Fossils

Skin and color pattern of 125-million-year-old crocodile revealed by extraordinary fossil from the Pyrenees

A new study describes, for the first time in detail, the soft tissues preserved in Montsecosuchus depereti, a Lower Cretaceous crocodylomorph from the Pedrera de Meià site in the province of Lleida (Catalonia, Spain).

World’s most dangerous bird has bizarre, glowing headgear

Structures on cassowaries’ skulls fluoresce under UV light, hinting at a hidden visual signal

Often labeled “the world’s most dangerous birds,” cassowaries just got even more intriguing. The aggressive, flightless birds have structures on top of their heads called casques, the purpose of which has long confused scientists. To the human eye, casques look fairly plain—but new research published last month in Scientific Reports finds this headgear fluoresces under ultraviolet (UV) light, possibly aiding the birds’ visual displays...