Latest news with #dinosaurs
Yahoo
4 days ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Puppies come face-to-face with dinosaur at Oxford museum
A group of puppies have come face-to-face with a dinosaur during a special training outing. The future hearing dogs visited Oxford University Museum of Natural History on July 11 as part of their training programme, where they stood nose-to-bone with Stan the Tyrannosaurus rex. The visit was designed to expose the puppies to unusual sights and sounds, helping them to build confidence in busy or unexpected environments as they prepare for their roles supporting deaf people. Neha Srivastava, dog training manager at Hearing Dogs for Deaf People, said: "When our pups are accompanying their deaf partners in their everyday lives, they'll come across lots of different sights, sounds, and experiences. Volunteer puppy trainer Caroline Bunn at the museum with Jason, the hearing dog puppy she is training (Image: Paul Wilkinson) "To make sure they feel relaxed and comfortable in a range of different settings – whether that's a crowded railway station, a hospital, or even a museum full of dinosaurs – we organise visits such as today's as part of their training." The puppies explored the museum exhibits and posed for photos beside the towering dinosaur skeletons. Ms Srivastava said: "We are so grateful to the museum team for allowing us to visit with the dogs. "With all its fascinating exhibits, it's the perfect place for the dogs to practice staying calm, focused, and confident no matter what's around them." The charity is currently appealing for more volunteer trainers to help raise and prepare the puppies for their future roles, as demand for hearing dogs continues to rise. Ellie Talbot, visitor experience manager at the museum, said: "It's been brilliant seeing the puppies in the museum today, and to be able to support the training for their important work. "They seemed unphased by their encounter with our dinosaurs." She also praised the partnership between the museum and the charity. Ms Talbot said: "We really value collaboration with organisations such as Hearing Dogs for Deaf People, as part of our aim to make the Museum of Natural History accessible to all. "We welcome people with all access needs, with detailed accessibility information on our website, and our friendly visitor experience team are on hand to support whenever needed." Hearing Dogs for Deaf People is urgently seeking volunteer puppy trainers in Oxfordshire. The charity trains dogs to alert deaf people to important and life-saving sounds they would otherwise miss, such as a smoke alarm, an alarm clock, or a baby's cry. In 2023-24 its services supported 5,968 deaf individuals and their family members, supporting 1,141 hearing dog partnerships Anyone interested in volunteering can email volunteer@ call 01844 348100, or visit
Yahoo
4 days ago
- Science
- Yahoo
Ancient Voice Box Finally Reveals How Dinosaurs May Have Sounded
Despite what the movies tell us, dinosaurs probably didn't roar at their prey. It's more likely that they chirped like birds, based on a well-preserved new fossil with an intact voice box. A team of researchers from the Chinese Academy of Sciences discovered an almost-complete skeleton of a new dinosaur species in northeastern China. This two-legged, 72 centimeter (2.4 foot) long herbivore was named Pulaosaurus qinglong after Pulao, a tiny dragon from Chinese mythology that, the story goes, cries out loudly. Related: That namesake is no coincidence – Pulaosaurus is one of very few dinosaurs for which we have some idea of the noises it could have made. That's because the fossil is extremely well-preserved. Not only are most of the bones present and accounted for, but so are parts we don't usually find, including structures in the larynx. There's even some impressions of what could be its final meal visible in its gut. Leaf-shaped, cartilaginous structures in the larynx are very similar to modern birds, the researchers write, which suggests that Pulaosaurus could have communicated through complex chirps and calls. Sadly, don't expect to be able to listen to a reproduction any time soon. "Due to the compression of the Pulaosaurus mandible, the exact width of the mandible is unknown, so acoustic calculations of Pulaosaurus cannot be made," the researchers write. Finding a fossilized larynx in a dinosaur is extremely rare – in fact, this is only the second time one has been identified. The other was in a very different type of dinosaur: an armored ankylosaur known as Pinacosaurus. Intriguingly, these two examples are very distantly related and separated by about 90 million years of evolution. That means this kind of larynx structure could have been widespread among dinosaurs. So why haven't we found more? The team suggests that either these fragile structures don't fossilize very often, or perhaps they're being mistakenly classified as other parts of the throat. "Reanalysis of vocal anatomy within non-avian dinosaurs needs to be carried out to assess the accuracy of identification among curated specimens," the researchers write. Maybe with more examples we'll get a better understanding of how dinosaurs really sounded. The research was published in the journal PeerJ. Related News Stunning Grand Canyon Fossils Reveal Evolution's Weird Experiments Neither Scales Nor Feathers: Bizarre Appendage Discovered on Reptile Fossil America's Largest Crater Has Surprise Link to Grand Canyon, Study Finds Solve the daily Crossword
The Independent
6 days ago
- Science
- The Independent
Footprints shed new light on dinosaur social interactions
Fossil footprints discovered at Dinosaur Provincial Park in Alberta, Canada, provide the first concrete evidence of mixed-species herding behaviour among dinosaurs. The tracks show different dinosaur species, including horned and armoured dinosaurs, travelled together, similar to modern wildebeest and zebra. Researchers also found tracks of two tyrannosaurs walking alongside the herd, suggesting multispecies herding may have been a defence strategy against apex predators. The findings, detailed in the journal PLOS One, shed new light on social interaction among prehistoric beasts. Further excavations at the site are expected to reveal more details about how dinosaurs of different species interacted and behaved in their natural environment.
The Independent
6 days ago
- Science
- The Independent
Groundbreaking fossil footprints reveal dinosaurs of different species herded together
Fossil footprints discovered in Canada show that different dinosaur species sometimes herded together, shedding more light on social interaction among the prehistoric beasts. The footprints at the Dinosaur Provincial Park in Alberta, Canada, is the first discovery of its kind. An analysis of the fossil site, detailed in the journal PLOS One, provides the first piece of concrete evidence of mixed species herding behaviour among dinosaurs, similar to how modern wildebeest and zebra travel together on the African plains. Researchers, including from the University of Reading in the UK, say they were surprised to find fossil tracks of a pair of tyrannosaurs walking side by side and perpendicular to the multi-species herd. Such multispecies herding could have been a defence strategy against common apex predators like T rexes, the researchers said. The researchers found 13 horned dinosaur tracks from at least five animals walking side by side on the 30 square meters of the fossil site unearthed so far. They also noticed tracks indicating that an armoured dinosaur like the ankylosaurus walked in the midst of the herd. The fossil track site, extending into a hillside at the park, also bore the footprint of what may have been a small meat-eating dinosaur. 'I've collected dinosaur bones in Dinosaur Provincial Park for nearly 20 years, but I'd never given footprints much thought. This rim of rock had the look of mud that had been squelched out between your toes and I was immediately intrigued,' Phil Bell, one of the study's authors from the University of New England, said. "The tyrannosaur tracks give the sense that they were eyeing up the herd, which is a pretty chilling thought, but we don't know for certain whether they crossed paths.' The researchers discovered several more track sites within the varied terrain of the park, which they said were still to be properly scrutinised. 'It was incredibly exciting to be walking in the footsteps of dinosaurs 76 million years after they laid them down,' said Brian Pickles, another study author from the University of Reading. Further digs at the site could unravel more details about how dinosaurs of different species interacted with each other and behaved in their natural environment, Dr Pickles said. 'Dinosaur Park is one of the best-understood dinosaur assemblages globally with more than a century of intense collection and study,' Caleb Brown, another author of the study, said, 'but it's only now that we are getting a sense for its full potential for dinosaur trackways.'
Yahoo
6 days ago
- Science
- Yahoo
Dinosaurs roamed in multi-species herds, fossilized footprints show
In Africa, wildebeest and zebra roam the plains in multi-species herds. The blended communities aren't random animal amalgamations–zoologists believe the populations coalesce for mutual defense against predators. But based on recently discovered footprints in Alberta, Canada, paleontologists now suspect the tactic isn't a modern evolutionary development—even dinosaurs may have participated in similar multi-species herding patterns. The findings made at the Dinosaur Provincial Park UNESCO World Heritage Site were detailed in a study published in the journal PLOS One. The environment of present-day Alberta is radically different from its Cretaceous Era past. Instead of windswept fields and rugged, snowy mountains, the region's lush, subtropical conditions of 76 million years ago provided ample resources for both terrestrial and flying dinosaurs. Species including the Tyrannosaurus rex walked beside eastward flowing rivers that emptied into a warm, inland sea populated by ancient fish, marine reptiles, and sharks. Since 1979, Dinosaur Provincial Park has provided paleontologists with troves of fossilized remains, mostly in the form of skeletons and bone fragments. But until recently, many researchers didn't dedicate much time to locating any potential footprints left behind by the various species. 'I've collected dinosaur bones in Dinosaur Provincial Park for nearly 20 years, but I'd never given footprints much thought,' University of New England paleontologist Phil Bell said in a statement. In July 2024, Bell and an international team of colleagues visited the park for a field course. While there, they discovered a set of at least 20 full and partial dinosaur footprints preserved in a roughly 312-square-foot section of sediment. But unlike past finds, the tracks didn't all belong to one type of dinosaur. Instead, paleontologists eventually matched them to multiple different species. A total of 13 prints were linked to at least five ceratopsian (horned) dinosaurs walking side-by-side, while another grouping likely indicates the presence of an ankylosaurid among them. One footprint also appears to belong to a small, unidentified carnivorous species. 'It was incredibly exciting to be walking in the footsteps of dinosaurs 76 million years after they laid them down,' recalled University of Reading paleontologist and study co-author Brian Pickles. But it was the discovery of two additional footprint sets perpendicular to the herd that potentially provide the best context to the Cretaceous era snapshot. Not far away, a duo of large tyrannosaurs appear to have been stalking the other dinosaurs. Unfortunately, the team's excavation work couldn't yield any evidence of an outcome to the tense moment. 'The tyrannosaur tracks give the sense that they were really eyeing up the herd, which is a pretty chilling thought, but we don't know for certain whether they actually crossed paths,' Bell explained. Regardless, the confirmation of mixed species dinosaur herding behavior represents a major moment in paleontology, one that could soon open up new possibilities and research opportunities. The team is already eyeing future locations to examine. 'Using the new search images for these footprints, we have been able to discover several more tracksites within the varied terrain of the Park,' Pickles said. 'I am sure [they] will tell us even more about how these fascinating creatures interacted with each other and behaved in their natural environment.' Solve the daily Crossword
