mammals

This 23-foot crocodylian may have ruled South America’s food chain

hunting predator prey Miocene fossil mammals

Miocene South America was packed with giant prey—and the predators hunting them were just as spectacular. Fossil bite marks suggest crocodylians, especially the enormous Purussaurus neivensis, were more important predators than mammals in this ancient tropical ecosystem. At around seven meters long, Purussaurus may even have helped control populations of giant herbivores.

19/08/2026 sciencedaily-paleo

“There was so much prey available”: this giant crocodilian dominated this lost world 10 million years ago

tooth predator prey bird mammals study

More than 10 million years ago, South America was home to an ecosystem populated by impressive predators. Saber-toothed mammals, anacondas and even “terror birds” shared the territory. But a new study reveals that some reptiles still occupied a place...

18/08/2026 futura-terre ⚙ Auto-translated

Giant Crocodiles Once Preyed on Massive Mammals in South America

Colombia mammals

Paleontologists have uncovered the first direct physical evidence that colossal prehistoric crocodiles hunted large plant-eating mammals in what is now Colombia roughly 12 million years ago. The post Giant Crocodiles Once Preyed on Massive Mammals in South America appeared first on Sci.News: Breaking Science News.

17/08/2026 sci-news

The hidden struggle that changed everything: why dinosaurs had no choice but to become giant

Dinosauria evolution mammals

During evolution, dinosaurs sometimes became monumental. On the other hand, no process led to making them smaller, which could be explained by a kind of environmental competition with mammals.

14/08/2026 futura-terre ⚙ Auto-translated

Fossil Evidence Pushes Back Origin of Live Birth by 90 Million Years

reproduction Argentina fossil mammals

Paleontologists studying a 236-million-year-old cynodont fossil from Argentina say they have found the earliest evidence yet of viviparity (live birth) in the evolutionary line that leads to mammals, pushing back the origin of this reproductive strategy by as much as 90 to 95 million years. The post Fossil Evidence Pushes Back Origin of Live Birth by 90 Million Years appeared first on Sci.News: Breaking Science News.

13/08/2026 sci-news