Wiki Prehistorica



WHAT IS PREHISTORY? Prehistory refers to the period before written history. This is a gargantuan range of time spanning nearly 4.54 billion years, from the formation of the Earth to the first written records.

There is no concrete definition to prehistory, and it is sometimes used to define the time when humans first appeared instead of the time when the Earth or life originated...Read more

WHAT IS PALEONTOLOGY? Paleontology (or palaeontology) is the study of prehistoric life. One who studies paleontology is called a paleontologist. The science focuses on ancient organisms, their environment, their evolution, and their interactions with one another. Because it is a historical science, experiments cannot be conducted as easily or as readily as in the physical sciences. Instead...Read more

NEWS

Prehistoric News

 * A nearly complete skeleton of the enigmatic dinosaur Deinocheirus has been discovered! Deinocheirus has long been known only from a pair of giant arms, and scientists have speculated that it might be a type of gargantuan ornithomimosaur. The paper officially describing the fossils has yet to be published, but the bones reveal that not only was the animal an ornithomimosaur, but it had a hump or sail on its back!
 * By looking at fossilized skin from a turtle, a mosasaur, and an ichthyosaur, paleontologists have been able to determine that the skin of these animals in life was colored black - similar to many modern marine mammals.

Wiki News

 * November 16, 2010 -- Styracosaurus Rider founds the wiki
 * January 16, 2011 -- After the departure of the other active users, Styracosaurus Rider starts a wiki redesign, which will promise new features and systems.
 * October 31, 2011 -- The wiki officially reopens, with badges activated.
 * November 12, 2011 -- In preparation for the wiki's first anniversary, Styracosaurus Rider creates Prehistoric Answers, a companion site where you can ask and answer questions about prehistory.
 * November 13, 2011 -- The wiki reaches its 75th article, Karaurus.
 * November 16, 2011 -- The wiki turns one year old.
 * November 16, 2012 -- The wiki turns two years old.
 * February 15, 2013 -- The wiki reaches its 100th article, Pterosaur!
 * November 16, 2013 -- The wiki turns three years old.

News archive: news removed from the main page

  WHAT MAKES US DIFFERENT FROM OTHER PREHISTORIC WIKIS? There are many other wikis about fossils, dinosaurs, and paleontology out there. Why does the Wiki Prehistorica stand apart from those other sites?...About us

SISTER WIKIS
 * Prehistoric Answers Wiki

DID YOU KNOW... ...that fossils of the theropod dinosaur Aerosteon were found with preserved air sacs similar to those of modern birds? ...that the dromaeosaurid Balaur had not one, but two sickle claws on its feet? ...that dry land during the Cambrian Period was concentrated in the southern hemisphere of the planet? ...that the formal description of Darwinius in 2009 was accompanied by enormous amounts of publicity and media coverage? ...that myths of the unicorn may have been based upon sightings of the giant rhino Elasmotherium? ...that the nodosaurid Gastonia was named after Robert Gaston, who originally discovered it? ...that the Cambrian chordate Haikouichthys is often identified as one of the earliest known fishes? ...that the tetrapod Ichthyostega is known from four species, all from the same time and place in Greenland? ...that Jobaria is one of the most complete sauropod dinosaurs ever found, with over 95% of its skeleton preserved? ...that the only known specimen of the Jurassic salamander Karaurus was found in Kazakhstan? ...that a lower jaw of Labidosaurus was discovered in 2011 that showed evidence of a tooth infection? ...that the arthropod genus Marrella is the most common fossil found in the Burgess Shale of British Columbia, Canada? ...that Neuropteris is a common Carboniferous fern throughout both North America and Europe? ...that when the bizarre Cambrian arthropod Opabinia was revealed to the audience of a public presentation, they laughed at its strange appearance? ...that although Pelagiarctos was initially imagined as a "killer walrus", new evidence shows that it ate smaller prey like squid? ...that there is an ongoing project to create a modern quagga by breeding quagga-like traits into a population of zebras? ...that Richard Owen was a controversial figure during the late 19th century, and even claimed other's discoveries as his own? ...that the remains of the archosaur Samrukia were originally interpreted as those of a giant bird? ...that Tenontosaurus was the first ornithischian dinosaur known to possess medullary bone? ...that Utahraptor was most closely related to the genera Dromaeosaurus and Achillobator? ...that the sponge genus Vauxia existed from the Cambrian to Silurian Periods? ...that individuals of the amphibian Wesserpeton likely fought with each other for dominance? ...that the theropod dinosaur Yangchuanosaurus was closely related to Allosaurus? ...that the only known specimen of the Cretaceous ant Zigrasimecia was found in Burma as an inclusion in amber?

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