostran elucidates the origins of terrestrial herbivory. Nature Ecology & Evolution. 10; 193–202. DOI: doi.org/10.1038/s41559-025-02929-8 [10 February 2026]

[PaleoMammalogy • 2025] Epiaceratherium itjilik • Mid-Cenozoic rhinocerotid dispersal via the North Atlantic

  Epiaceratherium itjilik  

Fraser, Rybczynski, Gilbert & Dawson, 2025 

 

DOI: doi.org/10.1038/s41559-025-02872-8 

Artwork: Julius Csotonyi  facebook.com/JuliusCsotonyi

nature.ca

Abstract

The North Atlantic Land Bridge (NALB), which connected Europe to North America, enabled high-latitude dispersal, particularly during globally warm periods such as the Palaeocene–Eocene Thermal Maximum, a period of dramatic faunal reorganization. It has been generally accepted by palaeontologists, based on faunal comparisons between Europe and North America, that terrestrial vertebrates did not disperse via the NALB more recently than the early Eocene. Here we describe a new Early Miocene rhinocerotid species from the Canadian High Arctic with proximity to the NALB and present novel phylogenetic hypotheses for rhinocerotids. The new species, Epiaceratherium itjilik sp. nov., is differentiated from the four other members of the genus by characteristics of the P3, M1-2, mandible and lower premolars. E. itjilik also possesses an enlarged fifth metacarpal and reduced third trochanter of the femur. Global-scale biogeographic analyses reveal a high number of dispersals between Europe and North America, in both directions; cumulatively, they near the number of dispersals within Eurasia. Notably, multiple dispersals occurred in the Oligo-Miocene, suggesting that the NALB may have been crossable for mammals for at least 20 million years longer than previously considered, consistent with emerging geological and palaeoclimatological models. In combination with a NALB that was interrupted by only narrow, shallow waterways until the Miocene, we suggest that the formation of seasonal ice as early as the mid to late Eocene may have facilitated movement of terrestrial organisms between Europe and North America. We thus provide insight into the importance of the NALB as a persistent high-latitude connector of geographically disparate terrestrial faunas, underscoring the pivotal role of the Arctic in mammalian evolution.

  Epiaceratherium itjilik sp. nov.

Artist's recreation of Epiaceratherium itjilik in its forested lake habitat, Devon Island, Early Miocene, 23 million years ago. The plants and animals shown, including a leporid, rabbit and the transitional seal Puijila darwini, are all based on fossilized remains found at the site.

Artwork: Julius Csotonyi

Danielle Fraser, Natalia Rybczynski, Marisa Gilbert and Mary R. Dawson. 2025. Mid-Cenozoic rhinocerotid dispersal via the North Atlantic. Nature Ecology & Evolution. DOI: doi.org/10.1038/s41559-025-02872-8 [28 October 2025]

 facebook.com/JuliusCsotonyi/posts/10161429773766396

https://nature.ca/en/about-the-museum/media-centre/a-rhino-from-the-arctic

[Paleontology • 2025] Anteavis crurilongus • A Carnian theropod with unexpectedly derived features during the first dinosaur radiation

Anteavis crurilongus

Martínez, Colombi, Ezcurra, Abelín, Cerda & Alcober, 2025

DOI: doi.org/10.1038/s41559-025-02868-4

Abstract

The early diversification of dinosaurs produced a major ecological change in the terrestrial ecosystems, culminating with tetrapod assemblages dominated in abundance by dinosaurs by the Triassic/Jurassic boundary (~201 million years ago (Ma)). Therefore, studying the initial diversification of dinosaurs is crucial to understand the establishment of Mesozoic assemblages. However, the lack of stratigraphically continuous fossil data in the few geological units that preserve the oldest known dinosaurs (~233–227 Ma, Carnian age) obscures our understanding of this initial diversification. The Ischigualasto Formation in northwestern Argentina (231.4–225.9 Ma) yields a rich vertebrate assemblage and new studies resulted in an abundant and stratigraphically near-continuous fossil record, which offers new insights into the early diversification of dinosaurs. Among the discoveries, we report Anteavis crurilongus gen. et sp. nov., an early-diverging theropod, which supports the notable diversity of small- to medium-sized dinosaurs during the late Carnian. Anteavis is recovered outside Neotheropoda, but it has features previously thought to be exclusive to that group. We show that dinosaur diversity and abundance in the Ischigualasto Formation were higher than previously recognized, particularly among small herbivores (<30 kg) and medium-sized (30–200 kg) predators. This diversification occurred in Ischigualasto during a climatic shift to semi-arid conditions, but the return of more humid conditions resulted in a gap in the dinosaur record that started at 228.91 ± 0.14 Ma. Only 15 million years (Myr) later, in the middle Norian age, the dinosaur record recovered its abundance and diversity in the basin, but now it was characterized by larger-bodied species. Our findings demonstrate an early dinosaur diversification probably punctuated by a climate-driven faunal turnover in, at least, southwestern Pangaea.

Anteavis crurilongus gen. et sp. nov.

 

Ricardo N. Martínez, Carina E. Colombi, Martín D. Ezcurra, Diego O. Abelín, Ignacio Cerda and Oscar A. Alcober. 2025. A Carnian theropod with unexpectedly derived features during the first dinosaur radiation. Nature Ecology & Evolution. DOI: doi.org/10.1038/s41559-025-02868-4 [14 October 2025]

[PaleoOrnithology • 2023] Cratonavis zhui • Decoupling the Skull and Skeleton in A Cretaceous Bird with Unique Appendicular Morphologies

 Cratonavis zhui

 Li, Wang, Stidham & Zhou, 2023

 DOI: 10.1038/s41559-022-01921-w

Abstract

The Cretaceous is a critical time interval that encompasses explosive diversifications of terrestrial vertebrates, particularly the period when the earliest-branching birds, after divergence from their theropod ancestors, evolved the characteristic avian Bauplan that led eventually to their global radiation. This early phylogenetic diversity is overwhelmed by the Ornithothoraces, consisting of the Enantiornithes and Ornithuromorpha, whose members evolved key derived features of crown birds. This disparity consequently circumscribes a large morphological gap between these derived clades and the oldest bird Archaeopteryx. The non-ornithothoracine pygostylians, with an intermediate phylogenetic position, are key to deciphering those evolutionary transformations, but progress in their study has been hampered by the limited diversity of known fossils. Here we report an Early Cetaceous non-ornithothoracine pygostylian, Cratonavis zhui gen. et sp. nov., that exhibits a unique combination of a non-avialan dinosaurian akinetic skull with an avialan post-cranial skeleton, revealing the key role of evolutionary mosaicism in early bird diversification. The unusually elongated scapular and metatarsal one preserved in Cratonavis highlights a breadth of skeletal plasticity, stemming from their distinct developmental modules and selection for possibly raptorial behaviour. Mapped changes in these two elements across theropod phylogeny demonstrate clade-specific evolutionary lability.

   

Cratonavis zhui gen. et sp. nov.

 

Zhiheng Li, Min Wang, Thomas A. Stidham and Zhonghe Zhou. 2023. Decoupling the Skull and Skeleton in A Cretaceous Bird with Unique Appendicular Morphologies. Nature Ecology & Evolution. DOI: 10.1038/s41559-022-01921-w

www.eurekalert.org/news-releases/975492

[Paleontology • 2020] Nagini mazonense • Snake-like Limb Loss in A Carboniferous Amniote [A New Taxon of Recumbirostran from the Francis Creek Shale, USA]

 Nagini mazonense

Mann, Pardo & Maddin, 2022

 DOI: 10.1038/s41559-022-01698-y 

twitter.com/MannArjan 

Abstract

Among living tetrapods, many lineages have converged on a snake-like body plan, where extreme axial elongation is accompanied by reduction or loss of paired limbs. However, when and how this adaptive body plan first evolved in amniotes remains poorly understood. Here, we provide insights into this question by reporting on a new taxon of molgophid recumbirostran, Nagini mazonense gen. et sp. nov., from the Francis Creek Shale (309–307 million years ago) of Illinois, United States, that exhibits extreme axial elongation and corresponding limb reduction. The molgophid lacks entirely the forelimb and pectoral girdle, thus representing the earliest occurrence of complete loss of a limb in a taxon recovered phylogenetically within amniotes. This forelimb-first limb reduction is consistent with the pattern of limb reduction that is seen in modern snakes and contrasts with the hindlimb-first reduction process found in many other tetrapod groups. Our findings suggest that a snake-like limb-reduction mechanism may be operating more broadly across the amniote tree.

Nagini mazonense gen. et sp. nov.

   

 

Arjan Mann, Jason D. Pardo and Hillary C. Maddin. 2022. Snake-like Limb Loss in A Carboniferous Amniote. Nature Ecology & Evolution. DOI: 10.1038/s41559-022-01698-y

 twitter.com/MannArjan/status/1508495340806234118

[Paleontology • 2022] Abditosaurus kuehnei • A Titanosaurian Sauropod with Gondwanan Affinities in the latest Cretaceous of Europe

Abditosaurus kuehnei 

Vila, Sellés, Moreno-Azanza, Razzolini, Gil-Delgado, Canudo & Galobart, 2022

 DOI: 10.1038/s41559-021-01651-5 

twitter.com/ICP_MCrusafont 

Abstract

The origin of the last sauropod dinosaur communities in Europe and their evolution during the final 15 million years of the Cretaceous have become a complex phylogenetic and palaeobiogeographic puzzle characterized by the controversy on the alleged coexistence of immigrant, Gondwana-related taxa alongside relictual and insular clades. In this context, we describe a new titanosaurian sauropod dinosaur, Abditosaurus kuehnei gen. et sp. nov., from the Late Cretaceous (Maastrichtian) Tremp Group of Catalonia (Spain). Phylogenetic analyses recover Abditosaurus separately from other European titanosaurs, within a clade of otherwise South American and African saltasaurines. The affinity of the new taxon with southern landmasses is reinforced by spatiotemporal co-occurrence with Gondwanan titanosaurian oospecies in southern Europe. The large size and the lack of osteohistological features potentially related to insular dwarfism or size reduction support the idea that Abditosaurus belongs to an immigrant lineage, unequivocally distinct from some of the island dwarfs of the European archipelago. The arrival of the Abditosaurus lineage to the Ibero–Armorican Island is hypothesized to have occurred during the earliest Maastrichtian (70.6 Ma), probably as a result of a global and regional sea-level drop that reactivated ancient dispersal routes between Africa and Europe. The arrival of large-bodied titanosaurs to the European archipelago produced dramatic changes in its insular ecosystems and important evolutionary changes in its dinosaur faunas, especially with respect to the ‘island rule’ effect.

Systematic palaeontology

Dinosauria Owen, 1842

Saurischia Seeley, 1887

Sauropoda Marsh, 1878

Titanosauria Bonaparte and Coria, 1993

Saltasauridae Bonaparte and Powell, 1980

Saltasaurinae Bonaparte and Powell, 1980

Abditosaurus kuehnei, gen. et sp. nov.

Etymology. ‘Abditus’, Latin, meaning concealed, because the skeleton was concealed from science for 60 years; ‘sauros’, Greek, meaning lizard. ‘kuehnei’ honours Professor Walter Georg Kühne (1911–1991), the discoverer of the specimen.

 

Bernat Vila, Albert Sellés, Miguel Moreno-Azanza, Novella L. Razzolini, Alejandro Gil-Delgado, José Ignacio Canudo and Àngel Galobart. 2022. A Titanosaurian Sauropod with Gondwanan Affinities in the latest Cretaceous of Europe. Nature Ecology & Evolution. DOI: 10.1038/s41559-021-01651-5

 twitter.com/ICP_MCrusafont/status/1490735220676603907

 

[Paleontology • 2021] Spicomellus afer • Bizarre Dermal Armour suggests the First African Ankylosaur

Spicomellus afer 

Maidment, Strachan, Ouarhache, Scheyer, Brown, Fernandez, Johanson, Raven & Barrett, 2021

 DOI: 10.1038/s41559-021-01553-6

Abstract

Ankylosauria is a diverse clade of armoured dinosaurs whose members were important constituents of many Cretaceous faunas. Phylogenetic analyses imply that the clade diverged from its sister taxon, Stegosauria, during the late Early Jurassic, but the fossil records of both clades are sparse until the Late Jurassic (~150 million years ago). Moreover, Ankylosauria is almost entirely restricted to former Laurasian continents, with only a single valid Gondwanan taxon. Spicomellus afer gen. et sp. nov. appears to represent the earliest-known ankylosaur and the first to be named from Africa, from the Middle Jurassic (Bathonian–Callovian) of Morocco, filling an important gap in dinosaur evolution. The specimen consists of a rib with spiked dermal armour fused to its dorsal surface, an unprecedented morphology among extinct and extant vertebrates. The specimen reveals an unrealized morphological diversity of armoured dinosaurs during their early evolution, and implies the presence of an important but undiscovered Gondwanan fossil record.

Dinosauria Owen, 18427

Ornithischia Seeley, 18878

Ankylosauria Osborn, 19239

Spicomellus afer gen. et sp. nov.

Etymology: Spicus meaning spike (Latin); mellus, a collar with spikes (Latin). A reference to the morphology of the specimen. Afer (Latin), an inhabitant of Africa. 

 

Susannah C. R. Maidment, Sarah J. Strachan, Driss Ouarhache, Torsten M. Scheyer, Emily E. Brown, Vincent Fernandez, Zerina Johanson, Thomas J. Raven and Paul M. Barrett. 2021. Bizarre Dermal Armour suggests the First African Ankylosaur. Nature Ecology & Evolution. DOI: 10.1038/s41559-021-01553-6

New species of dinosaur had armour unlike anything seen before

 nhm.ac.uk/discover/news/2021/september/new-species-of-dinosaur-had-armour-unlike-anything-seen-before.html

[PaleoMammalogy • 2021] The Rise and Fall of Proboscidean Ecological Diversity

Dusk falls on East Africa's Turkana Basin 4 million years ago, where our early upright-walking ape ancestors, Australopithecus anamensis (foreground), shared their habitat with several coexisting proboscidean species, as part of a spectacular herbivore community containing some progenitors of today's charismatic East African animals.
Background (left to right): Anancus ultimus, last of the African mastodonts; Deinotherium bozasi, colossal herbivore as tall as a giraffe; Loxodonta adaurora, gigantic extinct cousin of modern African elephants, alongside the closely-related, smaller L. exoptata. Middle ground (left to right): Eurygnathohippus turkanense, zebra-sized three-hoofed horse; Tragelaphus kyaloae, a forerunner of the nyala and kudu antelopes; Diceros praecox - ancestor of the modern black rhino.

in Cantalapiedra, Sanisidro, Zhang, ... et Saarinen, 2021. 

  DOI: 10.1038/s41559-021-01498-w

Illustration: Julius Csotonyi

 

Abstract

Proboscideans were keystone Cenozoic megaherbivores and present a highly relevant case study to frame the timing and magnitude of recent megafauna extinctions against long-term macroevolutionary patterns. By surveying the entire proboscidean fossil history using model-based approaches, we show that the dramatic Miocene explosion of proboscidean functional diversity was triggered by their biogeographical expansion beyond Africa. Ecomorphological innovations drove niche differentiation; communities that accommodated several disparate proboscidean species in sympatry became commonplace. The first burst of extinctions took place in the late Miocene, approximately 7 million years ago (Ma). Importantly, this and subsequent extinction trends showed high ecomorphological selectivity and went hand in hand with palaeoclimate dynamics. The global extirpation of proboscideans began escalating from 3 Ma with further extinctions in Eurasia and then a dramatic increase in African extinctions at 2.4 Ma. Overhunting by humans may have served as a final double jeopardy in the late Pleistocene after climate-triggered extinction trends that began long before hominins evolved suitable hunting capabilities.

Juan L. Cantalapiedra, Óscar Sanisidro, Hanwen Zhang, María T. Alberdi, José L. Prado, Fernando Blanco and Juha Saarinen. 2021. The Rise and Fall of Proboscidean Ecological Diversity. Nature Ecology & Evolution. DOI: 10.1038/s41559-021-01498-w

Global climate dynamics drove the decline of mastodonts and elephants, new study suggests

 eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2021-07/uob-gcd062921.php

 courthousenews.com/climate-change-in-earths-early-days-drove-ancient-elephants-to-extinction/

[Paleontology • 2020] Dendromaia unamakiensis • Varanopid from the Carboniferous of Nova Scotia reveals Evidence of Parental Care in Amniotes

 Dendromaia unamakiensis 

Maddin, Mann & Hebert, 2020

 DOI: 10.1038/s41559-019-1030-z 

Abstract

Here we report on a fossil synapsid, Dendromaia unamakiensis gen. et sp. nov., from the Carboniferous period of Nova Scotia that displays evidence of parental care—approximately 40 million years earlier than the previous earliest record based on a varanopid from the Guadalupian (middle Permian) period of South Africa. The specimen, consisting of an adult and associated conspecific juvenile, is also identified as a varanopid suggesting parental care is more deeply rooted within this clade and evolved very close to the origin of Synapsida and Amniota in general. This specimen adds to growing evidence that parental care was more widespread among Palaeozoic synapsids than previously thought and further provides data permitting the identification of potential ontogeny-dependent traits within varanopids, the implications of which impact recent competing hypotheses of the phylogenetic affinities of the group.

Dendromaia unamakiensis gen. et sp. nov.

Hillary C. Maddin, Arjan Mann and Brian Hebert. 2020. Varanopid from the Carboniferous of Nova Scotia reveals Evidence of Parental Care in Amniotes. Nature Ecology & Evolution. 4; 50–56. DOI: 10.1038/s41559-019-1030-z

   

[Mammalogy • 2019] Camera-trap Evidence that the Silver-backed Chevrotain Tragulus versicolor remains in the wild in Vietnam

Tragulus versicolor (Thomas, 1910)

in Nguyen, Tran, Hoang,et al., 2019.

 nature.com/articles/s41559-019-1027-7 

 NatureEcoEvoCommunity.nature.com
 GlobalWildlife.org

Abstract

In an age of mass extinctions, confirming the survival of lost species provides rare second chances for biodiversity conservation. The silver-backed chevrotain Tragulus versicolor, a diminutive species of ungulate known only from Vietnam, has been lost to science for almost three decades. Here, we provide evidence that the silver-backed chevrotain still exists and the first photographs of the species in the wild, and urge immediate conservation actions to ensure its survival.

An Nguyen, Van Bang Tran, Duc Minh Hoang, Thi Anh Minh Nguyen, Dinh Thang Nguyen, Van Tiep Tran, Barney Long, Erik Meijaard, Jeff Holland, Andreas Wilting and Andrew Tilker. 2019. Camera-trap Evidence that the Silver-backed Chevrotain Tragulus versicolor remains in the wild in Vietnam. Nature Ecology & Evolution.   nature.com/articles/s41559-019-1027-7  NatureEcoEvoCommunity.nature.com/u

FOUND: Miniature Fanged ‘Deer’ Rediscovered Tiptoeing Through Vietnam’s Coastal Forests

First-ever Photos and Footage of Silver-backed Chevrotain Confirm First Rediscovery of Lost Mammal on Global Wildlife Conservation’s ‘Most Wanted’ List GlobalWildlife.org/press/found-chevrotain-miniature-fanged-deer-rediscovered-tiptoeing-through-vietnams-coastal-forests/

 globalwildlife.org/web/5288ea84a4ae858b/media-kit--miniature-fanged--deer--rediscovered-tiptoeing-through-vietnam-s-coastal-forests/

 Search for the silver-backed chevrotain NatureEcoEvoCommunity.nature.com/users/324101-andrew-tilker/posts/56070-search-for-the-silver-backed-chevrotain #behindthepaper

Silver-Backed Chevrotain, With Fangs And Hooves, Photographed In Wild For First Time  tinyurl.com/yx86b4wo

Scientists rediscover mammalian oddity in remote Vietnam  news.mongabay.com/2019/11/scientists-rediscover-mammalian-oddity-in-remote-vietnam