Jurassic Animals, Dinosaurs & Fossils

07Mesozoic

Tall back plates and a four-spiked tail made this low-browsing herbivore unmistakable.

12Mesozoic

Feathers, wings, teeth and a long bony tail capture a mosaic of dinosaur and bird traits.

40Mesozoic

A lightweight skull and serrated teeth equipped this large predator for repeated slashing bites.

41Mesozoic

Long forelimbs lifted its shoulders and neck toward the Jurassic canopy.

42Mesozoic

A whip-like tail balanced an extremely long neck on this lightly built giant.

53Mesozoic

Paired head crests advertised this agile predator; there is no evidence for venom or a neck frill.

55Mesozoic

Membranous wings supported by long fingers and a rod-like styliform element projecting from the wrist differed from the feathered wings of birds.

58Mesozoic

A streamlined reptile converged on the body plan of dolphins while retaining enormous eyes.

59Mesozoic

A broad skull and four powerful flippers belonged to a leading Jurassic marine predator.

128Mesozoic

Flower-like reproductive organs nestled among cycad-like leaves, but this bennettitalean was not a flowering plant.

129Mesozoic

Long leaves divided into broad segments formed part of the cycadophyte layer beneath Jurassic trees.

132Mesozoic

Curved cupules containing ovules hung beneath compound leaves in this puzzling seed plant.

153Mesozoic

Finely pinnate fronds carpeted Jurassic understories, each toothed leaflet crossed by repeatedly branching veins.

155Mesozoic

Tall conifers bore nearly spherical cones whose internal scales and ovules were silicified by volcanic landscapes.

173Mesozoic

Needle teeth lined long jaws while a diamond-shaped membrane at the stiff tail tip helped control flight above island seas.

174Mesozoic

This giant bony fish opened a broad mouth and strained plankton through dense gill rakers, much like a whale shark.

175Mesozoic

A short deep skull carried serrated blades, while this marine crocodile's body had transformed into four flippers and a fishlike tail.

187Mesozoic

Four broad, densely veined wings carried this stem dragonfly on patrol above Jurassic lakeshores.

188Mesozoic

The male forewing preserves its file finely enough for researchers to reconstruct a pure call near 6.4 kilohertz.

189Mesozoic

Huge eyespots, broad wings and an elongate mouthpart created a butterfly-like insect before butterflies flourished.

191Mesozoic

Four lobed wings nearly match ginkgoalean leaves from the same bed, rare evidence of deep-time leaf mimicry.

192Mesozoic

About 17 millimeters long and unable to jump, it carried serrated piercing mouthparts far larger than those of modern fleas.

222Mesozoic

A long neck, small head and grasping hands mark a stage between bipedal ancestors and giant quadrupedal sauropods.

223Mesozoic

A curved transverse crest across its skull gives this large Antarctic theropod an unmistakable profile.