North America Archives - Capital Berg

Paleontologists Exposed Oldest & Tiny Plant-Eating Large Horned Dinosaurs In North America

December 11, 2014 By Denise Ehrlich

Paleontologists in south Montana in North America have recently discovered the fossil of a horned dinosaur, which has a 3 inch long beaked skull and which they believe is the oldest proof ever of a horned dinosaur in the United States. Although it’s small, the skull of the dinosaur is helpful in filling the gaps in the history of horned creatures.

According to the paleontologists, this is the first horned dinosaur of the Early Cretaceous period (about 113 to 105 million years ago) which can be identified to its species. The end of that period was a time of essential diversification for dinosaurs with horns. The dinosaur, which is called Aquilops americanus, had a nose like a beak and sharply pointed cavities on its cheeks. The horny creature was probably the size of a crow.

The jaw and skull of Aquilops americanus were discovered by Scott Madsen back in the year 1977 in what is known as the Cloverly Formation of southern Montana.

Paleontologist Andrew Farke said, “Scott initially thought it was generic, plant-eating dinosaur but it turned out it was one of these early horned dinosaurs. That is a really exciting find.”

James I. Kirkland, the state paleontologist at the Utah Geological Survey said, “Up to this point, all that was known for horned dinosaurs were just isolated teeth and fragment bones. This new finding is the first one that allows us to say exactly what kinds of horned dinosaurs lived in North America about 108 million years ago.”

Archeologists Uncovered Ice Age Baby Skeleton

November 12, 2014 By Andreas Petersen

A group of archeologists uncovered the body of a baby which dates back to around 11,500 years ago. The experts found the remnants at a burial place in Alaska.

This is the first time scientists unearth the remains of an infant’s from North America. The experts found the skeletons beneath the cremated remains of a child in a circular pit. The ditch comprises objects of two stone projectile and four antler rods. All the objects were ornamented with red ochre which researchers named as “grave goods”.

A team of archeologist form the University of Alaska Fairbank closely analyzed the Ice Age baby skeleton.

The experts examined the skeletal and dental relics of the two bodies of infants. Later on, researchers informed that one of the babies is older than the other one.

Ben Potter, an archeologist of University of Alaska along with a team of experts carried out the most latest archeological study. Earlier, the scientists uncovered a cremated three year old baby from the same location. However, this time researchers found the babies 15 inch below from the burial place of that three year old child.

Moreover, Potter informed that these new discoveries that occurred in a really short time period provide significant information about the death rituals of the ancient Americans.

Megalodon became Extinct about 2.6 Million Years ago

October 27, 2014 By June Harris

A recent study conducted by University of Florida researchers dismisses the claims that the monstrous Megalodon is still alive by revealing the fact that it became extinct 2.6 million years ago. But, scientists are still unclear why these sharks went extinct.

Fossils of Megalodon have been found in North America, Europe, Africa and South America. Most of them measured about 50 feet in length, with a maximum length being 60 feet. Scientists said the marine animals would never dare crossing Megalodon’s way.

Chris Clements, a research assistant at the University of Zurich, said that they used the Optimal Linear Estimation (OLE) technique to estimate when the shark went extinct. The technique doesn’t provide the exact date of extinction. Instead, it gives “a date by which” a species went extinct.

Catalina Pimiento, lead author of the study stated, “I was pinched to the study of Carcharocles Megalodon’s extinction because it is fundamental to know when species became extinct in order to be aware of the causes and consequences of such an event.”

“This study might also help other scientists to better understand the potential widespread effects of losing the planet’s top predators,” he added.

The first phase of Pimiento’s ongoing reconstruction of megalodon’s extinction is represented in the study. Due to the current biodiversity crisis, the modern top predators, particularly large sharks are significantly declining worldwide. The study acts as a basis to better understand the consequences of these changes, Pimiento added.

“When you confiscate large sharks, then small sharks are very abundant and they consume more of the invertebrates that we humans eat. The findings of the study show that large-bodied, shallow-water species of sharks are at greatest risk among marine animals, and the overall risk of shark extinction is substantially higher than for most other vertebrates,” Pimiento said.

Pimiento is planning to further inspect possible correlations between changes in the Megalodon’s distribution and the evolutionary trends of marine animals including whales and other sharks.

Pimiento said, “When we started measuring the time Megalodon’s time of extinction, we observed that the modern function and gigantic sizes of filter feeder whales became established at that time. Further investigation will be done in order to find out if Megalodon’s extinction played a part in the evolution of these new classes of whales.”

Pimiento consumed almost 6 years to unravel the details of Megalodon’s extinction, including ongoing analysis of Megalodon’s body size. The study reveals that Panama served as a nursery habitat for the species.

Jorge Velez-Juarbe, a paleontologist with the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County stated, “The study will not only serve as a key reference for exposing the myth that Megalodon still exists, but its new methods will influence the future of scientific research of extinct animals and plants.

The study has been published in the recent issue of PLOS ONE journal.

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