From the smallest ones (birds) to the largest (tyrannosaurs) and in between. The evolution of theropods, an extra large tyrannosaur, more evidence that Nanotyrannus is valid, two new small theropods (enantiornithine birds), and much more

For links to every news story, all of the details we shared about Avimimus, and our fun fact check out https://iknowdino.com/Avimimus-Episode-568/

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Dinosaur of the day Avimimus, the bird mimic of bird mimics.

In dinosaur news this week:

• A new Early Jurassic theropod skeleton gives more insight into how theropods evolved
• There’s a new enantiornithine, Plumadraco bankoorum, and it had really long tail feathers
• There is a new enantiornithine, Gorgonavis alcyone, and it had a long beak
• Paleontologists found an extra large tyrannosaur shinbone in New Mexico, which may show Tyrannosaurus evolved in North America
• A study of the tiny hyoid bone (in the mouth) in Nanotyrannus supports that it is a valid dinosaur
• How and what theropods ate changed over time as their skulls evolved—a new study breaks down the theropod group changes
• Five different carnivorous non-avian theropod groups evolved to have shorter arms and bigger heads (not just T. rex)

We're releasing collectible cards to commemorate the biggest new Dinosaurs of 2025! Reserve your spot by June 30th iknowdino.com/cards and get a sticker of our vintage logo and an audio guide of all 6 of the dinosaurs featured in our Dinosaur Rookie Class of 2025! www.iknowdino.com/cards

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Spinosaurus mirabilis has a head unlike any other spinosaur with possibly the tallest head crest of any non-avian dinosaur. Plus, Jeff Bond joins from Ogden's George S. Eccles Dinosaur Park to discuss what it's like running a museum with animatronics, fossils, a prep lab, sculptures, and (in the near future) puppets!

For links to every news story, all of the details we shared about Bonatitan, links from Jeff Bond, and our fun fact check out https://iknowdino.com/Bonatitan-Episode-567/

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Dinosaur of the day Bonatitan, a small titanosaur sauropod with two well preserved braincases.

Interview with Jeff Bond, curator and head paleontologist at Ogden’s George S. Eccles Dinosaur Park in Utah

In dinosaur news this week:

• There’s a new species of Spinosaurus, Spinosaurus mirabilis, with a very impressive crest on its head

We're releasing collectible cards to commemorate the biggest new Dinosaurs of 2025! Reserve your spot now at iknowdino.com/cards and get a sticker of our vintage logo and an audio guide of all 6 of the dinosaurs featured in our Dinosaur Rookie Class of 2025! www.iknowdino.com/cards

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Dr. Steve Brusatte joins us for a paleontologist interview about The Story of Birds, exploring how birds survived the dinosaur extinction, evolved from dinosaur ancestors, and became one of Earth's most successful groups of animals.

In this episode of I Know Dino, we cover new dinosaur discoveries and dinosaur research before sitting down with Steve Brusatte, paleontologist, author, and University of Edinburgh professor. We discuss what the fossil record reveals about bird evolution, why birds are living dinosaurs, and how paleontologists connect modern species to their dinosaur ancestors. Steve explains how scientists study dinosaur evolution, brain evolution, and the survival of bird lineages through the end-Cretaceous extinction.

We also talk about giant fossil birds, terror birds, penguins that once rivaled large mammals, and how dinosaur research continues to reshape our understanding of prehistoric life. Along the way, Steve shares stories from his work as a researcher, science communicator, and author, including insights from writing The Story of Birds and helping connect modern bird biology to deep dinosaur history.

Before the interview, we cover a new tiny alvarezsauroid from Argentina, discuss what it reveals about dinosaur evolution, and look at new research tools that help scientists reconstruct ancient environments and extinction events.

Thanks for listening to I Know Dino: The Big Dinosaur Podcast—your source for dinosaur discoveries, dinosaur news, dinosaur research, paleontology news, and interviews with the scientists making new fossil discoveries.

Steve Brusatte joins to discuss the only group of dinosaurs that survived the asteroid. Plus a new alvarezsauroid which is the most complete and smallest dinosaur ever found in South America.

For links to every news story, all of the details we shared about Tataouinea, links from Steve Brusatte, and our fun fact check out https://iknowdino.com/Tataouinea-Episode-566/

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Dinosaur of the day Tataouinea, a rebbachisaurid sauropod and the first articulated dinosaur skeleton found in Tunisia.

Interview with Steve Brusatte, a professor of Palaeontology and Evolution at the University of Edinburgh. He is also the paleontology advisor for Jurassic World and author of a numerous of best-selling paleontology books. His latest book is The Story of Birds (which is already a NYT Best Seller)

In dinosaur news this week:

• There’s a new alvarezsauroid, Alnashetri, which has set a record as the most complete dinosaur found in South America

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plus hadrosaurs breaking their tails while mating, a diplodocoid with a broken tail tip, and many more paleopathologies.

For links to every news story, all of the details we shared about Koparion, and our fun fact check out https://iknowdino.com/Koparion-Episode-565/

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Dinosaur of the day Koparion, a small troodontid we only know from a tooth.

In dinosaur news this week:

• There’s a new herrerasaur, Ptychotherates bucculentus
• Hadrosaurs may have injured their tails while mating
• A Barosaurus with a long whip-like tail had a fracture at the tip of its tail
• A tyrannosaur lost the tip of its tooth in the skull of an Edmontosaurus
• A Plateosaurus with a bone infection in its right arm is the oldest known dinosaur bone infection
• Cancer has been around for millions of years, including in dinosaurs
• A few titanosaurs were found with cysts in their tails
• A mamenchisaurid sauropod had a tumor on its shoulder and arm

Tell us what you think about our show in our 2026 IKD Survey! We want our show to be as enjoyable as possible, and your input will help us improve. Head to iknowdino.com/survey to help shape the future of I Know Dino!

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The Tanis site is one of the most important paleo sites in North America, showing details of the exact day when the Cretaceous ended. Plus two new cute dinosaurs.

For links to every news story, all of the details we shared about Silvisaurus, links from Rob Sula, and our fun fact check out https://iknowdino.com/Silvisaurus-Episode-564/

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Dinosaur of the day Silvisaurus, an ankylosaur with a pear-shaped skull.

Interview with Rob Sula, the Senior field supervisor for Paleo Prospectors. He's a field paleontologist, teacher, and artist with decades of experience hunting and excavating dinosaurs and has co-discovered some very important fossil sites. He was also recently featured in the documentary Why Dinosaurs?

In dinosaur news this week:

• Dr. Hans Sues has ascended to paleo legend status
• There’s a new cute ornithopod, Foskeia pelendonum
• There’s another new, possibly even cuter dinosaur, the thescelosaurid ornithischian Doolysaurus huhmini

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Lots of new discoveries of soft tissues in dinosaurs. Plus new studies to confirm old soft tissues and a new—controversial—iguanodont.

For links to every news story, all of the details we shared about Santanaraptor, and our fun fact check out https://iknowdino.com/Santanaraptor-Episode-563/

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Dinosaur of the day Santanaraptor, a small theropod found with soft tissue.

In dinosaur news this week:

• There’s a potentially new iguanodont, Paulodon galvensis (but it is controversial)
• Soft tissues can be preserved in fossils regardless of the species, age of the bones, or where the animal was buried
• A new method using Cross-polarized light microscopy (XPol) helps identify organic molecules in fossils
• New Edmontosaurus "mummies" show hooves, small spikes down the tail, and a banded fleshy crest over the neck and back
• Scientists re-evaluated the soft tissue crest of an edmontosaur hadrosaur dinosaur
• Dinosaurs likely had muscles forming cheeks
• New titanosaur sauropod tracks found in Mongolia show a lot of soft tissue details in the hands and feet

Tell us what you think about our show in our 2026 IKD Survey! We want our show to be as enjoyable as possible, and your input will help us improve. Head to bit.ly/ikdsurvey26 to help shape the future of I Know Dino!

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A new troodontid with a skull like a pachycephalosaur, two new prehistoric birds, the bird evolutionary tree, how birds developed the ability to fly, how we know Microraptor turned out to be a decent flier, and a mathematical rule that shapes theropod faces

For links to every news story, all of the details we shared about Archaeopteryx , and our fun fact check out https://iknowdino.com/Archaeopteryx -Episode-562/

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Dinosaur of the day Archaeopteryx , the "ancient wing" dinosaur that was originally named for just a single feather, but is now known from over a dozen individuals.

In dinosaur news this week:

• A new troodontid theropod, Xenovenator espinosai, has an extremely thick skull—like a pachycephalosaur
• Scientists have created a complete evolutionary tree of all birds (over 9,000 species)
• There’s a new neoavian Aequornithes bird from Antarctica, Pujatopouli soberana
• There is a new euornithean bird, Kunpengornis anhuimusei, that has gut contents!
• How the structure of feathers in the Cretaceous tells us about their evolution
• The specialization of a small wrist bone, the pisiform, helps birds to fly
• A key wing muscle that helps birds fly appears to have evolved by fusing cells from multiple muscles
• How often birds, bats, and insects flap when flying may be related to a built in constraint related to the vortex their wings generate with each flap
• More Microraptor specimens (with soft tissues!) show it was a decent flier
• A set of raptor dinosaur tracks indirectly shows it used its arms to help it run faster
• Just because a theropod dinosaur had short arms and not many fingers, doesn’t mean their hands and arms were useless
• Birds have a special organ to help them balance (which doesn't seem to matter as much for flight)
• Birds have been nesting in the Arctic for at least 73 million years
• How theropod dinosaur (non-avian and bird) faces are shaped may have followed a mathematical rule
• A study of the Chicago Archaeopteryx found that could definitely fly
• Birds need a lot of calories to fly, and Archaeopteryx, the oldest known bird, has three features modern birds also have to eat efficiently

This episode is brought to you by the Colorado Northwestern Community College. Join them for two weeks digging up dinosaur bones in the field, preparing fossils in their lab, or in their new field geology program. For details go to CNCC.edu/paleo26

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Plus a duck-billed dinosaur with a strong jaw and a couple of small dinosaurs from the the U.S. and Europe

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In dinosaur news this week:

• A New Jurassic neornithischian dinosaur with a Voice Box. Pulaosaurus qinglong, from China’s Tiaojishan Formation, has only the second larynx ever found preserved with a non-avian dinosaur. Source
• The small ornithischian Enigmacursor mollyborthwickae was found in the Morrison Formation of Colorado. Reminding us that it wasn't just huge sauropods and stegosaurs eating plants in the Late Jurassic. Source
• A new ornithopod named Obelignathus septimanicus was identified from a stronger jawbone than other Late Cretaceous ornithopods (like Rhabdodon) in what is now southern France. It's name refers to the French comic character Obelix who has superhuman strength (like the "unusually robustly-built" jawbone on Obelignathus). Source
• An Early Cretaceous basal hadrosauroid, Cariocecus bocagei, was named from Portugal. It had a fused upper jaw and cheekbone, possibly letting it chew tougher plants than its relatives. Source

This episode is brought to you by the Colorado Northwestern Community College. Join them for two weeks digging up dinosaur bones in the field, preparing fossils in their lab, or in their new field geology program. For details go to CNCC.edu/paleo26

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