Top 10 Dinosaur and Fossil Finds of 2007

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December 26, 2007

A "mummified" dinosaur unearthed in North Dakota, a baby mammoth found frozen in Russia, or remains of penguins the size of people excavated in Peru: which discovery was the biggest hit with National Geographic News readers in 2007?

Find out for yourself with this rundown of our most popular paleontology stories over the past year.

(Also check out our list of the year's top archaeology stories, from the discovery a new Stonehenge settlement to an unusual "female pharaoh" find in Egypt.)

10. Bizarre Dinosaur Grazed Like a Cow, Study Says (November 15, 2007)
A strange-looking dinosaur "mowed" through ground vegetation using its vacuum cleaner-shaped mouth more than a hundred million years ago, new research found.

• See a photo gallery of the dino.

9. Giant Penguins Once Roamed Peru Desert, Fossils Show (June 25, 2007)
A fossil skull uncovered in Peru revealed that penguins the size of people roamed the country's Atacama Desert more than 30 million years ago.

• See a photo gallery of the ancient giant birds.

8. Photo in the News: Triceratops' "Granddaddy" Discovered in Canada (March 5, 2007)
The bizarre-looking, 78-million-year-old dino had horns as large as human arms, and its skull was frilled with spikes the size of sharks' teeth.

7. Photo in the News: Over 100 Dinosaur Eggs Found in India (February 5, 2007)
Amateurism got a shot in the arm, courtesy of three dinosaur enthusiasts who uncovered a rich clutch of fossilized eggs.

6. Mammoths to Return? DNA Advances Spur Resurrection Debate (June 25, 2007)
Experts are close to piecing together the entire genomes of long-dead beasts. But bringing them back to life may—or may not—happen soon, depending on whom you ask.

5. Photo in the News: "Lovely" Baby Mammoth Found Frozen in Russia (July 11, 2007)
The six-month-old female mammoth is the most well-preserved example yet found of the beasts, and it may yield some of the ancient beasts' genetic secrets, scientists said.

4. Giant Sea Scorpion Discovered; Was Bigger Than a Man (November 21, 2007)
A fearsome fossil claw discovered in Germany belonged to the biggest bug ever known, a 390-million-year-old sea scorpion the size of a large crocodile.

3. Photo in the News: Ancient Tree Frog Found Encased in Amber (February 17, 2007)
A miner from Mexico's Chiapas state has made the find of a lifetime—a tiny tree frog preserved in amber that could be 25 million years old.

2. Photo in the News: Jurassic "Crocodile" Found in Oregon (March 22, 2007)
The fossil remains of a crocodile-like reptile were discovered in the Blue Mountains of eastern Oregon—about 5,000 miles (8,000 kilometers) from where it most likely died.

1. "Dinosaur Mummy" Found; Has Intact Skin, Tissue (December 3, 2007)
Scientists announced the discovery of an extraordinarily preserved "dinosaur mummy"—a 67-million-year-old hadrosaur with much of its tissues and bones still encased in an uncollapsed envelope of skin.

• See a photo gallery of the "dino mummy."

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