Giant echidnas weighing 15kg roamed Victoria – and the evidence was hiding in plain sight
By Donna Lu

A skull fragment found in a tray of unsorted fossils collected more than a century ago leads to discovery

https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2026/apr/14/owens-giant-echidna-fossil-victoria

#Mammals #Fossils #Palaeontology #Science #Victoria #Australianews #Environment #DonnaLu

Giant echidnas weighing 15kg roamed Victoria – and the evidence was hiding in plain sight

A skull fragment found in a tray of unsorted fossils collected more than a century ago leads to discovery

The Guardian
Giant echidnas weighing 15kg roamed Victoria – and the evidence was hiding in plain sight

A skull fragment found in a tray of unsorted fossils collected more than a century ago leads to discovery

The Guardian

Giant echidna fossil rewrites understanding of Victoria's prehistoric past
By Jack Colantuono

A fossil hidden in a museum collection for 119 years has revealed giant echidnas once roamed Victoria's east, filling a major gap in Australia's prehistoric record.

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2026-04-14/ice-age-giant-echidna-fossil-found-in-east-gippsland/106561526

#Fossils #Marsupials #EarthScience #JackColantuono

Giant echidna fossil rewrites understanding of Victoria's prehistoric past

A fossil hidden in a museum collection for 119 years has revealed giant echidnas once roamed Victoria's east, filling a major gap in Australia's prehistoric record.

Currently reading the excellent "In Search of Sea Dragons" written by debut author Matthew Myerscough and published by Seren Books.

It documents the author's fascination and obsession with collecting marine reptile fossils around the coast of England.

Entertaining and enlightening, it charts the personal journey of Matthew from a near death experience to becoming a highly respected fossil hunter helping to uncover remarkable marine reptile specimens.

#fossils #fossilhunting #nonfiction

Embryo fossil…oldest proof that mammal ancestors laid eggs

“Our ability to identify the fossil egg adds to our understanding of the origin of mammalian reproductive biology and lactation, and the survival strategy of Lystrosaurus”
#Science #Fossils #ReproBio #paleontology

https://theconversation.com/embryo-fossil-found-in-south-africa-is-worlds-oldest-proof-that-mammal-ancestors-laid-eggs-277673

Embryo fossil found in South Africa is world’s oldest proof that mammal ancestors laid eggs

A detailed scan of a fossil therapsid embryo reveals the oldest egg belonging to a mammalian ancestor.

The Conversation
Oldest octopus fossil found to not be an octopus https://arstechni.ca/LKTe #Science #fossils #octopus
Oldest octopus fossil found to not be an octopus

Supposed “first octopus” was something else entirely.

Ars Technica

This week’s Fossil Friday is a pair of enamelled gar scales. Gars are ray-finned fish whose bodies are covered in tough, often shiny scales; the enamelled surface helps protect them and gives many specimens a distinctive look in the field and in collections.

These scales were collected from Red Rock Coulee in 2006 by Hope Johnson. They are catalogued as APS2006.050.

#palaeontology #paleontology #fossils #fossilfriday #fish #alberta

Africa: Embryo Fossil Found in South Africa Is World's Oldest Proof That Mammal Ancestors Laid Eggs: [The Conversation Africa] Between 280 and 200 million years ago, a group of animals evolved which would eventually give rise to mammals, including humans: the therapsids. They were first described more than 150 years ago, based on fossils from South Africa. Since then, many more fossils have been discovered. http://newsfeed.facilit8.network/TRym8t #Africa #Fossils #Paleontology #Therapsids #MammalEvolution
Museum display found to be entirely new species after 26 years: 'Difficult to decipher'.
A famous 300-million-year-old fossil, believed to be the remains of the oldest-known octopus, was revealed overnight to be an entirely different animal.
https://au.news.yahoo.com/museum-display-found-to-be-entirely-new-species-after-26-years-difficult-to-decipher-013228174.html
#globalmuseum #museums #fossils
Discoscaphites sp. South Dakota 🇺🇸 #ammonites #geocollectionstore #fossili #fossils #ammoniti