Dinosaur Discoveries main content.
Dinosaur Discoveries
The 21st century is shaping up as a great time to be a paleontologist. Excavations by Museum scientists in northern China have uncovered an “animal Pompeii” of exquisitely preserved specimens. A 28-inch-long fossil of a baby Sciurumimus discovered in Germany suggests that all predatory dinosaurs might have had feathers. The oldest evidence of dinosaurs ever found—fossilized tracks from an animal smaller than a house cat—has been uncovered in Poland. New research is shedding light on how fast the non-avian dinosaurs went extinct, dino eggshells and ancient climate, and the evolution of bird-like brains in dinosaurs well before they took to the air as birds.
Video
Google Field Trip: Dinosaur Fossils at the Museum
Curator Mark Norell leads a tour of the Paleo Prep Lab.
Blog Post
New Finding: Dinosaur’s Feathers Were Black with Iridescent Sheen
A pigeon-sized, four-winged dinosaur known as Microraptor had black iridescent feathers when it roamed the Earth 130 million years...
March 8, 2012
Blog Post
Dinosaurs Fell Victim to “Perfect Storm” of Events, Study Infers
Dinosaurs might have survived the asteroid strike that wiped them out if it had taken place slightly earlier or later in time, according...
July 28, 2014
Oldest Evidence of Dinosaurs Found in Polish Footprints
A researcher affiliated with the Museum has just described the oldest evidence of the dinosaur lineage: 250 million year-old fossilized...
October 6, 2010
Video
How do we know where to look for dinosaur fossils?
Dinosaur fossils are found almost exclusively in sedimentary rocks.
Dinosaurs
Dinosaurs are a group of reptiles that first appeared about 245 million years ago.
Video
Inside the Collections: Paleontology
A look at the oversize collection of dinosaur fossils.
Blog Post
Were Dinosaurs Undergoing Long-Term Decline Before Mass Extinction?
Research Shows That Massive Herbivores Were Declining, Carnivores and Smaller Plant-eaters Were Not
October 26, 2012
Blog Post
How Dinosaur Brains Led to Modern Birds
Museum researcher Amy Balanoff studies how the surprisingly advanced brains of dinosaurs developed into those of their modern relatives,...
March 14, 2016
Blog Post
Graduate Student Links Dino Eggshells and Ancient Climates
Fourth-year Richard Gilder Graduate School (RGGS) doctoral student Shaena Montanari uses her geology training and subtle clues left...
December 8, 2011
Blog Post
Strange Predatory Dinosaur from Europe's Late Cretaceous Described by Romanian and U.S. Paleontologists
New Velociraptor Relative Had Stocky Limbs and Two Claws on its Feet
October 12, 2010
Article
Going Gobi
Who would travel halfway around the world to spend the summer in a desert where brutal sandstorms and surprise flash floods are on...
Archaeopteryx Was Not Very Bird-like Archaeopteryx Lacked Rapid Bone Growth, The Hallmark Of Birds
Video
Are any dinosaurs still alive today?
Birds descended from the common ancestor of all dinosaurs.
Video
Google Glass in the Gobi: Road Trip
Travel with Aki Watanabe to the Gobi Desert.
Interactive
Living Large
Sauropods dominated the Earth for 140 million years. How did they reach their massive sizes? What did they look like, how did they...
Video
Shelf Life 10: The Dinosaurs of Ghost Ranch
Discovering a dinosaur is just the first step.
Video
SciCafe: Which Came First - the Bird or the Bird Brain?
Mark Norell and Amy Balanoff discuss bird-like brains.
Blog Post
Researchers Describe ‘Animal Pompeii’ in China
Mixed graveyards filled with exceptionally well-preserved dinosaurs, mammals, early birds, fish, and reptiles in northern China are...
February 4, 2014
Exhibit
Dinosaur Mummy
The Museum’s dinosaur mummy is a fossilized imprint of the carcass of a duck-billed dinosaur. One of the most complete pieces of...
Interactive
Anatomy Adventure
Reconstruct the skeleton of a fossil animal that you found on an expedition. A scientific experience designed for kids ages 12 and...
Blog Post
Newly Discovered Dinosaur Implies Greater Prevalence of Feathers
A new species of feathered dinosaur discovered in southern Germany is further changing the perception of how predatory dinosaurs...
July 2, 2012
Educator Professional Learning
Explore the Family Tree of Birds
Scientists on many parts of the globe are working to decipher the family tree of animals at the transition from non-avian dinosaurs...
Video
What was dinosaur skin like?
Rare dinosaur "mummies" preserve dinosaur skin.
Permanent Hall
Hall of Ornithischian Dinosaurs
Exhibits feature fossils from ornithischian dinosaurs, including Triceratops, Stegosaurus, Corythosaurus, and others.
Permanent Hall
Hall of Saurischian Dinosaurs
This hall features the fossils of Tyrannosaurus rex, Apatosaurus, and others, as well as an example of a dinosaur trackway.