Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History

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Department of Paleobiology

The Paleobiology Department has developed specialized, interesting, and fun websites on focused topics and useful tools.

Archaeocete Whales

Helicoprion
See a new life restoration of the enigmatic Permian shark, Helicoprion.

Underground Carboniferous Rainforest

Underground Rainforest
Preserved in the ceiling of a coal mine 250 feet below.

Dinosaur Website

Dinosaurs!
Some of the most important dinosaurs known to science stand in our exhibit halls.

Geologic Time

Geologic Time
The story of a changing earth through time.

Life of a Vertebrate Fossil

Life of a Vertebrate Fossil
Follow what paleontologists do in each stage in the life of a vertebrate fossil.

Burgess Shale

Burgess Shale
The famous Canadian fossils discovered by Smithsonian's Charles Walcott.

Blast from the past

Blast from the Past!
New evidence of an asteroid impact 65 million years ago.

Paleo Art

Paleo Art
Paleontological art has been used to disseminate our research findings since 1846.

Giant Fossil Tree

Giant Fossil Scale Tree
One of the largest plant fossils ever collected, weighing more than 16 tons.

Polyglot Paleo

Polyglot Paleontologist
Downloadable English translations of hundreds of paleontological papers.

Shark Tooth Key

Shark Tooth Key
How to sort out and identify fossil shark teeth.

Archaeocete Whales

Archaeocete Whales (pdf)
Bibliography of all scientific, and some popular, works.
(Endnote version here)