A team of paleontologists has announced the discovery of an Eocene-era whale it may be the heaviest animal to ever live, surpassing the extant blue whale in mass.

Source: https://gizmodo.com/massive-extinct-whale-heaviest-animal-ever-1850699258

Finding a T. rex mummy would be the key discovery paleontologists need to bring the debate closer to the end, Sues says.

Source: https://wtop.com/animals-pets/2023/04/new-study-shows-t-rex-may-have-had-thick-scaly-lips/

Of course, such an abundance of potential finds also exerts a great attraction on amateur paleontologists.

Source: https://phys.org/news/2023-11-mosasaurs-teeth-picky-eaters-seafood.html

Those are the certainties of the Cretaceous Period exchange that were encased in time until this week, when a team of paleontologists revealed the stunning fossil in a paper in Scientific Reports.

Source: https://gizmodo.com/preserved-fossil-mammal-preying-beaked-dinosaur-1850664541

While this all provides paleontologists with an initial idea of where to look for fossils, these ancient treasures aren’t always so simple to identify.

Source: https://www.discovermagazine.com/planet-earth/why-are-fossils-only-found-in-sedimentary-rocks