Amanda Ellis

A crest-tailed mulgara — thought to be extinct for more than 100 years — was found burrowing through the sand dunes of New South Wales. Known previously only through fossilized remnants, the animal is one of two species of mulgara found throughout Central Australia. These marsupials have crested bushy tails, measure up to a foot […] More

The remains of a carnivorous, tyrannosaurid dinosaur were found in Alaska — named Nanuqsaurus, or “polar bear lizard”, after the cold, snowy upper latitudes of its natural habitat.  The single species Nanuqsaurus hoglundi is known from a partial skull fragment from the Prince Creek Formation of the North Slope of Alaska, dating back to the Late Cretaceous period. Although related to Tyrannosaurus […] More

A lynx balances precariously in the treetops and makes a giant leap after a squirrel — but the squirrel has a plan of its own.  Lynxes are medium-sized wild cats distinguished by their short tails and tufts of black hair on the tops of their ears. They have large, padded paws for strolling silently across snowy terrain […] More

Whale hello there! Although belugas commonly learn to imitate other species, this beluga whale was the first ever recorded giving up its own language in order to speak to its dolphin companions. More

The species Dracorex hogwartsia is known only from one complete skull and four cervical vertebrae — but it’s a fascinating animal with spiky horns and an armored head. The skull, the atlas, third, eighth and ninth vertebrates were unearthed from the Hell Creek Formation in South Dakota and eventually donated to the Children’s Museum of Indianapolis for study in 2004. The […] More

The Bornean bay cat (Catopuma badia) is currently listed as Endangered on the IUCN list. Less than 2,200 individuals currently inhabit the island, threatened primarily by habitat loss, and that number is declining. Bay cats are normally chestnut in color with lighter hued tails and limbs and long white-streaked tails. The animals boast rounded ears […] More

Scientists discovered the fossils of the oldest arthropod with a mandible — a 508 million year old marine animal.  Tokummia katalepsis was first discovered in Burgess shale of Kootenay National Park in British Columbia, Canada. This arthropod was identified as a four-inch long predator from the late Cambrian period. Tokummia walking on the bottom of the seafloor. The lobster-like […] More

While spiders commonly decorate their webs with ornaments, this unusual species actually builds elaborate decoys of themselves out of insect matter and debris. Part of the genus Cyclosa, these spiders are found in the Peruvian Amazon and the Philippines. They have been observed collecting dead insects, plant matter, and debris to construct large, spider-like decoys […] More