Who were the Neanderthals? - Natural History Museum
Our closest ancient human relatives. Neanderthals were humans like us, but they were a distinct species called Homo neanderthalensis.. Read Chris Stringer's argument for why Neanderthals should be considered a separate species from Homo sapiens >. Together with an Asian people known as Denisovans, Neanderthals are our closest ancient human relatives.
Squirrels in the UK: what they are up to, when and why
The UK is home to two squirrel species: the Eurasian red squirrel (Sciurus vulgaris) and the grey squirrel (Sciurus carolinensis).The species you are more likely to see scampering through the trees or ransacking your bird feeders will depend on your location, though grey squirrels, which are not native to the UK, are now far more common in most areas.
What was the Cretaceous Period like? - Natural History Museum
The Cretaceous Period lasted for nearly 80 million years. Discover what the climate was like in this geological period, where the continents were and what animals and plants lived on them. Find out how an asteroid ended the age of dinosaurs.
Convergent evolution explained with 13 examples - Natural …
What is the difference between convergent and divergent evolution? Divergent evolution is the opposite of convergent evolution. Divergent evolution occurs when two species share a common ancestor and evolve one or more characteristics that make them different to each other.
Immortal jellyfish: the secret to cheating death
The hydrozoan Turritopsis dohrnii, an animal about 4.5 millimetres wide and tall (likely making it smaller than the nail on your little finger), can actually reverse its life cycle.It has been dubbed the immortal jellyfish. When the medusa of this species is physically damaged or experiences stresses such as starvation, instead of dying it shrinks in on itself, reabsorbing its tentacles and ...
Mutualism: eight examples of species that work together to get …
Aphids are little sap-sucking insects that secrete honeydew, a sugary liquid that is the waste product of their diet. Many aphid species are known to engage in a mutualistic relationship with ants that feed on the honeydew by 'milking' the aphids with their antennae.
What killed the dinosaurs? - Natural History Museum
The fossil record shows that for the first 175 million years of their existence, dinosaurs took on a huge variety of forms as the environment changed and new species evolved that were suited to these new conditions. Dinosaurs that failed to adapt went extinct. But then 66 million years ago, over a relatively short time, dinosaurs disappeared completely (except for birds).
The Dino Directory - Natural History Museum
Discover facts, figures and images for more than 300 dinosaurs. From slow, plant-eating giants to fierce scavengers and hunters, dinosaurs once dominated the land. Search our alphabetical list, or explore dinosaurs by when and where they lived or …
Homo habilis, an early maker of stone tools - Natural History …
Who discovered Homo habilis and where was it found?. Famous palaeoanthropologists Louis and Mary Leakey discovered Homo habilis in 1960. Along with their son Jonathan, they unearthed the first fossils at Olduvai Gorge in the Great Rift Valley of Tanzania, East Africa.. The couple had already found fossils of another primitive hominin species and some early stone tools at the site.
What is natural selection? - Natural History Museum
Natural selection is a mechanism of evolution. Organisms that are more adapted to their environment are more likely to survive and pass on the genes that aided their success. This process causes species to change and diverge over time. Natural selection is one of the ways to account for the millions ...